California Department of Social Services - State Hearings Division
Notes from the Training Bureau - July 3, 2002

This ACIN provides several answers to vehicle valuation questions. Some of the answers are those set out below:

¨ Once a vehicle is evaluated, it does not need to be reevaluated until recertification/redetermination.

¨ To be considered licensed, a vehicle must be registered to be operated on public roads. A vehicle registered as "nonoperative" is evaluated as an unlicensed vehicle pursuant to MPP §63-501.53. Even if a person has paid all registration fees on the vehicle, the vehicle may be considered to be unlicensed if the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is withholding vehicle registration such as when the owner has unpaid parking tickets or has no smog certificate.

¨ A leased vehicle, or one that has a lease/purchase option, is not considered a resource. An unlicensed vehicle that is being used as a home is excluded as a resource.

¨ If a vehicle is jointly owned by an eligible household member and an excluded household member, then the entire value of the vehicle is counted unless the excluded household member is an SSI/SSP recipient or an ineligible student. If the vehicle is jointly owned by an eligible household member and an SSI/SSP recipient, an ineligible student or a nonhousehold member, then the vehicle is treated as follows:

If the registration uses the word "or" in the title, then the entire value of the vehicle is counted.

If the registration uses the word "and" or a "/" in the title, and the ineligible household joint owner agrees to sell the vehicle, then the entire value of the vehicle is counted and is considered available to the household. If the joint owner refuses to sell, then none of the value of the vehicle is counted.

Each vehicle is valued individually. Therefore, there is no limit to the number of vehicles that may be excluded under the $1500 equity value exclusion.