General assistance program; qualifications and payments.

A. Subject to the availability of state funds, public assistance shall be provided under a general assistance program to or on behalf of eligible persons who: (1) are under eighteen years of age and meet all eligibility conditions for the New Mexico Works Act [27-2B-1 NMSA 1978] except the relationship to the person with whom they are living; (2) are over the age of eighteen and are disabled, according to rules of the department, and are not receiving cash assistance or services pursuant to the New Mexico Works Act; (3) meet the qualifications under other rules for the general assistance program as the department shall establish; or (4) are lawful resident immigrants who would otherwise be eligible for cash assistance or services pursuant to the New Mexico Works Act except that they began residing in the United States after August 22, 1996. B. General assistance program payments may be made directly to the recipient or to the vendor of goods or services provided to the recipient. The department may by rule limit the grants that are made to general assistance recipients. C. Whenever the department makes an adjustment in the standard of need for the New Mexico Works Act, subject to the availability of state funds, it shall make a commensurate adjustment in the standard of need for the general assistance program.