Article 78-2

①When a public assistance recipient has, before receiving delivery of public assistance benefit (limited to that provided by performance in money), requested, as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, that a part of the public assistance benefit be applied to payment of the amount to be collected that the governor or mayor of the prefecture or municipality that has paid the public assistance expenses may collect under the provisions of Article 77-2, paragraph (1) or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, and the public assistance administrator finds that this will not hinder the maintenance of the livelihood of that public assistance recipient, the public assistance administrator may, as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, collect the amount to be collected pertaining to that request when delivering the public assistance benefit to that public assistance recipient.

②A person who pays the benefit for employment and self-support pursuant to the provisions of Article 55-4, paragraph (1) may, when a public assistance recipient has, before receiving payment of the benefit for employment and self-support, requested, as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, that all or a part of the amount of that benefit for employment and self-support be applied to payment of the amount to be collected that the governor or mayor of the prefecture or municipality that has paid the public assistance expenses may collect under the provisions of Article 77-2, paragraph (1) or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, collect, as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the amount to be collected pertaining to that request when paying the benefit for employment and self-support to that public assistance recipient.

③When the amount to be collected under Article 77-2, paragraph (1) or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article has been collected pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, the delivery of that public assistance benefit (limited to the part pertaining to the request under paragraph (1)) or the payment of that benefit for employment and self-support (limited to the part pertaining to the request under the preceding paragraph) to that public assistance recipient is deemed to have been made.