The local department shall: determine: whether an applicant is eligible for assistance under this part; and in accordance with regulations that the Administration adopts, the amount of the assistance and the date on which the assistance will begin; and notify the applicant of its decision. Assistance shall be paid to the applicant monthly or as the Administration otherwise determines. If the funds available are insufficient to make payments in accordance with the amount of assistance established to be needed, the Administration shall adopt regulations to provide for a uniform method of adjusting individual payments.