[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 217 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56601-56605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-27775]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
New and Pending Demonstration Project Proposals Submitted
Pursuant to Section 1115(a) of the Social Security Act: October, 1995
AGENCY: Administration for Children and Families, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice lists new proposals for welfare reform and
combined welfare reform/Medicaid demonstration projects submitted to
the Department of Health and Human Services for the month of October,
1995. It includes both those proposals being considered under the
standard waiver process and those being considered under the 30 day
process. Federal approval for the proposals has been requested pursuant
to section 1115 of the Social Security Act. This notice also lists
proposals that were previously submitted and are still pending a
decision and projects that have been approved since October 1, 1995.
The Health Care Financing Administration is publishing a separate
notice for Medicaid only demonstration projects.
Comments: We will accept written comments on these proposals. We will,
if feasible, acknowledge receipt of all comments, but we will not
provide written responses to comments. We will, however, neither
approve nor disapprove new proposals under the standard application
process for at least 30 days after the date of this notice to allow
time to receive and consider comments. Direct comments as indicated
below.
ADDRESSES: For specific information or questions on the content of a
project contact the State contact listed for that project.
Comments on a proposal or requests for copies of a proposal should
be addressed to: Howard Rolston, Administration for Children and
Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Aerospace Building, 7th Floor
West, Washington DC 20447. FAX: (202) 205-3598 PHONE: (202) 401-9220
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act (the Act), the
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may approve research and
demonstration project proposals with a broad range of policy
objectives.
In exercising her discretionary authority, the Secretary has
developed a number of policies and procedures for reviewing proposals.
On September 27, 1994, we published a notice in the Federal Register
(59 FR 49249) that specified (1) the principles that we ordinarily will
consider when approving or disapproving demonstration projects under
the authority in section 1115(a) of the Act; (2) the procedures we
expect States to use in involving the public in the development of
proposed demonstration projects under section 1115; and (3) the
procedures we ordinarily will follow in reviewing demonstration
proposals. We are committed to a thorough and expeditious review of
State requests to conduct such demonstrations.
On August 16, 1995, the Secretary published a notice in the Federal
Register (60 FR 42574) exercising her discretion to request proposals
testing welfare reform strategies in five areas. Since such projects
can only incorporate provisions included in that announcement, they are
not subject to the Federal notice procedures. The Secretary proposed a
30 day approval process for those provisions. As previously noted, this
notice lists all new or pending welfare reform demonstration proposals
under section 1115. Where possible, we have identified the proposals
being considered under the 30 day process. However, the Secretary
reserves the right to exercise her discretion to consider any proposal
under the 30 day process if it meets the criteria in the five specified
areas and the State requests it or concurs.
II. Listing of New and Pending Proposals for the Month of October,
1995
As part of our procedures, we are publishing a monthly notice in
the Federal Register of all new and pending proposals. This notice
contains proposals for the month of October, 1995.
[[Page 56602]]
Project Title: California--Work Pays Demonstration Project
(Amendment).
Description: Would amend Work Pays Demonstration Project by adding
provisions to: reduce benefit levels by 10% (but retaining the need
level); reduce benefits an additional 15% after 6 months on assistance
for cases with an able-bodied adult; time-limit assistance to able-
bodied adults to 24 months, and not increase benefits for children
conceived while receiving AFDC.
Date Received: 3/14/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending
Contact Person: Glen Brooks, (916) 657-3291.
Project Title: California--Assistance Payments Demonstration
Project (Amendment).
Description: Would amend the Assistance Payments Demonstration
Project by: exempting certain categories of AFDC families from the
State's benefit cuts; paying the exempt cases based on grant levels in
effect in California on November 1, 1992; and renewing the waiver of
the Medicaid maintenance of effort provision at section 1902(c)(1) of
the Social Security Act, which was vacated by the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals in its decision in Beno v. Shalala.
Date Received: 8/26/94.
Type: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Bruce Wagstaff, (916) 657-2367.
Project Title: California--Work Pays Demonstration Project
(Amendment).
Description: Would amend the Work Pays Demonstration Project by
adding provisions to not increasing AFDC benefits to families for
additional children conceived while receiving AFDC.
Date Received: 11/9/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Bruce Wagstaff, (916) 657-2367.
Project Title: California--School Attendance Demonstration Project.
Description: In San Diego County, require AFDC recipients ages 16-
18 to attend school or participate in JOBS.
Date Received: 12/5/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Bruce Wagstaff, (916) 657-2367.
Project Title: Connecticut--A Fair Chance--Modification.
Description: Proposed modifications would: establish time limits;
disregard earnings for time-limited recipients up to poverty level;
reduce benefit increase for additional children by one-half; require
minor parents to live with adult; change redetermination, verification,
and reporting requirements; provide employer tax credits for hiring
AFDC recipients; require biometric identification as condition of
eligibility for unit; establish two-tier payment system for new
residents; simplify and conform AFDC and Food Stamp rules on resources;
allow 24 weeks of job search without child care guarantee; change good
cause criteria regarding participation; change JOBS sanctions; apply
uniform sanction policy for JOBS, child support, and voluntary quits;
extend transitional Medicaid to two years; provide transitional child
care while income below 75% of state median; limit the application
period for transitional child care to 6 months after leaving AFDC;
establish fee for child care for AFDC recipients; serve non-custodial
parents under JOBS.
Date Received: 8/10/95.
Type: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Nancy Wiggett, (203) 424-5329.
Project Title: Georgia--Jobs First Project.
Description: In ten pilot counties, would replace AFDC payment with
paid employment; extend transitional Medicaid to 24 months; eliminate
100 hour employment rule for eligibility determination in AFDC-UP
cases.
Date Received: 7/5/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending (not previously published).
Contact Person: Nancy Meszaros, (404) 657-3608.
Project Title: Hawaii--Families Are Better Together.
Description: Statewide, would eliminate 100-hour, attachment to the
work force, 30 day unemployment and principal wage earner criteria for
AFDC-UP families.
Date Received: 5/22/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Patricia Murakami, (808) 586-5230.
Project Title: Illinois--Six Month Paternity Establishment
Demonstration.
Description: In 20 counties, would require the establishment of
paternity, unless good cause exists, within 6 months of application or
redetermination as a condition of AFDC and Medicaid eligibility for
both mother and child; would deny Medicaid to children age 7 and under,
exclude children from filing rules, and exempt Department from making
protective payments to eligible children, when custodial parent has not
cooperated in establishing paternity; delegate the establishment of
paternity in uncontested cases to caseworkers who perform assistance
payment or social service functions under title IV-A or XX.
Date Received: 7/18/95.
Title: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Karan D. Maxson, (217) 785-3300.
Project Title: Kansas--Actively Creating Tomorrow for Families
Demonstration.
Description: Would, after 30 months of participation in JOBS, make
adults ineligible for AFDC for 3 years; replace $30 and 1/3 income
disregard with continuous 40% disregard; disregard lump sum income and
income and resources of children in school; count income and resources
of family members who receive SSI; exempt one vehicle without regard
for equity value if used to produce income; allow only half AFDC
benefit increase for births of a second child to families where the
parent is not working and eliminate increase for the birth of any child
if families already have at least two children; eliminate 100-hour rule
and work history requirements for UP cases; expand AFDC eligibility to
pregnant women in 1st and 2nd trimesters; extend Medicaid transitional
benefits to 24 months; eliminate various JOBS requirements, including
those related to target groups, participation rate of UP cases and the
20-hour work requirement limit for parents with children under 6;
require school attendance; require minors in AFDC and NPA Food Stamps
cases to live with a guardian; make work requirements and penalties in
the AFDC and Food Stamp programs more uniform; and increase sanctions
for not cooperating with child support enforcement activities.
Date Received: 7/26/94.
Type: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Faith Spencer, (913) 296-0775.
Project Title: Louisiana--Individual Responsibility Project.
Description: Statewide, would limit AFDC benefits to 24 months out
of a 60 month period for able-bodied recipients with extensions where
the individual has been actively seeking employment, where job
availability is unfavorable, where the individual loses a job for
factors unrelated to his job performance, or where the individual
requires up to one year to complete employment related education or
training; require each child to attend school and be immunized or the
child will be removed
[[Page 56603]]
from the budget group; and applies a full family sanction where the
parent has declined or refused an opportunity for full-time employment,
without good cause.
Date Received: 9/22/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Sammy Guillory, (504) 342-4089.
Project Title: Maine--Welfare to Work Program.
Description: Statewide, would require caretaker relatives to sign a
family contract; require participation in parenting classes and health
care services; provide one-time vendor payments in lieu of AFDC for the
purpose of obtaining/retaining employment; provide voucher payments to
both married and unmarried minor parents; limit JOBS exemptions; expand
eligibility for Transitional Medicaid and Child Care and replace
sliding-scale fees with flat-rate fees; reduce Transitional Medicaid
reporting requirements; disregard entire value of one vehicle; and
apply any federal savings to the JOBS program services. In selected
sites, implement ASPIRE-Plus, a subsidized employment program, would
cash out food stamps, divert AFDC benefits and pass through all child
support collected to families who participate in ASPIRE-Plus.
Date Received: 9/20/95.
Type: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Susan Dustin, (207) 287-3104.
Project Title: New Hampshire--Earned Income Disregard Demonstration
Project.
Description: AFDC applicants and recipients would have the first
$200 plus 1/2 the remaining earned income disregarded.
Date Received: 9/20/93.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Avis L. Crane, (603) 271-4255.
Project Title: New Hampshire--New Hampshire Employment Program and
Family Assistance Program.
Description: Statewide, would replace AFDC with Employment Program
administered by both Employment Security Agency and Family Assistance
Program; require job search and other employment-related activities for
first 26 weeks of receipt followed by work-related activities for 26
weeks; eliminate JOBS target group funding requirement and change JOBS
reporting requirements; require recipients attending post-secondary or
part-time vocational training to participate in work-related
activities; eliminate JOBS services priority for volunteers; establish
limits for provision of transportation and other JOBS services based on
activity and local conditions; eliminate remoteness as exemption from
JOBS; require non-custodial parents to participate in JOBS; increase
earned income disregard to 50%; eliminate AFDC-UP eligibility
requirements; allow transitional case management for up to one year;
raise resource limit to $2,000 and exclude one vehicle and life
insurance policies; pass through child support directly to family; take
SSI income into account in determining eligibility/payment; eliminate
conciliation and apply JOBS sanction of 50% of AFDC benefits for three
months followed by no payment for three months, allowing option to
increase initial sanction up to 100%; exempt pregnant women from JOBS
only during third trimester; for minor parents cases, include in
assistance unit any parent or sibling living in the home; eliminate
gross income test; disregard educational grants; allow emergency
assistance for families with employment-related barriers; allow State
to eliminate the certificate option for child care and development
block grant funds and use of these funds for capital improvement;
eliminate ceiling on At Risk Child Care funds; provide that FFP for
AFDC not be reduced during life of demonstration; fund computer system
modifications at 80% FFP; require pregnant recipients to cooperate with
child support; require that AFDC apply for Medicaid as a unit and not
individually; eliminate requirement of receipt of AFDC for 3 of last 6
months in order to receive transitional Medicaid; and allow State to
require that some individuals be assigned to a managed care program;
substitute outcome measures for JOBS participation rates; change
participation requirements for parents with children under 6, UP
recipients and minors; establish a medical deduction; increase the
sanction for non-cooperation with child support; exempt individuals
with significant employment barriers from JOBS; treat lump sum income
and all real property, except a home, as a resource; and use 20% of
gross earned income as a Medicaid disregard. Also contains various Food
Stamp waivers.
Date Received: 9/18/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Marianne Broshek, (603) 271-4442.
Project Title: New Hampshire--New Hampshire Employment Program.
Description: In three pilot sites, would require work after 6
months of AFDC receipt; eliminate the exemption from JOBS for women in
the second trimester of pregnancy; eliminate the JOBS exemption for
caretaker of a child under 3 but not less than 1 year of age; replace
the earned income disregard of $90 and $30 and \1/3\ with a 50%
disregard which is not time-limited; raise the resource limit for
recipients to $2,000; disregard full value of one vehicle per adult for
applicants and recipients; apply a full family sanction voluntarily
quitting a job or refusing to accept a job; apply a sanction of
reducing the payment standard by 30% for one month for failure to
comply with JOBS in the first instance, by 60% in the second instance
for one month, and in the third instance apply a full-family sanction
for three months or until compliance; and require non-custodial parents
to participate in JOBS.
Date Received: 10/6/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: New: 30-Day Request.
Contact Person: Marianne Broshek, (603) 271-4442.
Project Title: North Carolina--Work First Program.
Description: Statewide would eliminate increase in AFDC benefits
resulting from a birth of a child, limit JOBS exemptions, require a
self-sufficiency contract, and limit AFDC receipt to 24 cumulative
months. Families who reach the time limit could not reapply for 3
years. The contract would require: cooperation with child support;
child immunizations and medical check-ups; school attendance; and that
teen parents live with a parent/adult and graduate from high school.
Failure to sign the contract would result in denial of the AFDC
application. Failure to comply would result in the loss of the adult's
AFDC benefits and (starting with the second sanction) Medicaid coverage
for of a minimum of: 3 months for the first sanction, 3 months for the
second, 6 months for the third, and 3 years for the fourth. The State
would offer new applicants a one-time payment in lieu of AFDC; expand
AFDC-UP eligibility; raise the resource limit to $3,000 and the vehicle
asset limit to $5,000 for AFDC and Food Stamps; and provide for
automatic food stamps eligibility for AFDC-eligible families.
Date Received: 9/20/95.
Type: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Kevin Fitzgerald, (919) 733-3055.
Project Title: North Carolina--Cabarrus County Work Over Welfare
Demonstration Project.
Description: In Cabarrus County, would require AFDC and Food Stamps
[[Page 56604]]
applicants and recipients, with exemptions, to sign an agreement to
participate in employment and training for up to 40 hours per week;
would divert AFDC and Food Stamps benefits to private employers to
supplement wages; and would disregard those wages for AFDC, Food
Stamps, and Medicaid eligibility (for NPA participants). Also, would
extend the $30 and \1/3\ disregard to 2 years for unsubsidized
earnings. Individuals who not comply would be denied AFDC, Food Stamps,
and Medicaid (unless pregnant) according to the following schedule:
first, until compliance; second: for a minimum of 4 months; and third
and subsequently: for a minimum of 8 months. Adults who do not sign an
agreement would be denied AFDC, Food Stamps, and Medicaid (unless
pregnant) until they sign.
Date Received: 10/5/95.
Type: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: New.
Contact Person: Kevin Fitzgerald, (919) 733-3055.
Project Title: Ohio--Ohio First.
Description: Statewide, would replace current earned income
disregards with $250 and \1/2\ for twelve months for recipients;
eliminate the work history requirement for married parents in AFDC-UP
cases; eliminate 100-hour rule for AFDC-UP; disregard of stepparent
income for four months; increase the vehicle asset limit; use
established vacancies for subsidized employment slots; require
applicant job search as a condition of family eligibility; maintain
food stamp benefit levels when the AFDC benefit is reduced as a result
of sanction; impose progressive sanctions for noncompliance with JOBS
leading to whole family sanctions; establish that failure to comply
with JOBS equates to failure to comply with work program requirements
under the Food Stamp Program; limit AFDC eligibility to 36 months out
of any 60 month period, unless exempt; allow the IV-D agency to
determine good cause for noncooperation with Child Support Enforcement;
change penalty for failure to cooperate with Child Support provisions
to include a whole family sanction if the failure continues for two
years; change penalty for fraud to include ineligibility for all
assistance unit members until payments received fraudulently have been
repaid; require development and signing of a self-sufficiency contract
as a condition of eligibility for the assistance unit; require pregnant
women receiving Medicaid to participate in substance abuse screening as
part of prenatal care; implement sanctions for failure to cooperate
with substance abuse screening leading to whole family sanctions.
Date Received: 10/27/95.
Type: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: New.
Contact Person: Joel Rabb, (614) 466-3196.
Project Title: Oklahoma--Untitled.
Description: In four pilots conducted in five counties each, would
(1) extend transitional child care to up to 24 months; (2) require that
all children through age 18 be immunized and require that responsible
adults with preschool age children participate in parent education or
enroll the children in Head Start or other preschool program; (3) not
increase AFDC benefits after birth of additional children, but provide
voucher payment for the increment of cash benefits that would have been
received until the child is two years old; and (4) pay lesser of AFDC
benefit or previous state of residence or Oklahoma's for 12 months for
new residents.
Date Received: 10/27/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: New.
Contact Person: Raymond Haddock, (405) 521-3076.
Project Title: Oregon--Oregon Option.
Description: As a statewide project, would incorporate waivers
already approved in 1992 for JOBS Welfare Program and in 1994 for the
JOBS Plus Demonstration with previously pending waiver requests to
increase vehicle asset limit and extend transitional child care.
Requests guaranteed level of federal funding, with funds not used for
benefits to be used for other community support or prevention programs.
Also would, with some exceptions, limit receipt of AFDC benefits to no
more than 24 out of 84 months for families with employable parents;
allow case manager to determine JOBS exemptions on an individual basis;
eliminate the time restrictions on job search; impose progressive
sanctions, leading to full-family ineligibility, for non-compliance
with JOBS; require ineligible alien parents of AFDC children to
participate in JOBS; require counseling for recipients with substance
abuse problems; require teen parents to live in an adult-supervised
setting; discontinue the AFDC-UP program from June through September
each year and eliminate the 100-hour rule and work history
requirements; increase asset limit to $2,500 for non-JOBS participants
and $10,000 for JOBS participants, and treat lump-sum payments as an
asset; require annual AFDC eligibility redeterminations; modify the
rules for potential liability under EBT.
Date Received: 7/10/95.
Type: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Jim Neely, (503) 945-5607.
Project Title: Oregon--Expansion of the Transitional Child Care
Program.
Description: Provide transitional child care benefits without
regard to months of prior receipt of AFDC and provide benefits for 24
months.
Date Received: 8/8/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Jim Neely, (503) 945-5607.
Project Title: Oregon--Increased AFDC Motor Vehicle Limit.
Description: Would increase automobile asset limit to $9000.
Date Received: 11/12/93.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Jim Neely, (503) 945-5607.
Project Title: Pennsylvania--School Attendance Improvement Program.
Description: In 7 sites, would require school attendance as
condition of eligibility.
Date Received: 9/12/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Patricia H. O'Neal, (717) 787-4081.
Project Title: Pennsylvania--Savings for Education Program.
Description: Statewide, would exempt as resources college savings
bonds and funds in savings accounts earmarked for vocational or
secondary education and disregard interest income earned from such
accounts.
Date Received: 12/29/94.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Patricia H. O'Neal, (717) 787-4081.
Project Title: South Carolina--Family Independence Program.
Description: Statewide, would, with exceptions, time limit AFDC
benefits to families with able bodied adults to 24 months out of 120
months, not to exceed 60 months in a lifetime; eliminate increase in
AFDC benefit resulting from birth of children 10 or more months after
the family begins AFDC receipt, but provide benefits to such children
in the form of vouchers for goods and services permitting child's
mother to participate in education, training, and employment-related
activities; eliminate deprivation requirements, principal earner
provisions, work history requirements, and 100-hour rule for AFDC-UP;
increase AFDC resource limit to $2,500
[[Page 56605]]
and disregard as resources one vehicle with a market value up to
$10,000, the balance in an Individual Development Account (IDA) up to
$10,000, and the cash value of life insurance; disregard from income up
to $10,000 in lump sum payments deposited in an IDA within 30 days of
receipt, earned income of children attending school, and interest and
dividend income up to $400; require participation in a family skills
training program; require certain AFDC recipients to submit to random
drug tests and/or participate in alcohol or drug treatment; require
children to attend school; increase amount of child support passed
through to AFDC recipients; require more extensive information for
child support enforcement purposes; modify JOBS exemptions and good
cause criteria, and increase sanctions for non-compliance; make job
search a condition of eligibility; allow non-custodial parents of AFDC
children to participate in JOBS; pay transitional grant equaling 3
percent of the maximum family grant following employment; and provide
transitional grant Medicaid and child care for 12 months from the date
of employment for cases previously closed due to time limit.
Date Received: 6/12/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Linda Martin (804) 737-6010.
Project Title: Texas--Achieving Change for Texans.
Description: Statewide, would implement requirement for a personal
responsibility agreement which addresses issues such as child support
cooperation, early medical screening for children, work requirements,
drug and alcohol abuse, school attendance, and parenting skills
training; would limit the caretaker exemption from employment services,
disregard the earned income and resources from earnings of a child, set
resource limits which promote independence from AFDC, eliminate work
history and 100-hour rules for otherwise eligible two-parent families.
In Bexar County would time-limit AFDC benefits to 12, 24, and 36 months
depending on education and job experience, with extensions of the time-
limit based on severe personal hardship, or in cases where the State
could not provide supportive services, or where the local economy was
in such state that the recipient could not reasonably be expected to
find employment, if State funds are available to continue assistance.
Transitional Medicaid and child care services would be provided to
individuals who exhaust their time-limited cash benefits. In two
metropolitan statistical areas establish Individual Development
Accounts to promote the transition to independence from AFDC, through
allowable account deductions for education, business start-up costs and
the like. In Fort Bend County would allow at recipient option, one-time
AFDC cash emergency assistance payments of $1,000 in lieu of ongoing
regular AFDC payments with prohibition from applying for regular AFDC
for a period of 12 months from date of receipt. In Dallas-Fort Worth
would require electronic imaging (fingerprinting combined with
photographic identification).
Date Received: 10/6/95.
Title: AFDC/Medicaid.
Current Status: Pending.
Contact Person: Kent Gummerman, (512) 438-3743.
Project Title: Utah--Untitled.
Description: Statewide, would exclude the value of a vehicle for
AFDC recipient families, including those also receiving Food Stamps.
Would not apply to initial eligibility determination.
Date Received: 10/3/95.
Type: AFDC.
Current Status: New.
Contact Person: Bill Biggs, (801) 538-4337.
III. Listing of Approved Proposals Since October 1, 1995
Project Title: Georgia--Work for Welfare Project.
Contact Person: Nancy Meszaros, (404) 657-3608.
IV. Requests for Copies of a Proposal
Requests for copies of an AFDC or combined AFDC/Medicaid proposal
should be directed to the Administration for Children and Families
(ACF) at the address listed above. Questions concerning the content of
a proposal should be directed to the State contact listed for the
proposal.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program, No. 93562;
Assistance Payments--Research)
Dated: November 3, 1995.
Howard Rolston,
Director, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 95-27775 Filed 11-8-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P