96-17282. New and Pending Demonstration Project Proposals Submitted Pursuant to Section 1115(a) of the Social Security Act: June 1996  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 131 (Monday, July 8, 1996)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 35763-35770]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-17282]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
    
    New and Pending Demonstration Project Proposals Submitted 
    Pursuant to Section 1115(a) of the Social Security Act: June 1996
    
    AGENCY: Administration for Children and Families, HHS.
    
    ACTION: Notice.
    
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    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 June, 
    1996. 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 June 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
    
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    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 June, 
    1996
    
        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 June, 1996.
        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--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--Assistance Payments Demonstration 
    Project/California Work Pays Demonstration Project (Amendment).
        DESCRIPTION: Would amend the Assistance Payments Demonstration 
    Project/California Work Pays Demonstration Project by adding provisions 
    to California to allow two additional AFDC benefit reductions: (1) 
    reduce the Maximum Aid Payment (MAP) by 4.9 percent across-the-board 
    statewide; and (2) divide California counties into two regions based on 
    housing costs, and reduce both the Need Standard and the MAP in the 
    region with the lower costs. In addition, the State is requesting 
    blanket authority for future reductions in AFDC payment levels in 
    conjunction with welfare reform state law changes.
        DATE RECEIVED: 3/13/96.
        TYPE: AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Bruce Wagstaff, (916) 657-2367.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: California--Assistance Payments Demonstration 
    Project/California Work Pays Demonstration Project (Amendment).
        DESCRIPTION: Would amend the Assistance Payments Demonstration 
    Project/California Work Pays Demonstration Project by adding provisions 
    to allow one additional provision: income of a senior parent living in 
    the same household with a minor parent with a dependent child will not 
    be deemed to the minor parent's child.
        DATE RECEIVED: 3/13/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Bruce Wagstaff, (916) 657-2367.
        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: Georgia--Fraud Detection Project.
        DESCRIPTION: Would seek to reduce the incidence of fraud in the 
    AFDC and Food Stamps programs by imposing stronger penalties on 
    individuals convicted of committing such fraud. Georgia proposes to 
    change the fraud penalty to one year for the first violation and 
    permanently for the second violation.
        DATE RECEIVED: 7/1/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: New.
        CONTACT PERSON: Betty Williams-Kirby, (404) 657-3604.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Hawaii--Pursuit Of New Opportunities (PONO).
        DESCRIPTION: Would, limit benefits to 60 months in a lifetime for 
    all households except those exempt from work requirements; for all non-
    exempt households, progressively reduce the grant amount, by 20% after 
    2 months, then in annual stages to 50% in the fifth year of 
    eligibility; exclude the income of dependent, minor student recipients 
    from the 185% Gross Income Test; require all non-high school graduate 
    or non-GED certified minor parent heads of households to participate in 
    educational activities; use a Benefit Reduction Rate formula to allow 
    participants to offset progressive grant reductions by keeping a larger 
    portion of any earned income; eliminate all of AFDC-UP categorical 
    requirements; strengthen JOBS participation requirements by eliminating 
    certain exemptions such as,
    
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    remoteness due to excessive travel time, current work activity, the 
    non-principal earner in a two parent household, or full-time VISTA 
    participants, etc.; allow families to retain up to $5,000 in resources; 
    disregard one motor vehicle, regardless of equity value, needed for 
    self-sufficiency purposes; delete the $50 child support pass-through; 
    disregard all student loans, grants and scholarships as income.
        DATE RECEIVED: 05/07/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Kristine Foster, (808) 586-5729.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Indiana--Impacting Families Welfare Reform 
    Demonstration--Amendments.
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, proposes expansions and amendments to 
    current demonstration to impose a lifetime 24-month limit on cash 
    assistance and categorical Medicaid eligibility (12 months for resident 
    alien); allow 1 month AFDC credit (to a maximum of 24 at any one time) 
    for each 6 consecutive months full-time employment; count each month of 
    AFDC receipt from another state within the previous 3 years as 1 month 
    against the lifetime limit; restrict permissible ``specified 
    relatives'' for AFDC children and minor parents; extend AFDC, Medicaid, 
    and food stamp fraud disqualification penalties; establish 3 unexcused 
    absences per year as the statewide definition of unacceptable school 
    attendance; provide a voucher equal to 50% of assistance amount for 
    family cap child for goods and services related to child care; divert 
    AFDC grants to subsidize child care costs; establish an option for an 
    employed AFDC recipient to receive guaranteed child care or an AFDC 
    payment equal to the family's benefit before employment; require a 
    child's mother to establish paternity as a condition of eligibility for 
    the child and the caretaker; establish additional conditions of 
    eligibility for AFDC; impose penalties for illegal drug use; base CWEP 
    hours on the combined value of AFDC and Medicaid assistance; make JOBS 
    volunteers subject to the same sanctions as mandatory participants; 
    continue eligibility for AFDC recipients until countable income reaches 
    100% of the federal poverty guidelines; expand voluntary quit 
    definition and penalties; impose income limits on transitional Medicaid 
    and child care and limit each to 12 months in a person's lifetime; with 
    some exceptions, deny Medicaid under all coverage provisions to those 
    determined ineligible as a result of AFDC welfare reform provisions; 
    restrict Medicaid payments made to employees with employer's health 
    care benefits to the lesser of the employee's insurance premium or the 
    amount the state would otherwise pay; and require minor parents to live 
    with a legally responsible adult and count the income and resources of 
    non-parent adults. Additional provisions: Food Stamp recipients could 
    be required to participate CWEP and job search; increase AFDC and Food 
    Stamp penalties for non-compliance with CWEP and job search; require 
    cooperation with child support as condition of eligibility for Food 
    Stamps.
        DATE RECEIVED: 12/14/95; Amendment received 2/6/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: James H. Hmurovich, (317) 232-4704.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Kansas--Actively Creating Tomorrow for Families 
    Demonstration.
        DESCRIPTION: Amended pending demonstration to provide that the 
    demonstration would: replace $30 and \1/3\ income disregard with 
    continuous 40% disregard; disregard lump sum income, income and 
    resources of children in school and interest income; count income and 
    resources of adults, and at State option children, who receive SSI; 
    exempt one vehicle without regard for equity value; eliminate 100-hour 
    rule and work history requirements for UP cases; expand AFDC 
    eligibility to pregnant women in 1st and 2nd trimesters; eliminate 
    eight week job search limitation; allow alcohol and drug screening and 
    treatment as a JOBS activity; eliminate the 20-hour work requirement 
    limit for parents with children under 6; delay the effective date of 
    changes in household composition; make work requirements in the AFDC 
    and Food Stamp programs more uniform; and increase sanctions for not 
    cooperating with child support enforcement activities and violations of 
    employment and JOBS requirements.
        DATE RECEIVED: 7/26/94; amendment received 4/30/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Diane Dystra, (913) 296-3028.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Maryland.
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, would expand, with some modifications, 
    previously approved Family Investment Program (FIP) pilot county 
    provisions to be statewide and introduce new provisions: replace the 
    current $90 and $30-and-one-third exclusions with a flat 20% earned 
    income deduction, 50% for self-employed earned income; limit the child 
    care disregard to $175 in all cases; allow case managers to set AFDC 
    certification periods up to 1 year and require eligibility to be re-
    established before the end of each certification period; modify JOBS 
    exemption requirements; allow $2,000 in countable resources and exclude 
    one vehicle per household, life insurance, and certain real property; 
    count stepparent income only if it is more than 50% of the poverty 
    level; allow non-custodial parents and stepparents to participate in 
    JOBS; provide welfare avoidance grants of up to 3 months benefit amount 
    (up to 12 months in special circumstances); allow IV-A child care funds 
    in lieu of AFDC for families diverted from cash assistance; impose 
    immediate full-family sanctions for fraud and for failure to cooperate 
    with JOBS or child support enforcement requirements; reduce the adverse 
    notification period to 5 days; eliminate the $50 child support pass-
    through; allow only 1 assistance unit per family or payee; eliminate 
    deprivation as an eligibility factor; change treatment of lump sums; 
    eliminate JOBS assessment and employability plans; and modify JOBS 
    program requirements.
        DATE RECEIVED: 4/26/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Kathy Cook, (410) 767-7055.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: To Strengthen Michigan Families (Amendments).
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, would require attendance at a joint 
    orientation held by the Michigan Jobs Commission and the Family 
    Independence Agency for all adult AFDC, Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), 
    and food stamp applicants and recipients as a condition of eligibility; 
    during the first 2 months of eligibility for benefits, remove full 
    family's AFDC, RCA, and food stamp benefits for non-compliance with 
    JOBS or Food Stamp Program (FSP) employment and training (E&T) 
    requirements, for a minimum of one month; after the first two months of 
    eligibility, reduce grant by 25 percent for noncompliance with work 
    requirements and after 4 months of noncompliance close the case for a 
    minimum of one month or until compliance; after 4 months non-compliance 
    with child support enforcement requirements close the case until 
    compliance; increase the asset limit to $3,000, count only liquid 
    assets, and treat all lump sums as liquid assets rather than income for 
    AFDC and FSP; modify redetermination requirements for AFDC and FSP; 
    deny AFDC benefits to persons who have entered the State
    
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    for employment purposes but do not intend to remain in Michigan; 
    provide for the immediate effect of negative actions, allow specific 
    case changes to be reflected in the month following the month of 
    change, and create an agency overpayment standard for recovery purposes 
    of $1,000 for AFDC and FSP; modify existing AFDC assistance unit 
    composition rules to include stepparents, stepsiblings, spouses and 
    certain children age 18-19, and to exclude non-parent caretakers when 
    the parent (except a minor parent) is in the home; allow a dependent 
    child to live with an unrelated caretaker; eliminate the 185 percent of 
    need test and apply the same earned income disregards to applicants and 
    recipients; budget income of mandatory ineligibles; replace the 
    dependent care disregard with vendor payments based on the Child Day 
    Care Services program eligibility requirements; replace the 75th 
    percentile rule for child care costs with reimbursement rates that 
    represent reasonable child care market rates; eliminate deprivation as 
    an eligibility criterion; modify QC review requirements; provide AFDC 
    benefits to a pregnant woman starting at any point in the pregnancy 
    rather than just the last trimester; use 100 percent title IV-A funds 
    to provide advance EITC payments to eligible, employed AFDC recipients; 
    budget the actual sponsor's contribution to a sponsored alien when 
    determining the client's AFDC and food stamp eligibility and treat 
    contribution as unearned income of the sponsored alien when budgeting 
    against the needs of the group; extend AFDC eligibility only to U.S. 
    citizens, legal permanent resident aliens, and certain other legal 
    entrants; apply additional income exclusions for AFDC and FSP for a 
    variety of income types, including inconsequential income, donations 
    based on need, dependent child earnings, adoption subsidies, child 
    support refunds, training payments, etc.; require reporting of gross 
    income changes for AFDC and FSP only if $100 or more; define dependent 
    child as a child who is unemancipated according to state law; provide 
    law enforcement officers with the address of an AFDC or food stamps 
    recipient who is a fugitive felon or who the law enforcement office 
    believes has a fugitive felon living in the home; deny assistance to 
    any AFDC or food stamp applicant or recipient who is identified as a 
    fugitive felon; pay current monthly child support collections directly 
    to the family and budget them against the AFDC grant, after the $50 
    disregard is applied; revise child support distribution cycle; extend 
    transitional child care to 24 months and eliminate the requirement that 
    a family receive AFDC in at least 3 of the 6 months immediately 
    preceding the first month of AFDC ineligibility; place title IV-E 
    funding (except for adoption subsidy payments) in a block grant; use 
    JOBS funds to pay for transportation and other employment-related 
    expenses; assign an individual to CWEP for 20 hours per week 
    irrespective of the family's AFDC benefit level or receipt of child 
    support; count all mandatory and optional JOBS components toward the 
    AFDC-UP participation rate; expand the JOBS target population; waive 
    employment and training exemptions for RCA participants to match the 
    AFDC waiver granted to Michigan in October 1994; adopt the current AFDC 
    waiver proposal regarding earned income disregards for RCA; limit the 
    groups eligible for Medicaid; provide 12 months transitional Medicaid 
    for AFDC cases that close due to child support payments and eliminate 
    the requirement that a family receive AFDC in at least 3 or the 6 
    months before ineligibility; allow an age test for children's Medicaid 
    eligibility rather than a birth date test; limit automatic Medicaid 
    coverage to newborns of Medicaid recipients; include blind individuals 
    in the definition of disability for Medicaid eligibility; determine a 
    family's Medicaid eligibility recognizing that it operates as a single 
    economic unit and use income and resource standards based on family 
    composition rather than separate standards for individual members; 
    define countable income and distinguish income from resources for 
    Medicaid to be consistent with AFDC proposal; eliminate the burial fund 
    and burial space exclusions for Medicaid; provide for long-term care 
    through a combination of private insurance and Medicaid; modify 
    Medicaid policy regarding trusts; allow State agency's disability or 
    blindness determination for non-cash Medicaid clients to be final; 
    eliminate advance notice requirement for Medicaid negative actions; and 
    allow Medicaid Buy-In for persons with no employer-based coverage whose 
    transitional Medicaid coverage ends.
        DATE RECEIVED: 6/27/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: New.
        CONTACT PERSON: Dan Cleary, (517) 335-0015.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Minnesota--Work First Program.
        DESCRIPTION: In pilot counties, would provide vendor payments in 
    lieu of regular AFDC benefits for applicants' rent and utilities for up 
    to six months; sanction for at least six months job-ready applicants 
    who fail to comply with job search and other applicants who fail to 
    participate in JOBS orientation; and require part-time CWEP of 
    unemployed, nonexempt job-ready individuals who fail to participate in 
    job search for 32 hours/week or who after eight weeks of job search are 
    not employed for at least 32 hours/week or not self-employed with a net 
    income equal to the family's AFDC benefit. Individuals who refuse to 
    participate in CWEP or are terminated from a CWEP job would incur a 
    whole family sanction and become ineligible for AFDC for at least six 
    months. Non-job-ready participants would be assigned appropriate 
    education and training. Post-placement services would be provided for 
    up to 180 days and Transitional Child Care and Medicaid without regard 
    to AFDC receipt in 3 of the 6 months preceding ineligibility.
        DATE RECEIVED: 4/4/96.
        TYPE: AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Gus Avenido, (612) 296-1884.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Minnesota--AFDC Barrier Removal Project.
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, would expand AFDC-UP eligibility; treat 
    minor parents living with a caretaker parent on AFDC as a separate 
    filing unit and disregard the caretaker parents' earned income up to 
    200 percent of the federal poverty guideline; disregard earned income 
    of dependent children who are at least half-time students as well as 
    all their savings deposited into an individual development account; 
    increase the auto-equity limit to $4,500; cease recovering overpayments 
    (once every two years per case) due to an individual's new employment 
    resulting in ineligibility; and determine AFDC benefit amount for a 
    family in which all members have resided in the State for less than 12 
    months based on the payment standard of the state of immediate prior 
    residence if less than Minnesota's. Minnesota has amended this 
    application to include a proposed provision in which families who have 
    resided in the State of Minnesota for less than 30 days would not be 
    eligible for AFDC with the following exceptions: (1) either the child 
    or caretaker relative was born in Minnesota; (2) either the child or 
    caretaker relative has resided in the State for 365 consecutive days in 
    the past; (3) either the child or the caretaker relative went to 
    Minnesota to join a close relative who has resided in the State for at 
    least one year; or (4) the caretaker relative went to Minnesota to 
    accept a bona fide offer of employment for which he or she was 
    eligible. For
    
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    purposes of the exemption close relative is defined as a parent, 
    grandparent, brother, sister, spouse, or child. The State would allow 
    county agencies to waive the 30 day requirement in cases of emergency 
    or where unusual hardship would result from denial of benefits.
        DATE RECEIVED: 4/4/96; amendment received 5/28/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Ann Sessoms, (612) 296-0978.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: New York--Learnfare Program.
        DESCRIPTION: Would phase in statewide a provision that would 
    require AFDC children in grades 1 through 6 to attend school regularly 
    by mandating a sanction of removal of the child's needs from the budget 
    group for three months in those cases, where after counseling, the 
    child has 5 or more unexcused absences in a quarter. Benefits for 
    parents will be terminated, for failure without good cause, to sign the 
    release form for educational records.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/31/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Jeff Gaskell, (518) 486-3415.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: New York--Intentional Program Violation 
    Demonstration.
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide would change the sanction for Intentional 
    Program Violations making the period of ineligibility of the person 
    committing the violation dependant on both the number of offenses and 
    the amount of the overpayment incurred as a result of the violation.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/31/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Jeff Gaskell, (518) 486-3415.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Oklahoma--Welfare Self-Sufficiency Initiative.
        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: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Raymond Haddock, (405) 521-3076.
    
        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: Tennessee--Families First.
        DESCRIPTION: Description: Statewide, would impose 18 month time 
    limit with 60 month lifetime limit on cash assistance for non-exempt 
    families (extensions available under certain circumstances); require 
    full-time (40 hours) work or combination of work and other activities 
    such as education, training, or job search, unless exempt; eliminate 
    many JOBS exemptions including lowering youngest-child exemption to 
    those with a child less than 16 weeks of age; remove limits on periods 
    of job search; impose a family cap with no increase in benefits for 
    additional children; require unmarried teen parents without high school 
    diploma or GED to participate in education or other approved activity; 
    deny AFDC for three months if recipients voluntarily quit job or if 
    applicant voluntarily quits employment within two months of AFDC 
    application; impose whole family sanction for noncompliance with 
    employment, training or work preparation activities; impose sanctions 
    without a prior conciliation period; provide transitional child care 
    and transitional Medicaid for 18 months and without regard to months of 
    AFDC receipt; change earned income disregards; eliminate the 100-hour 
    rule, work history and quarters of work requirements when AFDC 
    recipient marries and disregard new stepparent's income up to set 
    limit; hold harmless child support arrearages owed by the new husband/
    wife to his/her child in the new family unit as long as the parent 
    continues to reside in the home; require that applicants and recipients 
    sign Personal Responsibility Plan as condition of eligibility and 
    assure that children attend school, receive regular immunizations and 
    health checks, and the caretaker cooperates with child support 
    enforcement; impose significant sanction for failure of children to 
    attend school or obtain immunizations; impose whole family sanction for 
    failure to cooperate with child support enforcement; deny AFDC for 10 
    years for those convicted of fraudulently receiving benefits from two 
    states simultaneously; allow low-income entrepreneurs to establish 
    special accounts up to $5,000; conform AFDC and Food Stamp rules by 
    increasing resource limit to $2,000 and counting lump sum income as a 
    resource in the month received and after, if retained; and increase 
    auto limit to $4,600. In 12 counties allow individual development 
    accounts up to $5,000 and in 1 county operate a Responsible Fatherhood 
    Demonstration Pilot using IV-D funds.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/1/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Glenda Shearon, (615) 313-5652.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Utah--Single-Parent Employment Demonstration 
    (Amendments).
        DESCRIPTION: Would amend the current Single Parent Employment 
    Demonstration (SPED), requiring preschool children to be immunized and 
    other children to attend school; considering as a single filing unit 
    each family with a child in common, including all children in the 
    household related to either parent; permitting parents removed from the 
    grant due to non-cooperation or fraud to remain eligible for JOBS 
    services, including support services; and allowing a ``best estimate'' 
    of earnings in lieu of actual earnings so long as estimate is within 
    $100 of actual earnings. These amendments would initially be limited to 
    the Kearns office and later expanded to other SPED sites.
        DATE RECEIVED: 2/7/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Bill Biggs, (801) 538-4337.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Utah--Single Parent Employment Demonstration 
    (Amendments).
        DESCRIPTION: Would amend the current Single Parent Employment 
    Demonstration, establishing a 36 month
    
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    lifetime limit on a family's receipt of AFDC, with exceptions; and 
    count toward the time limit months of AFDC receipt in another state.
        DATE RECEIVED: July 2, 1996.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: New.
        CONTACT PERSON: Bill Biggs--(801) 538-4337.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Virginia--Virginia Independence Program 
    (Amendments).
        DESCRIPTION: Would amend the Virginia Independence Program to 
    require AFDC applicants and recipients (including specified relatives 
    other than a parent) to provide information sufficient to identify the 
    non-custodial parent. Failure to provide the required information would 
    result in sanctions. In any case where an applicant/recipient does not 
    claim good cause or good cause does not exist, an affidavit from the 
    custodial parent attesting to the lack of information about the non-
    custodial parent/putative father, in and of itself, would not meet the 
    definition of cooperation. If the first two genetic tests exclude the 
    named putative fathers, the State will impose a sanction until 
    paternity is established. If a relative other than the parent maintains 
    the he does not know the identity of the child's parent and has no way 
    to help identify the parent, the sanction would not be imposed.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/24/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending (amended provisions not previously 
    published).
        CONTACT PERSON: Barbara Cotter, (804) 692-1811.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: West Virginia--West Virginia Works.
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, would extend transitional child care to 24 
    months for families who are employed and otherwise eligible. In 
    selected counties, provide a one-time diversion payment in lieu of 
    AFDC; require development of a personal responsibility contract for 
    AFDC applicants and recipients, and non-public assistance cases 
    eligible for Food Stamps, as a condition of eligibility which will 
    outline the assessed needs of the participant; require at least 20 
    hours of work participation per week by non-exempt parents over age 20, 
    and require parents under age 20 to remain in school until they 
    graduate or obtain a GED, with limited exemptions; work requirements 
    for parents over 20 without a high school diploma or GED would not have 
    to be coupled with education; require child immunization, school 
    attendance and satisfactory progress and community service activities; 
    time limit AFDC benefits based on a time frame for achieving goals not 
    to exceed a 60 month lifetime limit on cash assistance for non-exempt 
    families, with some extensions; impose fiscal sanctions if the adults 
    fail to meet the terms of their personal responsibility contract 
    without good cause or through fraud equal to a one third reduction in 
    AFDC benefits for 3 months for the first sanction, a two thirds 
    reduction in AFDC benefits for 3 months for the second sanction, and 
    case closure until participation occurs for the third sanction; 
    eliminate the JOBS conciliation requirement; increase by 10% the AFDC 
    monthly cash benefit to families where both the husband and wife are 
    living together and caring for her/his children; reduce to 75% the AFDC 
    monthly cash benefit to families where there is another adult present 
    in the household but not eligible for inclusion in the AFDC 
    calculation; eliminate many JOBS exemptions, and make most remaining 
    exemptions temporary, including allowing only a one-time exemption for 
    children under 2 years of age (only 6 month exemptions will be provided 
    for additional children); require minor parents to live at home or in 
    an adult-supervised setting, attend and maintain satisfactory progress 
    in an educational activity to complete high school, GED or vocational 
    training; increase the allowable asset level to $5,000 and exempt one 
    vehicle regardless of value; expand eligibility for transitional child 
    care; allow a family to be eligible for transitional child care for up 
    to 30 days for job search purposes, if they lose a job with good cause; 
    for AFDC/UP, eliminate the requirement that the unemployed parent have 
    a recent attachment to the labor force, and not work more than 100 
    hours per month; count all income received by any member of the family 
    which can be used at the discretion of the household, including the 
    first $50 of child support and SSI payments; increase earned income 
    disregards to enable families to retain benefits up to 50% of the 
    Federal poverty level; eliminate the 8 week limitation on job search 
    activities; allow the State to extend transitional medical coverage to 
    24 months; and transfer the cash value of Food Stamp benefits for AFDC 
    recipients to a wage pool for a voluntary subsidized employment 
    activity.
        DATE RECEIVED: 7/1/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: New.
        CONTACT PERSON: Sue Buster, (304) 558-3186.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Wisconsin--Work Not Welfare and Pay for Performance 
    Projects (Amendments).
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, would lower the JOBS exemption from a 
    parent whose youngest child is one year old or younger to a parent 
    whose youngest child is 12 weeks old or younger; require up to 40 hours 
    a week in CWEP regardless of the amount of the family's AFDC grant and 
    require participation in substance abuse and mental health treatment, 
    as appropriate; include intentional failure or voluntary quit in a work 
    component as a failure to cooperate with JOBS and apply JOBS program 
    sanctions to the entire family; and limit AFDC receipt to 60 months in 
    a lifetime, with exemptions and case-by-case extensions. The state 
    would extend child care to families earning up to 165 percent of 
    poverty with graduated co-payments based on the cost of care, and 
    change IV-A cases headed by a non-needy non-legally responsible 
    relative to IV-E cases and provide cases headed by an adult SSI 
    recipient a special child-only grant supplement in lieu of the regular 
    AFDC payment for the child. Both types of cases would be exempt from 
    the time limit and work requirements. Further, the state would require 
    minor parents to live with a parent or in an adult-supervised setting. 
    Also the state would establish a competitive process for selection of 
    contractors to administer county programs.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/8/96; Amendments received 5/17/96.
        TYPE: AFDC.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Jean Sheil, (608) 266-0613.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Wisconsin--Wisconsin Works (W2).
        DESCRIPTION: Statewide, would establish performance standards for 
    the administration of Wisconsin Works (W2) along with a competitive 
    process for selection of contractors to administer county programs. The 
    State would provide--but not guarantee--work positions, child care and 
    health care coverage to families, (as defined by the State,) whose 
    gross income does not exceed 115 percent of the federal poverty level 
    (FPL), whose resources do not exceed $2,500 (excluding a homestead), 
    and whose total auto equity assets do not exceed $10,000, with a 60-day 
    State residency requirement for eligibility. The State would count all 
    earned and unearned income, including child support (which will be paid 
    directly to the custodial parent), except for EITC when determining W2 
    eligibility. The State would require
    
    [[Page 35769]]
    
    participation in substance abuse and mental health treatment, as 
    appropriate; exempt from a work requirement parents with a child less 
    than 12 weeks old; and provide for an appeal process for W2 eligibility 
    and benefit decisions. The State would review an individual W2 agency's 
    financial eligibility decision only if the applicant petitions the 
    State within 15 days of the decision and would not pay benefits pending 
    a decision. Applicants would be required to search for unsubsidized 
    employment during eligibility determination, and would be denied 
    eligibility if they refused a bona fide offer of employment in the 180 
    days prior to application. The State would automatically refer all W2 
    participants to child support for services. The State would require 
    minor parents to live with a parent or in an adult-supervised setting 
    to receive W2 non-employment/non-cash benefits, e.g., financial 
    planning assistance, case management; but minor parents would not be 
    eligible for W2 employment/cash benefits. Teen children must attend 
    school regularly. The state would provide children whose parents are 
    SSI recipients a payment of $77.
        The W2 payment amount would be determined according to job 
    placement: unsubsidized job, trial job (including up to $300 per month 
    wage subsidy to employer), community service job (benefit of $555 per 
    month), and transitional placement (benefit of $518 per month). 
    Community service Jobs would require 30 hours per week of work plus 10 
    hours per week of education and training; transitional placement jobs 
    would require 28 hours per week of work plus 12 hours of education and 
    training. In addition CWEP participation would be increased up to 40 
    hours per week. The State would sanction individuals $4.25 per each 
    hour of non-participation in work requirements. In addition sanctions 
    would be imposed upon the entire family for refusal to participate, 
    without good cause, in a W2 employment position. Three refusals to 
    participate in any W2 employment category would result in permanent 
    ineligibility for that category. To assist families with one-time 
    expenses, the State would provide Job Access Loans for employment 
    support needs, e.g., car repair, uniforms, etc; and would extend child 
    care to families earning up to 165 percent of poverty with graduated 
    co-payments based on family income and the category of care used. Child 
    care would only be provided to children under 13.
        The State would limit participation to 24 months in any one W2 
    employment position and would limit lifetime eligibility for benefits 
    to 60 months, with extensions on a case-by-case basis; the 60-month 
    limit would apply to certain JOBS participants beginning July 1, 1996. 
    The State would change AFDC cases headed by a non-legally responsible 
    relative to a IV-E case; provide job search assistance and case 
    management to non-custodial parents with a child support order; impose 
    stricter sanctions for non-cooperation with child support; and 
    permanently deny W2 employment after three Intentional Program 
    Violations. Benefit overpayments will be recouped for intentional 
    violations at a rate set by the State. Corrective payments would not be 
    made for underpayments. Eligibility for Emergency Assistance for 
    certain homeless persons would be limited to once in a 36-month period 
    unless the homelessness was caused by domestic abuse, and the State 
    would allow displacement of regular employees by W2 participants in 
    certain cases: i.e., partial displacement (reduction in hours); 
    impairment of existing contracts; infringement upon promotional 
    opportunities; and filling of any established unfilled position.
        The State would eliminate transitional Medicaid and expand Medicaid 
    (i.e., the W2 Health Plan) to families with gross income up to 165 of 
    FPL, who would then remain eligible until their income increases to 200 
    percent of FPL; and would incorporate a mandatory HMO enrollment or 
    primary provider program for W2 participants. Participants would be 
    required to pay a share of W2 Health Plan premiums according to a 
    sliding scale, and the State would impose stricter Medicaid sanctions 
    for non-cooperation with child support. The State would merge the Food 
    Stamps E&T program with the W2 Work Program; modify the Food Stamps 
    work program exemptions; eliminate the Food Stamps gross income test; 
    require nutrition education for Food Stamps recipients; and cash out 
    food stamps.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/29/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Jean Sheil, (608) 266-0613.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Wyoming--New Opportunities and New 
    Responsibilities--Phase II (Amendments).
        DESCRIPTION: Proposes expansion of demonstration provisions 
    currently limited to a pilot site statewide and further amendments to 
    the current demonstration to establish a 5-year lifetime limit on cash 
    assistance for adults, beginning with time on AFDC from July 1, 1987 
    (with limited exemptions and extensions); pursue child support from the 
    absent minor parent's parents; freeze benefits based on household size 
    10 months after initial qualification; replace existing earnings 
    disregards for recipients (except no disregard will apply for 
    recipients disqualified due to fraud, education time limits, illegal 
    alien) with a maximum earned income disregard of $200 for recipients; 
    expand pay-for-performance from AFDC-UP to the regular AFDC population, 
    with limited exemptions, where failure to perform any item in the self-
    sufficiency plan would cause disqualification of the parent for AFDC, 
    Food Stamps, and Medicaid; reduce the grant by $40 when a nonexempt 
    child fails to meet the performance requirements; require able-bodied 
    applicants and recipients to do job search for up to 16 weeks unless 
    otherwise exempted; terminate the case when there is loss of contact 
    with the client for 1 month after nonpayment for failure to meet the 
    performance requirements; exclude the earned income and resources of a 
    dependent child who is a full-time high school student; allow payment 
    of the supplied shelter grant for households with a SSI recipient, 
    unmarried minor parents, or recipients disqualified for other reasons 
    (fraud, education time limits, illegal aliens); exclude one licensed 
    vehicle with a fair market value of less than $12,000; increase the 
    resource limit to $2,500 for those in compliance with, or exempted 
    from, the performance requirements; and exclude veteran's service 
    connected disability compensation if the annual income is less than the 
    poverty level.
        DATE RECEIVED: 5/13/96.
        TYPE: Combined AFDC/Medicaid.
        CURRENT STATUS: Pending.
        CONTACT PERSON: Marianne Lee, (307) 777-6849.
    
    III. Listing of Approved Proposals Since June 1, 1995
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Florida--Family Responsibility Act.
        CONTACT PERSON: Sallie P. Linton, (904) 921-5572.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Illinois--Six Month Paternity Establishment 
    Demonstration.
        CONTACT PERSON: Karan D. Maxson, (217) 785-3300.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Maine--Welfare to Work Program.
        CONTACT PERSON: Susan Dustin, (207) 287-3104.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Michigan--To Strengthen Michigan Families 
    Demonstration Project (Amendment).
        CONTACT PERSON: Dan Cleary, (517) 335-0015.
    
    
    [[Page 35770]]
    
    
        PROJECT TITLE: New Hampshire--New Hampshire Employment Program.
        CONTACT PERSON: Marianne Broshek, (603) 271-4442.
    
        PROJECT TITLE: Wyoming--New Opportunities and New Responsibilities 
    (Amendments--Minor Parent Provisions): approved in accordance with 
    expedited 30-day process.
        CONTACT PERSON: Marianne Lee, (307) 777-6849.
    
    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: July 2, 1996.
    Karl Koerper,
    Director, Division of Economic Independence Office of Planning, 
    Research and Evaluation.
    [FR Doc. 96-17282 Filed 7-5-96; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4184-01-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
07/08/1996
Department:
Health and Human Services Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice.
Document Number:
96-17282
Pages:
35763-35770 (8 pages)
PDF File:
96-17282.pdf