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Annual Report on State TANF and MOE Programs
- 2005
Alaska
DEFINITION OF WORK ACTIVITIES
The Alaska Temporary Assistance Program requires parents or caretaker relatives to participate in one or more of the following work activities:
Job Search prepares participants for immediate entry into
the workforce. Following the Work First philosophy that any job is a good job,
Job Search is usually the first work activity assigned to Temporary Assistance
participants. Job Search is customized to take into consideration local resources
and labor market conditions. It may be structured and delivered in a group format
or it may be conducted informally relying on individual guidance by a case manager.
Job search includes activities such as: Job Clubs that require daily job hunts
and applying for paid work; literacy assessments; Life Skills workshops; learning
about self-employment opportunities; learning to write a resume and prepare
job applications; developing interview skills, learning self-presentation skills
and occupational expectations, and analyzing skills; and identifying the hidden
job market.
Job readiness activities help participants compete successfully
in the labor market by providing instruction and/or guidance in work place expectations,
work ethics and interview skills. Job readiness also includes addressing immediate
challenges to employment such as arranging for transportation or making necessary
child care arrangements. Job Readiness activities may or may not be included
as part of Job Search.
Job readiness assessment is the process of examining characteristics affecting
the participant’s employability and determining the participant’s
need for services to achieve self-sufficiency. Assessment begins during the
Temporary Assistance application process and continues as needed throughout
the participant’s Temporary Assistance involvement. The results of the
initial and ongoing assessments guide the self-sufficiency planning process.
On-the-job-training (OJT) offers the participant paid employment
while learning marketable job skills needed to achieve their employment goal.
The participant learns these skills by performing them at a work site under
the supervision of their employer. The employer must agree to train the participant
to perform entry level worker tasks by the end of the OJT, not to exceed 180
calendar days. TANF funds are used to reimburse the employer for costs associated
with the training. The employer may retain the participant as a regular employee
following completion of the OJT.
Vocational training is an organized educational program designed
to prepare a participant for paid employment. The training leads to the acquisition
of specialized knowledge, abilities or job skills. Vocational training may lead
to diplomas or other formal certifications of skill levels. Vocational education
includes post-secondary education when it prepares a participant for professional
or para-professional occupations consistent with their employment goals. It
is expected that the education will prepare the individual to enter paid employment
that quickly allows them to leave Temporary Assistance.
Education activities include remedial, basic skills, or literacy
training as a prerequisite to occupation-specific training or necessary for
success in work search or general work performance. Participation in education
activities may lead to the award of a high school or General Educational Development
(GED) diploma, to improvements in elementary reading and writing skills, or
to learning English as a second language.
Community Work Experience is an activity assigned or approved
by the case manager that achieves a useful public purpose and contributes to
the common good of the community. It is unpaid work assigned when paid employment
is not available. Community Work Experience provides opportunities for participants
to learn, improve or apply job skills and to acquire work experience and employer
references.
When paid employment, other types of work activities, or other Community Work
Experience options are unavailable, an individual may participate in subsistence
activities as their Community Work Experience. Subsistence activities means
the noncommercial, customary, and traditional harvest of wild, renewable resources
for use as food, shelter, fuel, clothing, tools, or transportation. Subsistence
activities must contribute to the common good of the community and achieve a
useful public purpose.
Unsubsidized employment means the participant receives income
in cash or in-kind as wages, salary, or commission from an employer in exchange
for work performed. The employer pays the entire cost of the participant’s
wages and benefits, and receives no wage subsidy from a public agency in exchange
for employing the participant. Unsubsidized (paid) employment also includes
self-employment.
Subsidized Employment is paid employment in which the participants wage is financed, in part, by their Temporary Assistance cash benefits. Participants in subsidized employment remain eligible for other program supports such as supportive services, ongoing case management, and child care.
DESCRIPTION OF TRANSITIONAL SERVICES
The TANF-funded transitional services provided to families no longer receiving
assistance from the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program due to employment are
extended case management and supportive services. In addition, these families
may receive child care assistance, Medicaid and Food Stamps through other funding
sources.
Extended case management and supportive services include:
PASS II child care assistance is available to families whose Temporary Assistance case closes while an adult in the family is employed. This assistance is available for 12 months after case closure. The PASS II program is funded by the CCDF, transfers from TANF to the CCDF, and direct TANF funds. In some situations, child care assistance is available for the month after the case closes from the PASS I program, funded by TANF, if this is necessary for the employed individual to retain their job and make the transition to PASS II.
Other public assistance programs provide key supports for
families transitioning from welfare to work. Continued food and medical assistance
can help stabilize a family's economic situation while they adjust to the challenges
of a new way of supporting themselves. Case workers evaluate a family's eligibility
for these programs when their Temporary Assistance ends:
• Food stamp categorical eligibility: Families that qualify for extended
case management are categorically eligible for the Food Stamp Program.
• Transitional Medicaid benefits: When a family becomes ineligible for
Family Medicaid benefits because of employment, the family may be entitled to
Transitional Medicaid for up to twelve months. Because of differences between
Family Medicaid and Temporary Assistance policy, families may remain eligible
for Family Medicaid after their Temporary Assistance case closes. Children may
also qualify for other categories of Medicaid such as through Alaska’s
Denali Kid Care Program (CHIP).
DESCRIPTION OF REDUCTIONS TO THE AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL
REFUSES TO ENGAGE IN WORK WITHOUT GOOD CAUSE
Job Quit
If an adult refuses or voluntarily separates from suitable employment without
good cause, the family is ineligible for Temporary Assistance benefits for one
month for the first offense, six months for the second offense, and twelve months
for any subsequent offenses.
Self-Sufficiency Planning and Work Activities
When an adult member of the family refuses without good cause to comply with
the Family Self-Sufficiency Plan, or work activity requirements, the adult is
penalized from program participation and the family’s cash assistance
amount is reduced. The family’s assistance amount is reduced by 40% of
the maximum payment amount for that family’s size for the first four months.
After a home visit is attempted and a determination made that the health, safety
and well-being of the children in the family will not be significantly jeopardized
by further reduction, the penalty amount may increase to 75% for the next four
months. Thereafter, the penalty may result in a full family sanction and the
family will be ineligible for assistance. The penalty ends whenever the family
demonstrates good cause or comes into compliance with requirements.
The above penalty measures are also described in the Alaska TANF State Plan.
AVERAGE MONTHLY NUMBER OF PAYMENTS FOR CHILD CARE SERVICES MADE BY
THE STATE THROUGH THE USE OF DISREGARDS (BY TYPES OF PROVIDERS)
On average, 27 families a month received a child care disregard for out-of-pocket
child care expenses during FY 2005. The disregards are given as a deduction
from gross earnings. Families only receive the child care disregard if they
have earned income and child care costs are not paid by the Temporary Assistance
program. Since this is a disregard for a payment that the family has made directly
to the provider, we do not receive detailed information about the type of child
care or about the provider who receives payment from the client.
DESCRIPTION OF FAMILY VIOLENCE OPTION STRATEGIES AND PROCEDURES
Alaska has implemented special provisions for victims of family violence in
coordination with the State Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
The application of this exemption includes:
Due to the sensitivity of information in domestic violence situations, and the need to keep information about the family confidential and the family protected, Alaska did not implement system changes to track families who receive good cause domestic violence waivers. We are in the process of developing a means to collect this information and will be able to better report data on families receiving domestic violence waivers in the future.
At this time, we only record and track the number of families receiving domestic violence counseling if it is assigned as a work activity. We estimate this number to be about 89 families in FY 2005. This represents a 34% decrease since FY 2004 when approximately 134 families received domestic violence counseling.
Family Violence option provisions are also described in the Alaska TANF State Plan.
DESCRIPTION OF NONRECURRENT, SHORT-TERM BENEFITS
Diversion
Alaska Temporary Assistance offers a diversion program as an alternative to
long-term public assistance dependency for families with a job-ready worker.
Families that qualify for the diversion program may choose a one-time payment
in lieu of ongoing assistance and services. Diversion payments provide short-term
financial assistance to meet critical needs in order to secure or retain employment.
The payment amount is based on actual, immediate needs and may not exceed three
months’ worth of cash assistance benefits. A diversion payment counts
as income if the family reapplies for Temporary Assistance within three months.
A family may receive a diversion grant once in a twelve-month period and is
limited to a lifetime maximum of four eligibility periods for diversion payments.
Diversion is an option available only to applicants for Temporary
Assistance. Temporary Assistance recipients are not eligible
for Diversion. An applicant who meets Diversion criteria is offered the choice
of having the application processed for a Diversion payment or regular Temporary
Assistance benefits.
To qualify for Diversion, a family must:
• Include an adult who is working or is ready to work;
• Have specific short-term needs which must be met to help the adult secure
or maintain employment;
• Have no other means available, apart from a Diversion payment, to meet
the identified needs; and,
• Otherwise appear to meet factors of Temporary Assistance eligibility.
Job-ready: For the purposes of Diversion, job-ready means currently working or having prospects for employment within 30 days. A prospect for employment means the adult has a bona fide job offer or has marketable skills and/or work experience and can reasonably expect to find a job within 30 days.
Short-term needs: Short-term needs are necessities or financial obligations
which prevent the adult from accepting or keeping a job. Short-term needs include
but are not limited to: shelter; child care; vehicle costs (such as repairs
and insurance, or towards purchase of a vehicle); driver’s or occupational
licenses; clothing and tools needed to perform a job; and relocation to accept
employment.
Lack of resources: The family does not have the personal resources to
meet their identified needs. Personal resources considered in the Diversion
determination are countable cash on hand and other liquid resources that can
be readily used to meet the short-term needs.
A common application is used for all Public Assistance programs, which includes
Temporary Assistance, Diversion, Food Stamps and Medicaid. All applicants for
Temporary Assistance are screened for diversion. As part of the screening process,
case workers are instructed to talk with applicants about their options and
the best way to meet their needs. They help the applicant identify and access
services that may help the applicant to remain self-supporting, which includes
the Food Stamps and Medicaid programs. The case worker that determines eligibility
for diversion provides information about the Food Stamps and Medicaid programs
and may make those eligibility determinations as well.
This program is also described in the Alaska TANF State Plan.
Domestic Violence Short-Term Services
Alaska provides additional services through domestic violence shelters. A family
who is temporarily residing in a domestic violence shelter is considered to
be homeless and categorically eligible for nonrecurring short-term services
provided by the shelter. A homeless family temporarily residing in a domestic
violence shelter is deemed to have met the income and resource criteria for
this service provided by segregated federal TANF funds. The domestic violence
shelter provides counseling and other services to these families.
DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURES TO RESOLVE DISPLACEMENT COMPLAINTS
The State of Alaska Division of Public Assistance is the lead agency responsible for resolution of complaints of displacement by Temporary Assistance participants. State labor laws and division policies protect current employees. Any worker covered by a collective bargaining agreement may use agreement procedures to address complaints about Temporary Assistance participants and job displacement. Otherwise, the Division of Public Assistance conducts a hearing to determine the validity of a complaint.
Hearing Procedures
To seek resolution, the aggrieved employee must make an oral or written complaint
to the Division of Public Assistance within 30 days of the Temporary Assistance
participant's assignment to the work site. Within 15 days of receipt of the
complaint, the appropriate division regional manager or their designee must
offer the employee an opportunity for an informal hearing. In addition to listening
to the employee, the regional manager may also separately contact the employer
and any involved labor organization to gain their perspective on the dispute.
If there is a collective bargaining agreement containing an employee-employer
grievance clause which covers the employee, the regional manager bases their
finding on the outcome of this process. If the employee lacks collective bargaining
protection, then the regional manager bases their finding on the information
gathered from the involved parties.
If the regional manager finds the complaint to be warranted, the case manager
terminates the Temporary Assistance participant's placement at the work site
and then assigns the participant to another work activity.
If the regional manager does not find the complaint to be warranted, and if
the employee disagrees with the manager’s decision, they may appeal it
to the Division Director. The Director shall accept written evidence and arguments
submitted by the employee and the manager. The Director may also hold an oral
hearing. The Director shall issue a final decision within 30 days after the
written record is closed.
Public Notification
Case managers and service providers who develop community work experience, job
sampling and on the job training placements are required by state regulations
to meet specific assignment standards. These standards require that work participant
placements not displace any workers. An employer who accepts a community work
experience, job sampling or job training placement must sign an agreement which
certifies that the placement does not violate these standards.
The standards for placements are found in state regulation which undergo a period of public review prior to adoption. Once adopted, state regulations are available to the public through a variety of mediums.
SUMMARY OF STATE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES DIRECTED AT THE THIRD AND
FOURTH STATUTORY PURPOSES OF TANF
PREGNANCY PREVENTION
Alaska provides an array of services focused on reducing out-of-wedlock and
teen pregnancies. The Divisions of Public Assistance and Public Health collaborate
to sponsor initiatives through funding to community organizations. Services
offered include family planning and public education on the problems and risks
associated with out-of-wedlock and teen parent births. The Divisions are also
working on enhancing current programs and introducing new initiatives to provide
education and training on statutory rape. These programs are particularly designed
to reach men.
Services are provided to:
• increase access to family planning services for unmarried women in
census areas with high birth rates, and high numbers of unintended births to
all ages;
• promote partnerships between local community health and social service
agencies to better serve clients at risk for out-of-wedlock pregnancies;
• improve knowledge about contraception and reproductive health with an
emphasis on education for men as well as women;
• assess the extent of the statutory rape problem in Alaska and to develop
methods and materials for public information, education, and training on the
problem.
TEEN PARENT SERVICES
Specialized services for pregnant and parenting teens are also provided. Services
are community-based and focus on preventing teen parents from having subsequent
pregnancies and becoming self-sufficient and independent. They include:
• Developing adult-supervised living arrangements for minor parents who
are not able to live at home,
• Assisting teen parents with completion of high school diploma or GED,
•Assisting teen parents in finding and keeping employment,
• Assisting teen parents in accessing medical and social services, and
• Providing teen parents training and instruction in parenting and life
skills.
HEALTHY MARRIAGES INITIATIVES
TANF funds are used for grants to faith and community-based organizations for
innovative, community-oriented programs and services that encourage marriage.
They include:
• Education in alternative high schools and community youth centers on
the value of marriage, relationship skills, and abstinence
• Marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs
for married couples
• Relational instruction for both young fathers and mothers in order to
support the formation of two-parent families as well as supporting academic
achievement of both young parents
• Marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models
and mentors in at-risk communities
• Training on how to promote healthy marriages and to support families
for clinicians and a wide range other social services professionals
These activities are also described in the Alaska TANF State Plan.
ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE PARTICPATED IN
SUBSIDIZED EMPLOYMENT UNDER SEC. 261.30(b) or (c).
Alaska developed both on-the-job training and Job Start programs as subsidized employment activities under its Temporary Assistance program. We estimate a total of 123 individuals participated in this activity in Federal Fiscal Year 2005, an increase of 413% over the 24 participants in FY 2004.
State: Alaska Fiscal Year: 2005
Date Submitted: 12-1-2005
Provide the following information for EACH PROGRAM for which the State claims MOE expenditures.
1. Name of Benefit or Service Program: Alaska Temporary Assistance Program
2. Description of the Major Program Benefits, Services, and Activities:
Eligible families receive financial assistance to help pay for basic living expenses, and case management, supportive services and child care to help them move towards self-sufficiency. Families must complete a family self-sufficiency plan and participate in assigned work activities. Work activities include: job search, job readiness activities, assessment, on-the-job training, vocational training, education activities, community work experience, subsidized and unsubsidized employment. Supportive services include tuition payments, expenses related to obtaining transportation, interview clothing and grooming, professional licenses, special tools and equipment, relocation, remedial medical and start-up expenses. These benefits include associated administrative and system activities.
3. Purpose(s) of Benefit or Service Program:
The goal of the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program is to move Alaskans from welfare into jobs so they can support their families, and maintain a safety net for those truly in need.
4. Program Type. (Check one)
__X__ This Program is operated under the TANF program.
______ This Program is a separate State program.
5. Description of Work Activities in the SSP-MOE program (I.e., Complete only if this program is a separate State program):
Not applicable
6. Total State Expenditures for the Program for the Fiscal Year: $ 34,275,917
7. Total State Expenditures Claimed as MOE under the Program for the Fiscal Year: $31,781,337
8. Total Number of Families Served under the Program with MOE Funds: 4,381
This last figure represents (check one):
__X _ The average monthly total for the fiscal year.
_____ The total served over the fiscal year.
9. Eligibility Criteria for Receiving MOE-funded Benefits or Services under the Program:
Eligibility criteria are described in the Alaska TANF State Plan.
10. Prior Program Authorization: Was this program authorized and allowable
under prior law (i.e., as defined at §260.30)?
(check one)
Yes __X_ No ____
11. Total Program Expenditures in FY 1995. _________________________
(NOTE: provide only if the response on to question 10 is No.)
This certifies that all families for which the State claims MOE expenditures
for the fiscal year meet the State's criteria for "eligible families."
SIGNATURE: ___________________________
NAME: __Katherine Farnham_______________
TITLE: __ Director, Public Assistance__________
Approved OMB No. 0970-0199 Form ACF-204, expires 6/30/2002.
DATE SUBMITTED: 12-1-2005
Provide the following information for EACH PROGRAM for which the State claims MOE expenditures.
1. Name of Benefit or Service Program: Native Family Assistance Programs
2. Description of the Major Program Benefits, Services, and Activities:
Provide state MOE funds to support Tribal TANF programs in Alaska. These programs are substantially similar to the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program. Four Native organizations have taken advantage of this opportunity to design and run their own culturally relevant and regionally focused temporary assistance programs, apart from the State. They are Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA), the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), and the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC).
3. Purpose(s) of Benefit or Service Program:
The state MOE funding supplements direct federal TANF funding to federally-approved Tribal Family Assistance Programs and is used for the purpose of providing temporary assistance benefit payments to eligible Native families.
4. Program Type. (Check one)
__X__ This Program is operated under the TANF program.
______ This Program is a separate State program.
5. Description of Work Activities in the SSP-MOE program (I.e., Complete only if this program is a separate State program):
Not applicable
6. Total State Expenditures for the Program for the Fiscal Year:
$ 9,533,837
7. Total State Expenditures Claimed as MOE under the Program for the Fiscal Year: $ 9,005,249
8. Total Number of Families Served under the Program with MOE Funds:1,418
This last figure represents (check one):
__X _ The average monthly total for the fiscal year.
________ The total served over the fiscal year.
(The number is the average monthly total for all three Tribal TANF programs).
9. Eligibility Criteria for Receiving MOE-funded Benefits or Services under the Program:
For purposes of claiming state funds granted to Native TANF grantees as maintenance of effort (MOE), Alaska has adopted the eligibility criteria of the Tribal TANF programs as its own. The families served are described in their federally approved tribal plans, as follows:
• Tanana Chiefs Conference - those within the Native organization’s service area in which the head of the household is an enrolled member of, or eligible for membership in, a federally recognized tribe.
• Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska - those within
the Native organization’s service area in which at least one adult, or
one child in a child-only case, is an enrolled member of a federally recognized
tribe.
• Association of Village Council Presidents - AVCP operates a regional
program that serves all families within the service area, including both Native
and non-Native families.
• Cook Inlet Tribal Council – those within the Native organization’s service area in which at least one adult, or one child in a child-only case, is an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe.
10. Prior Program Authorization: Was this program authorized and allowable
under prior law (i.e., as defined at §260.30)?
(check one)
Yes __X_ No ____
11. Total Program Expenditures in FY 1995. _________________________
(NOTE: provide only if the response on to question 10 is No.)
This certifies that all families for which the State claims MOE expenditures for the fiscal year meet the State's criteria for "eligible families."
SIGNATURE: __________________________
NAME: __Katherine Farnham_______________
TITLE: _ Director, Public Assistance__________
Approved OMB No. 0970-0199 Form ACF-204, expires 6/30/2002.
