Welcome to TANF Orientation

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Welcome toTANF Orientation
Updated December 16, 2013
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Department of Health Human Services

• Office for Family Independence (OFI)
• Program Eligibility
• ASPIRE Training Employment
• Child Support Enforcement

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OFI Programs

• TANF
• Parents as Scholars (PaS)
• Food Supplement
• Medical Assistance
• Emergency Assistance
• Alternative Aid

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TANF

• TANF is
• Temporary
• Assistance (for)
• Needy
• Families

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TANF Time Limits

• Federal and state law has placed a 60-month
  lifetime limit on receipt of TANF cash assistance

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Approaching Your 60th month

• You will be reminded of the 60 month time limit
  throughout your time on TANF as we help you work
  toward independence
• You will receive a notice 120 days before your
  60th month
• You will have the opportunity to further discuss
  your options with your ASPIRE worker.

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You have the RIGHT

• To be treated with respect
• To apply at any time without discrimination
• To confidentiality
• To our decision in writing
• To claim Good Cause
• To appeal if you disagree with our decision.

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You have RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in all activities appointments
  required by OFI
• Provide all requested verifications by the day
  they are due
• Read all mail, including e-mail from OFI and
  respond to them if asked
• Report all changes within 10-days
• Start looking now for a job or volunteer
  opportunities.

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Report Changes within 10 days

• Household Expense Changes
• Rent
• Utilities
• Other
• Household Composition- Someone moves in or out
• Changes in Income
• Job starts or ends
• Unemployment income starts or ends
• Social Security, VA, etc. starts or ends
• Money received from other sources

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Failure to Report Changes, Income or Assets

• Reporting changes is your responsibility. Failure
  to report changes timely may result in
• Referral to the Fraud, Investigation Recovery
  Unit
• Possible overpayment
• Possible Disqualification for an Intentional
  Program Violation

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ASPIRE

• ASPIRE provides support leading to employment

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ASPIRE Will Help You

• Develop YOUR plan for becoming self-sufficient
• Explore the local job market
• Develop skills to help you
• Get ready for work
• Find a job
• Succeed on the job
• Finish high school
• Get your high school equivalency (GED)

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Parents as Scholars (PaS)2-4 Year College Program

• Same benefits and rules as TANF including the
  60-month life-time limit on assistance.
• Tuition comes from other sources
• ASPIRE provides support services

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What are Your Goals?

• What will YOU need to get started on your road to
  becoming employed?

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Whats The Best Plan For You?

• ASPIRE will learn more about you through an
  in-depth assessment.
• This will help you and ASPIRE pick the best steps
  for you to achieve your goals.

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ASPIRE Activities

• Work Goals
• Volunteer Work
• Employment
• On the job training
• Job Search
• Field training
• Training Educational Needs
• High school diploma or equivalency (GED)
• Short term certificate / vocational programs
• PaS Program

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ASPIRE Support Services

• Child Care
• Transportation
• Car Repairs and Insurance
• Uniforms
• Tools Needed for Work
• Other job related services

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Family Contract

• Your Family Contract lists the steps you agree to
  take to become employed.
• It is your responsibility to look for a job while
  you are receiving TANF. If there is a special
  circumstance that stops you from looking for a
  job or completing an activity, you have the right
  to have us review your situation.

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Good Cause

• Good Cause is our decision that you had a good
  reason for not doing something that you agreed
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  to do
  in your Family Contract.
• Be prepared to have acceptable written proof of
  the reason for your failure to seek employment or
  complete an assigned activity.

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Sanctions

• While we want everyone to be successful, some
  choose not to follow the rules of the program.
  If you chose not to follow the rules there are
  consequences
• If you are an applicant your benefits will not
  be approved.
• If, after you begin receiving TANF you dont
  follow the rules you can lose your cash
  assistance and support services, including child
  care. You can also lose part of your Food
  Supplement benefits.

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How Will You Support Your Family on TANF?

• Parent and two children with no income
• TANF 485
• Child Support 185 (maximum)
• Total 670
• Plus a 30 hrs/week participation requirement
• Child Support depends on the amount collected
  from the other parent

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Same Family w/ Parent Working

• 30 hours/week x 7.50/hr
• Earnings 967/mo
• Disregard -108
• -429
• Countable income 429
• TANF 191/month

• Total Income to Family-
• Earnings 967
• TANF 191
• Child 50 (maximum)
• Support
• EITC 436 (5,236/yr)
• Total 1,644/month

Child Support depends on the amount collected
from the other parent
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Earned Income Tax Credit(EITC)

• EITC is a refundable federal income tax credit
  for low-income working families.
• Congress approved the tax credit in 1975 to
  provide an incentive to work.
• A family with qualifying children can receive a
  refund of
• 5,891 for 3 or more children
• 5,236 for 2 or more children (436/month)
• 3,169 for 1 child

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Division of Support Enforcement Recovery (DSER)

• Every child has the right to be supported by both
  parents...

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Role of DSER

• Locate non-TANF parent
• Establish paternity
• Establish support orders which can include
  medical support, child support and child care
• Enforce support orders

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Locating the Non-TANF Parent

• DSER must first know where the parent responsible
  for paying child support is living or working
• DSER gets addresses and/or employment information
  from many sources
• YOU
• are often the best source of information

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How Paternity Is Established?

• Once the parent is located paternity must be
  established
• The named father must be given notice
• A simple DNA test is done
• Paternity can be legally established by a court
  order or by both parents signing a voluntary
  acknowledgement form

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Benefits of Establishing Paternity

• The child knows who his or her father is
• The child has inheritance rights if the father
  dies
• The child can get medical information about the
  fathers family history
• The child gets Social Security benefits if the
  father becomes disabled

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Support Orders

• After the parent is located and paternity has
  been determined
• A support order will be established
• Enforcement can begin and the family can get
  child support
• If the parent who is supposed to pay child
  support does not pay DSER has many ways to
  enforce a child support order

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Your Role

• Cooperation with DSER is required to receive
  TANF and Child Support. You must
• Sign over rights to child support while on TANF
• Provide information about the other parent
• Forward child support payments made directly to
  you from the other parent
• Inform DSER of changes
• Remember You may be excused from cooperation if
  Good Cause is granted.

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How much child support will I get?

• If you currently receive child support, you may
  not continue to receive all of that support
• If child support is paid on time, your family may
  get Pass Through and Gap payments
• Pass Through is the first 50 collected. This
  money is passed through to you
• Gap payments are made when more support is
  collected. You may get additional payments
  depending on how much other income you have.

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What DSER Cannot Do

• DSER cannot
• Give legal advice
• Help w/ divorce or alimony
• Help w/ custody or property disputes
• Enforce visitation rights
• For help with these matters we urge you to seek
  advice from a lawyer

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To Contact DSER

• 1-800-371-7179
• 24 hour a day, 7 days a week voice response
  service allows you to
• Report address changes
• Update medical insurance information
• Report a lost child support check
• Request a new PIN number
• Request a payment history
• Find out if a child support check has been sent
• Address Case Review Unit, SHS 11, Augusta, ME
  04333
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail Case.Review_at_maine.gov

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Post-TANF Programs

• Youre Working!
• TANF Closes
• What next?

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Transitional Services

• Child Care
• Transportation
• Worker Supplement Benefit (WSB)
• Transitional Food Assistance (TFA)
• Medical Assistance
• Non-Welfare Child Support

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Remember!

• Open, read respond to all mail from DHHS
• Promptly call us if you cant keep an appointment
  or complete an activity
• Tell us of any changes in your household as they
  happen
• Keep and review the information provided today
• Start looking for work now

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Benefits are paid by

• Placed on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
  card
• Balances are printed on store receipt
• Call 1-800-477-7428
• Swipe card in machine
• Visit www.PineTreeCard.com
• Report a lost card immediately
• Direct Deposit to your bank account
• Sent directly to a vendor like a landlord

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Use of TANF Benefit

• State law prohibits the use of your EBT card for
  any cash transaction in
• Retail store where 50 or more of the gross
  revenue comes from the sale of liquor
• Gambling facilities
• Adult entertainment establishments

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It is a Crime

• To intentionally give incorrect information to
  receive cash benefits or ASPIRE support services.
• To sell or trade your EBT card.
• Public Assistance fraud affects all of us. Do
  not become a statistic.

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Summary

• TANF provides temporary assistance while you
  prepare for work
• ASPIRE helps with employment, training, education
  and support services
• DSER helps your child receive support from
  his/her other parent
• Transitional Services may help when your TANF
  benefits end because you are working.

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Next Steps

• In a few moments you will meet with people from
  the ASPIRE Program.
• We will work closely with you as you
• work towards your goals.
• Your worker will discuss how ASPIRE can support
  you in your employment goals.
• What steps can you take now to become
  self-supporting?