Working Together to Improve Access to DHHS Programs
Maine Equal Justice has been working with staff at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to understand who is
eligible and what the benefits are for several programs. We have hopeful news to report about the Alternative Aid,
Transitional
Transportation, Transitional Child Care, and TANF programs.
Alternative Aid
Alternative Aid (AA) gives families with children who are not on TANF short-term
help so that they can get or keep a job. The program can help with car repairs, housing emergencies, child care or other emergencies
that prevent a parent from working. The following issues have been made more clear:
Problems in determining eligibility. In some cases, families have been denied assistance when they have been eligible
for the program. The most common problem has been the use of an incorrect eligibility limit. This is largely due to the DHHS
computer system not being able to determine eligibility for AA. This means that DHHS workers must do a special calculation when
looking at a family’s application. The correct eligibility limit for the AA program is 133% of the federal poverty level,
or $2,030 for a family of 3. (See 2009 poverty level chart) DHHS workers have been told that it's necessary to take
special steps when they determine eligibility for Alternative Aid. We are pleased to report that those efforts appear to be working.
MEJP has seen a big drop in the number of calls from people denied AA incorrectly over the past few months.
How much AA can a family receive in a 12-month period? The AA Program can give eligible families up to 3 times the value of a
monthly TANF check in a 12-month period. Some workers did not understand the law. They thought that if a family got AA once—even
if they didn’t get the maximum benefit allowed—they couldn’t get it again for another 12 months.
DHHS has made it clear that a family that only uses a part of their AA benefit can get whatever amount is left over for another
emergency within that 12-month period.
For example: A mom and two children are found eligible for Alternative Aid in September. Mom works and her car broke down.
She has no way to get to work and no way to pay the $500 to repair the car. The family is eligible for up to $1,455 in AA as a
household of 3. However, they only need $500 right now to get Mom’s car fixed. So they have $955 left to apply for should another
emergency come up before September of next year. And in September of next year, they will have the full $1,455 available once again.
Can families with high housing costs qualify for more AA? Yes. Families may be eligible for more help if they have high housing
costs. Families on TANF with high housing costs may qualify for up to an extra $100 each month as a “special housing needs” payment.
Since families receiving AA can get up to 3 times the monthly TANF benefit in a 12-month period, they may get an extra $300 because
of their high housing costs. To get extra help, their rent or mortgage payments (including property taxes and insurance) must be equal
to or more than 75% of their income.
For example: The basic TANF grant for a family of 3 without special housing needs is $485 a month. The family is
eligible for up to $1,455 in AA as a household of 3. If that family is eligible for special housing aid up to an extra $100,
they would qualify for as much as 3 times $585, or up to a total of $1,755.
More information about the Alternative Aid Program
Transitional Transportation
Transitional Transportation (TT) is available to families who lose their TANF benefit due to increased wages. TT will pay
between $1.00 and $10.00 per day to help reimburse some of your costs of getting back and forth to work. Two new rule changes
will improve this program.
When do I have to apply for TT? The current rules say that you must apply for Transitional Transportation within 30 days of
losing your TANF benefits. However, DHHS has agreed to extend the time to apply for TT benefits to a full year. This new rule will
make the TT application deadline the same as it is for the other transitional benefits – one year. This means that even if a family
doesn’t apply for TT when they lose their TANF benefits, they can apply for it anytime within the next 12 months. They would then get
TT for the rest of that year. So the sooner they apply, the sooner they will get this help with some of their costs of getting back
and forth to work.
Can I get TT even if I leave TANF voluntarily when my wages go up? Under the current rules, you cannot get TT if you leave
TANF voluntarily when your wages go up. DHHS is going to change this rule as well. Parents who voluntarily choose to end their
TANF benefits when their wages go up will be able to apply for TT once this rule has changed.
We expect both of these changes to happen within the next few months. Watch the next issue of the MAIN Update for more information
about when this new rule goes into effect.
Transitional Child Care
Transitional Child Care (TCC) helps parents who lose TANF due to increased wages. It helps parents pay for some of their child
care costs.
Families are required to recertify each year to make sure that they are still
eligible for TCC benefits.
How will I know when I have to renew my eligibility (recertify) for TCC? DHHS sends parents a recertification form 30
days before their eligibility period ends. If the form is not returned within that time period, the TCC benefit stops.
We heard from some parents who lost their Transitional Child Care (TCC) because they didn’t remember getting this renewal form.
DHHS has agreed to send a second notice 15 days before the TCC ends, reminding parents that the form is due. The reminder
will state the date on which their TCC benefit will end if the form is not returned on time.
People’s lives are very busy and mail sometimes is lost. This second notice, closer to the actual deadline, will give parents the
reminder they may need so that they can get the form returned on time and will continue to get this important benefit. We expect
this change to take place in February 2009.
Domestic Violence and TANF Eligibility
When parents apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), they are required to cooperate with DHHS, which collects
child support from the absent parent. However, they do not have to cooperate if there is a history of domestic violence indicating
that doing so would put the family
at risk of further violence.
In these cases, people may ask for “good cause” to stop the Department from contacting the absent parent. Parents who have
“good cause” do not have to name the absent parent or assist the Department in collecting child support.
MEJP is reviewing the TANF application process to be sure that all who apply are given the chance to request “good cause.”
We also want to make sure that applicants get a written notice of whether or not their request for “good cause” has been granted.
The notice would also give information on how to appeal if “good cause” is denied.
Finally, we are looking at how long a “good cause” determination lasts and how it is renewed. Look for more information about this
issue in upcoming issues of the MAIN Update.
We want to thank Dawn Mulcahey and Dean Henderson, the TANF and ASPIRE Program managers at DHHS, for listening to our concerns and
helping to resolve these issues.
It’s a Fact…
People are not moving to Maine for our ‘generous’ benefits.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Data from Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services shows that, over a 6-year period (October 2002– September 2008) nearly
five times as many people receiving assistance from MaineCare, TANF or Food Stamps left Maine as the number who moved here.
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