[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 112 (Monday, June 10, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 29398-29404] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-14557] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 29399]] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families New and Pending Demonstration Project Proposals Submitted Pursuant to Section 1115(a) of the Social Security Act: May 1996 AGENCY: Administration for Children and Families, HHS. ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice lists new proposals for welfare reform and combined welfare reform/Medicaid demonstration projects submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services for the month of May, 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 May 1, 1995. The Health Care Financing Administration is publishing a separate notice for Medicaid only demonstration projects. Comments: We will accept written comments on these proposals. We will, if feasible, acknowledge receipt of all comments, but we will not provide written responses to comments. We will, however, neither approve nor disapprove new proposals under the standard application process for at least 30 days after the date of this notice to allow time to receive and consider comments. Direct comments as indicated below. ADDRESSES: For specific information or questions on the content of a project contact the State contact listed for that project. Comments on a proposal or requests for copies of a proposal should be addressed to: Howard Rolston, Administration for Children and Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., 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 May, 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 May, 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: Florida--Family Responsibility Act. Description: Statewide, would require dependent children and caretaker relatives under age 18 to remain in school; pay half the AFDC benefit increment for the first child conceived by an AFDC recipient and provide no cash benefits for a second or subsequent child; exclude from the AFDC budget child support payments for children subject to the family cap; require AFDC recipients not participating in JOBS or actively seeking employment to engage [[Page 29400]] in 20 hours per week of community employment or work experience. Date Received: 10/4/95. Type: Combined AFDC/Medicaid. Current Status: Pending. Contact Person: Sallie P. Linton, (904) 921-5572. Project Title: Georgia--Jobs First Project. Description: In ten pilot counties, would replace AFDC payment with paid employment; extend transitional Medicaid to 24 months; eliminate 100 hour employment rule for eligibility determination in AFDC-UP cases. Date Received: 7/5/94. Type: AFDC. Current Status: Pending (not previously published). Contact Person: Nancy Meszaros, (404) 657-3608. Project Title: Hawaii--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, 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: New (replaces previous pending application). Contact Person: Kristine Foster, (808) 586-5729. Project Title: Illinois--Six Month Paternity Establishment Demonstration. Description: In 20 counties, would require the establishment of paternity, unless good cause exists, within 6 months of application or redetermination as a condition of AFDC and Medicaid eligibility for both mother and child; would deny Medicaid to children age 7 and under, exclude children from filing rules, and exempt Department from making protective payments to eligible children, when custodial parent has not cooperated in establishing paternity; delegate the establishment of paternity in uncontested cases to caseworkers who perform assistance payment or social service functions under title IV-A or XX. Date Received: 7/18/95. Type: AFDC/Medicaid. Current Status: Pending. Contact Person: Karan D. Maxson, (217) 785-3300. 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: Maine--Welfare to Work Program. Description: Statewide, would require caretaker relatives to sign a family contract; require participation in parenting classes and health care services; provide one-time vendor payments in lieu of AFDC for the [[Page 29401]] purpose of obtaining/retaining employment; provide voucher payments to both married and unmarried minor parents; limit JOBS exemptions; expand eligibility for Transitional Medicaid and Child Care and replace sliding-scale fees with flat-rate fees; reduce Transitional Medicaid reporting requirements; disregard entire value of one vehicle; and apply any federal savings to the JOBS program services. In selected sites, implement ASPIRE-Plus, a subsidized employment program, would cash out food stamps, divert AFDC benefits and pass through all child support collected to families who participate in ASPIRE-Plus. Date Received: 9/20/95. Type: AFDC/Medicaid. Current Status: Pending. Contact Person: Susan Dustin, (207) 287-3104. Project Title: 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: Michigan--To Strengthen Michigan Families Demonstration Project (Amendment). Description: Statewide, would require minor parents to live with their parent or other suitable adult; and require minor parents who have not graduated from high school to attend school as a condition of family eligibility. Date received: 4/26/96. Type: AFDC. Current Status: Pending. 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 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: New (Amendment only). Contact Person: Ann Sessoms, (612) 296-0978. Project Title: New Hampshire--Earned Income Disregard Demonstration Project. Description: AFDC applicants and recipients would have the first $200 plus \1/2\ the remaining earned income disregarded. Date Received: 9/20/93. Type: AFDC. Current Status: Pending. Contact Person: Avis L. Crane, (603) 271-4255. Project Title: New Hampshire--New Hampshire Employment Program and Family Assistance Program. Description: Statewide, would replace AFDC with Employment Program administered by both Employment Security Agency and Family Assistance Program; require job search and other employment-related activities for first 26 weeks of receipt followed by work-related activities for 26 weeks; eliminate JOBS target group funding requirement and change JOBS reporting requirements; require recipients attending post-secondary or part-time vocational training to participate in work-related activities; eliminate JOBS services priority for volunteers; establish limits for provision of transportation and other JOBS services [[Page 29402]] based on activity and local conditions; eliminate remoteness as exemption from JOBS; require non-custodial parents to participate in JOBS; increase earned income disregard to 50%; eliminate AFDC-UP eligibility requirements; allow transitional case management for up to one year; raise resource limit to $2,000 and exclude one vehicle and life insurance policies; pass through child support directly to family; take SSI income into account in determining eligibility/payment; eliminate conciliation and apply JOBS sanction of 50% of AFDC benefits for three months followed by no payment for three months, allowing option to increase initial sanction up to 100%; exempt pregnant women from JOBS only during third trimester; for minor parents cases, include in assistance unit any parent or sibling living in the home; eliminate gross income test; disregard educational grants; allow emergency assistance for families with employment-related barriers; allow States to eliminate the certificate option for child care and development block grant funds and use of these funds for capital improvement; eliminate ceiling on At Risk Child Care funds; provide that FFP for AFDC not be reduced during life of demonstration; fund computer system modifications at 80% FFP; require pregnant recipients to cooperate with child support; require that AFDC apply for Medicaid as a unit and not individually; eliminate requirement of receipt of AFDC for 3 of last 6 months in order to receive transitional Medicaid; and allow States to require that some individuals be assigned to a managed care program; substitute outcome measures for JOBS participation rates; change participation requirements for parents with children under 6, UP recipients and minors; establish a medical deduction; increase the sanction for non-cooperation with child support; exempt individuals with significant employment barriers from JOBS; treat lump sum income and all real property, except a home, as a resource; and use 20% of gross earned income as a Medicaid disregard. Also contains various Food Stamp waivers. Date Received: 9/18/95. Type: AFDC. Current Status: Pending. Contact Person: Marianne Broshek, (603) 271-4442. Project Title: New Hampshire--New Hampshire Employment Program. Description: In three pilot sites, would require work after 6 months of AFDC receipt; eliminate the exemption from JOBS for women in the second trimester of pregnancy; eliminate the JOBS exemption for caretaker of a child under 3 but not less than 1 year of age; replace the earned income disregard of $90 and $30 and \1/3\ with a 50% disregard which is not time-limited; raise the resource limit for recipients to $2,000; disregard full value of one vehicle per adult for applicants and recipients; apply a full family sanction voluntarily quitting a job or refusing to accept a job; apply a sanction of reducing the payment standard by 30% for one month for failure to comply with JOBS in the first instance, by 60% in the second instance for one month, and in the third instance apply a full-family sanction for three months or until compliance; and require non-custodial parents to participate in JOBS. Date Received: 10/6/95. Type: AFDC. Current Status: Pending. Contact Person: Marianne Broshek, (603) 271-4442. 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: New. 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: New. 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 Recevied: 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 [[Page 29403]] 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: Virginia--Virginia Independence Program (Amendment). 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 that 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: 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: New. 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 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 [[Page 29404]] 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: New. Contact Person: Jean Sheil, (608) 266-0613. Project Title: Wyoming--New Opportunities and New Responsibilities--Phase II (Amendments). Description: Proposes expansion of original demonstration statewide and 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); require school attendance for teen parents who do not have a high school education or its equivalent; 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 (provisions not previously published). Contact Person: Marianne Lee, (307) 777-6849. III. Listing of Approved Proposals Since May 1, 1995 Project Title: Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) (Amendment). Contact Person: Chuck Johnson (612) 297-4727. Project Title: South Carolina--Family Independence Program. Contact Person: Linda Martin (804) 737-6010. 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: June 4, 1996. Karl Koerper, Director, Division of Economic Independence, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. [FR Doc. 96-14557 Filed 6-7-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4184-01-P