NH Council of Churches - Policy Alert: Protect TANF

The NH House Finance Committee next week will hear a bill that would limit financial assistance for poor families who have additional children while receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). 

 

This is a morality question. What happens when a family depending on TANF to get by has an infant who needs things that WIC or food stamps can't buy - bottles, pacifiers, diapers, crib sheets, car seat - but can't receive any additional TANF cash assistance to accommodate the infant's needs? Either the other children do without - Toothpaste and toilet paper? Heat? A home? Or the baby does without?  

 

According to the Fiscal Note on this bill, this law would affect fewer than 75 poor families a year in NH, who each receive an average of $72.50 a month in additional cash assistance when a newborn arrives. Implementing this law would cost the state $200,000 initially in systems eligibility adjustments. From there, the assumption is local welfare would take up the slack and filling the gaps. The problem hasn't been eliminated, the cost of meeting it just shifts to local property tax payers.  

 

If we can't find $72.50 a month for 75 poor families in 2012 to ensure their infants and children are safe, healthy, nourished and housed, it will say a lot about the state we have become.

House Finance Committee Members legislative email: <~HouseFinanceCommittee@leg.state.nh.us>

Individual Members (with links to contact info) at:

<http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H34>

Full text at:

<http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2012/HB1658.html>

HB1658-FN
Session Year 2012
Bill Title: limiting financial assistance for mothers who have additional children while receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
Public Hearing: HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE, 01/12/2012 at 10:00 AM, Legislative Office Building, Rooms 210-211  

NH DHHS Announces Pilot Project Aimed at Eliminating Paper Processes

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is beginning the process of moving to a paperless system. DHHS’ Division of Family Assistance (DFA) will begin the first steps of implementing this vision with the launch of a pilot program called Electronic Document Filing. The pilot program will be launched in the Laconia District Office later this month.

Under this pilot project, people applying for assistance programs such as food stamps, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) will have digital copies made of their paperwork instead of paper copies. “Electronic filing will allow all case related data to be centralized in a database,” said DFA Director Terry Smith, “instead of in a paper-filed system in a specific office. This means that workers anywhere in the State can help with that case. Access to the information remains secure and confidential but available much more quickly. All the new efficiencieswill save money in filing time and storage space.”

This project is helping DHHS look at some long-range goals to help adapt to the challenging times. "The Department is facing a dramatic increase in the numbers of people we serve. Food stamp caseloads are up by 36% over last year, and we are dealing with these increases with fewer staff,” said DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas. “Some economists believe we're recovering from the recession, but the recovery doesn't seem to be in jobs. We are in a situation where we must change in order to adapt. This paperless system project is one of the ways we are planning for the future.”

During pilot, all requests of mail-in documents will be directed to a centralized scanning facility temporarily located in Concord NH. All documents will be digitized and filed, then electronically routed to a Family Services Specialist within the Laconia District Office for action.

NH DHHS Receives Federal Grant That Will Help Expand Electronic Application System

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Family Assistance (DFA) is receiving a federal grant in the amount of $782,275 to improve the way residents apply for and recertify their Food Stamp benefits. The US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services is awarding the 2009 Participation Grant to seven states with focus on improving retention of benefits at the point of recertification and promoting partnerships with local non-profit agencies.

“DHHS is delighted to have been awarded this grant,” said DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas. “This grant will fund expansion of a system whereby people can apply for food stamps from home over the Internet instead of having to come into our local offices. Clients will also be able to renew their benefits this way."

This expansion coincides with Commissioner Toumpas’ efforts to improve the way New Hampshire residents apply for and access DHHS’services. Through an initiative known as ACCES (Achieving Community Centered Excellence in Services) Front Door, DHHS is working to make the application and recertification processes easier, increase efficiencies and customer satisfaction, reduce errors, and reduce the time period between applying for assistance and receipt of benefits. ACCES Front Door utilizes technology and virtual self-service as the instrument to make the application process faster, easier and more economic for the public.

“Food Stamp cases are increasing by a record thousand each month,” said DFA Director Terry Smith. “Moreover, each case needs to be ‘renewed’ every six months, so the increased workload is staggering. Since we don’t have the resources to hire additional staff to assist in the increase in demand, we’re finding innovative ways to adapt to the times.”

DHHS is partnering with two organizations to launch a pilot program to implement an expansion of NH’s electronic application system known as NH EASY. The partnering organizations are the New Hampshire Local Welfare Administrators Association and Southern New Hampshire Services, Inc. These organizations will house self-service kiosks at select locations around the state, in addition to kiosks to be installed at some DFA District Offices.

In addition to food stamps, this new process will serve other DFA programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid and Healthy Kids.

NH DHHS Announces Highest Work Participation Rate In Northeast for TANF Recipients

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is announcing new performance statistics that show New Hampshire outperformed other Northeast states in engaging families on assistance in work activities. Federal law requires that 50% of recipients in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Program be engaged in federally defined work activities.

The Federal Administration for Children and Families report shows New Hampshire’s participation rate for 2007 was 42%. While the federal mandate is a 50% participation rate, federal allowances for caseloads makes up the difference. This marks a 72% improvement in engagement of TANF recipients work activities in New Hampshire from 2006 to 2007. This improvement was 4th highest in the country.

“Improving the TANF work participation rate” said DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas, “is evidence that we’re helping bring people another step closer to achieving their employment goals, while helping them be able to provide basic needs for their loved ones.” .

DHHS’ Division of Family Assistance (DFA) oversees the TANF Program. "To achieve the participation rate,” said DFA Director Terry Smith, "the Department made a number of changes to the program. For instance, under our old program, we determined eligibility and gave a check before sending clients to their first work-related appointment. As many as 70% did not show up. So we made participation in work program orientation a condition of eligibility. This means, before they can get a check now, they have to come to an appointment and learn about what the New Hampshire Employment Program can do for them."

The average participation rate in the United States was 29.7%. The breakout for the Northeast is as follows:

Connecticut 28.8%

Maine 21.9%

Massachusetts 17.0%

New Hampshire 42.0%

Rhode Island 26.8%

Vermont 22.4%

If a State fails to meet the 50% rate, it can result in a financial penalty. If New Hampshire had missed its target, DHHS could have been subject to as much as $4 million in penalties. Vermont and Maine were identified as not meeting target participation, and look to be subject to financial penalty.