A monthly benefit through TANF that helps parents working through a two- or four-year degree-granting education program. Option 3: E-mail an application to Farmington.DHHS@Maine.gov. For example, a grantee might consider crafting a NRST to provide extra cash for all current TANF recipient families who are affected by the pandemic. Please enter your username to reset your password. The PEAF provides funding to states (which includes the District of Columbia), tribes administering a TANF program, and five U.S. territories[1] to assist needy families impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Option 1: Apply online through My Maine Connection. TANF provides cash assistance to families while they work towards becoming self-sufficient. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, Flexibility for States With Increasing Workloads, USDA moderniza el PlanEconmico de AlimentosThrifty actualizaciones a los beneficios del SNAP, USDA Modernizes the Thrifty Food Plan, Updates SNAP Benefits. State, tribal, and territorial agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, and other eligible territories. This means that a grantee could offer the same or different NRSTs from the ones it offers under TANF, as long as they meet the requirements of the PEAF, including adhering to the requirement not to supplant current, Association of Village Council Presidents, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Res, Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska, Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of Flathead Res, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Reservation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina, Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lower Elwha Tribe of the Lower Elwha Reservation, Northern Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Indian Res, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Robinson Rancheria - California Tribal TANF Partnership, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Res, Sokaogon Chippewa Community of the Mole Lake Band, South Puget Inter-Tribal Planning Agency (SPIPA), Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association, Stockbridge-Munsee Community of Mohican Indians, Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation CA & OR (aka Smith River), Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, White Mountain Apache Tribe of Fort Apache Res, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (in NE and IA) -- NE, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Native Americans (ANA), Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR), Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget (OLAB), Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE), Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS), About Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, About Health Profession Opportunity Grants, TANF-ACF-PI-2021-03 (Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form), Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment - States. In order to qualify for TANF in Alabama, you must be a U.S. national, citizen, legal alien or permanent resident and a resident of the state of Alabama. Transitional Transportation (TT) can help working families pay for transportation related expenses for a period of time. This benefit clearly meets Purpose One and is pandemic-related. Augusta, Maine04333, Phone: (207) 287-3707 All grantees must use funds to supplement, and not supplant, other federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local funds. 114 Corn Shop Lane. The recipients of PEAF-funded NRSTs must be needy families with children but they do not necessarily have to be eligible for TANF cash assistance. These services also promote job preparation, work and marriage, and the prevention of out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Benefits are good for up to a year, so SNAP recipients do not have to use the additional benefits immediately, Hornsby said. It does count for TANF. Once enrolled in TANF you may also be eligible for help receiving job training and education. View guidance as of January 2022. An official website of the United States government. Listen. We have created a form that allows each grantee to make this election. DHR has created a toll-free customer service hotline at 1-800-410-5827 for questions related to P-EBT. This means that a grantee could offer the same or different NRSTs from the ones it offers under TANF, as long as they meet the requirements of the PEAF, including adhering to the requirement not to supplant current federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local expenditures. The PEAF can be a powerful tool to give poor families a much-needed boost in the face of lost wages, limited work opportunities, or housing insecurity, to name just a few obstacles exacerbated by the pandemic. In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Alabama issued an "Emergency Health Preparedness Allowance" of $400 a month for three months to all TANF families, nearly double the amount of the maximum benefit alone. FAX: (207) 287-3005 The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 (PL 116-159), extended a number of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) flexibilities approved under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The American Rescue Plan Act, Public Law 117-2; section 403(c) of the Social Security Act. The amount of the shelter deduction is capped at (or limited to) $624 unless one person in the household is elderly or disabled. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. . For example, a grantee might consider crafting a NRST to provide extra cash for all current TANF recipient families. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. A payment for hotel rooms and meal delivery for people who need to quarantine away from their families. To apply for food assistance benefits online, you can apply via MyDHR or MyAlabama. 455 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<8E2CFAEFB75791468CED12F6B483C4D4><70332ACC9AF89D40AF0184A0EF036C29>]/Index[436 29]/Info 435 0 R/Length 90/Prev 161574/Root 437 0 R/Size 465/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream If a grantee wishes to use PEAF funds for a benefit that meets a different purpose, it must be able to demonstrate how the benefit is designed to address pandemic-related needs. This program provides services and work supports to parents receiving cash assistance to help them find and retain employment. HOPE helps Maine parents enroll in and complete training and education beyond high school by providing financial support for costs related to training and education. Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner said, Alabama has successfully tackled childhood hunger throughout this pandemic thanks to the P-EBT program and an effective multi-agency partnership. h[{sW28i,7ZI{C Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, is a system that makes the issuance of state Family Assistance and federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits faster and easier through the use of electronic transactions. As noted above, if a grantee has not expended all of its funds by that date, HHS will reallot any unused funds to other eligible states, territories, and tribes, which must expend the reallotted funds within 12 months of receipt, as specified in the legislation. hb```f````a`bd@ A+sd11HO```yY)x!4,(qc-Ps13G8"$P c3h4 #D@adg `Py 2. A voucher to cover the cost of utility bills in arrears due to financial issues arising from the pandemic. IO XKR2.yJUQ5JH?rF2hK%]T$G%\GGMvi_cM#%?:Pd7TzFW Alabama's Family Assistance(FA) Program provides temporary financial assistance for needy families with children whose income must meet the eligibility thresholds. A grantee has from April 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, the end of fiscal year 2022, to expend its initial award. Some food stamp recipients in Alabama received extra funds this week amid the growing coronavirus crisis. We are extremely grateful to our partners at USDA-FNS and to Dr. Eric Mackey and his team at the Department of Education, along with our advocates, for their continued support of our mission to feed Alabamas children.. DHHS For example, if a grantee received its funds on May 15, 2021, it could use the PEAF funds to reimburse itself for allowable expenditures it made starting on April 1, 2021. Nationwide Waiver to Allow Sponsors that Successfully Participated in the Summer Food Service Program in FY 2019 to Operate as Experienced Sponsors in FY 2021 Offered to All States 4/1/2021 Nationwide Waiver to Provide Flexibility for School Meal Programs Administrative Reviews of SFAs Operating Only the SSO in SY 2021-22 The Family Assistance Division administers programs funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant designed to provide benefits and services to needy families so children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives. Here are some other examples of NRST benefits that grantees might want to provide with PEAF funds. Department of The law specifies an allotment formula. Updated 6/30/2021 Phone: (207) 626-7058 Fax: (207) 621-8148 www.maineequaljustice.org $300/week does not "count" as income for SNAP and Mainecare. Alabama pays a maximum of $215 a month to a family of three one of the lowest TANF benefits in the nation. Health and Human Services [4] Forty-eight percent of all Black children in the U.S. live in states with cash benefit levels below 20 percent of the poverty line, compared to 40 . Preston Hornsby, governmental relations manager for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, told AL.com Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries received funds in their accounts today that increased March benefits to the monthly maximum for their family size, regardless of household income. We are revising financial reporting forms, the ACF-196R, ACF-196T, and ACF-196TR, to include a column for reporting PEAF expenditures so that grantees will not have to submit a separate form to report for this fund. The My Maine Connection portal also offers a prescreening tool that can help you find out if you may be eligible. Office for Family Independence. Option 1: Apply online through My Maine Connection. Susan J. GolonkaActing DirectorOffice of Family Assistance. 2387 0 obj <>stream 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. qb}'M tYp1$(PR/V40qD.bWs_G _ 98"8MCHO4#(9y\xAc@NNrEU\@Lnh4|4_OVDs1;rnM[I3]ry.d&DA(* >@@@,.jxKJq1!~q2Q. Option 2: Download and mail an application. Call 1-855-797-4357(Monday Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm). 2023 SMG. All rights reserved (About Us). here to find the Food Assistance office nearest you. 92.5 percent of funds (equal to $923,150,000) will be distributed to states (including the District of Columbia), using a two-part formula, half based on child population and half based on fiscal year 2019 state expenditures on non-recurrent short term benefits, basic assistance and emergency assistance authorized solely under prior law. (334) 242-1 950 TANF provides families with financial assistance and support services. The site is secure. Programs & Services Food stamp benefits are determined by the number of people and income in a household. The PEAF represents a singular opportunity to help some of our nations neediest families struggling with the effects of the pandemic. Families will receive separate EBT cards for each eligible child in their households. The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 ( PL 116-159 ), extended a number of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) flexibilities approved under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. In Alabama, that amount is $215 a month for a family of three. Low TANF cash benefits, which disproportionately affect the benefits available to Black children, are rooted in a long history of racist ideas and policies. Additionally, they may use funds for administrative costs (up to a 15-percent cap for states and territories and up to the negotiated cap for tribes). It enables low-income families to buy nutritious food through Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. We remind grantees that the Income Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) does apply to the PEAF, as it is funded under Title IV-A; however tribes are not subject to the IEVS requirements. Before you can complete the application online, you must first register for an account. . For example, suppose a grantee wants to offer diversion payments to families affected by the pandemic, but it already offers diversion assistance under TANF. J5(T[QJTE MD Food stamp recipients in Alabama will receive extra benefits due to the coronavirus pandemic. Your completed application will be sent to the DHR office in the county where you live. Assistance for families who are behind in rent or experiencing other housing insecurity due to the pandemic. You must also be either pregnant or be responsible for a child under 19 years of age and be unemployed or under employed with very low wages. A benefit to secure personal protective equipment. SNAP has continued to approve flexibilities under this authority. Any such unallotted funds will be reallotted, as discussed below. Start your application for Food Assistance. There is no application for P-EBT; ALSDE has provided DHR with the names of children who participate in the National School Lunch Program, which makes them eligible for P-EBT. Families already receiving the monthly maximum benefit will not receive the supplement. 2.TANF Emergency Assistance (Formerly AFDC-EA as provided by 45 CFR 233.120 with provision date of August 21, 1996): Assistance and services to or on Option 2: Download and mail an application. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). View guidance as of January 2022. MONTGOMERY, Ala. Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits will start rolling out this week to families with eligible school-age children who missed out on free or reduced-price school meals because of the pandemic. Grantees may use funds to provide certain non-recurrent, short term (NRST) benefits, described in more detail below. hbbd``b` Sc `4A@i bi~"@ $TP; Welcome To ACF | The Administration for Children and Families We will distribute reallotted funds based on the original allotment formula. Those benefits covered meals missed during the 2019-20 school year due to school closures. You may also fax, mail, or bring the signed application to your County DHR office for . The cards may take several weeks to arrive due to the volume of eligible children and shipping time frames. be designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need; not be intended to meet on-going needs; and, must only include expenditures such as emergency assistance and diversion payments, emergency housing and short-term homelessness assistance, emergency food aid, short-term utilities payments, burial assistance, clothing allowances, and back-to-school payments; and, In most cases under TANF, a NRST benefit addresses a specific episode of need, which means that the state or tribe has determined the specific need of that family; however, the regulation allows for NRSTs to address a specific crisis situation. As is evidenced by Congress creating the PEAF, the extraordinary nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping economic impacts constitute a specific crisis situation allowing a grantee to offer a NRST benefit broadly to needy families who are financially and otherwise eligible. A community group for residents of Alabama to ask questions and share information about receiving benefits that are administered locally. The Food Assistance Program's purpose is to end hunger and improve nutrition by providing monthly benefits to eligible low income households to help them buy the food they need for good health. How much does welfare pay in Alabama largely depends upon your familys income and size. A benefit to provide extra cash to replace lost wages to all families with children eligible to receive SNAP or other means-tested benefits who are affected by the pandemic. endstream endobj startxref Option 4: Fax an application to (207) 778-8429. TTY: Maine relay 711, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Higher Opportunity for Pathways to Employment (HOPE), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training, Americans With Disabilities Act/Civil Rights Compliance, Families with dependent children living in their home. SNAP has continued to approve flexibilities under this authority. Please direct inquiries to the TANF Program Manager in your region. A supplement will also be received at the end of April as part of the response to the COVID-19 virus. %PDF-1.6 % 102-477). Some food stamp recipients in Alabama received extra funds this week amid the growing coronavirus crisis. While each grantee must decide whether or not it intends to use its full allotment, it is important to understand that, Use of Funds Non-Recurrent, Short Term Benefits, For the purposes of the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund, NRST benefits. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Learn more about the HOPE program. Option 4: Fax an application to (207) 778-8429. State Cash Benefit Decisions Have Disparate Impacts, Especially for Black Children. Under Alabamas Work First approach, most adult recipients of cash assistance are required to participate in TANF employment program (JOBS) for up to 40 hours a week, unless otherwise exempt. Regardless of when it receives its PEAF funds, a grantee may use the funds for allowable expenditures on or after April 1, 2021. For example, suppose a grantees full allotment were $2,876,380. 0 Here are some other examples of NRST benefits that grantees might want to provide with PEAF funds. A grantee will not need to amend its TANF plan to provide NRSTs with the PEAF. A one-time payment to provide extra cash to all current TANF recipient families to assist them in dealing with added costs caused by the pandemic. 11 State House Station EE&c$Nc4dmCv3Tj_:zB+i`<77s5D&nvE_/U8knj=mV|uMVOEKiQ<2xrgWE/ocvL4k1z'L.\4 _3Ywb\-GO9#a,8^skyE'!47lfZ4nuf0#-^o~/.GJq:vdm*{DFH*Zb=YnlEBn[MwqOfv1Z]Ys\^U;Z-w>E/>o0l6_})Mil1}8;-EX]VVd`A*D+ny 18(L(U"Q NI8@ww uy(>&9 E(J3!H#25l~v}Q s"9UtDT[7}C+&#&4wMD4zS(;S*WhOR; GX)kD\mkEsK~8EAe7T+K5!]u_g)Jp+f C2LXw7w?DP&"M0.HtvTqL6}qax]p||@HO;hf+TYF'VoggOy!J4D`@*i}Tr0T[&wd9bcf"kCs]q$G2b(#,s!;D For the purposes of the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund, NRST benefits mean cash payments or other benefits that meet the regulatory definition (45 CFR 260.31(b)(1)), but are limited to those that fall into the specific expenditure reporting category mentioned in the legislation (line 15 of the ACF-196R(PDF), the state financial reporting form for the TANF program). 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