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Colorado State Plan Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Effective July 1, 2018

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(5) Colorado meets the needs of the refugee population through the Colorado Refugee Assistance Program (CRSP) utilizing Colorado Works funding.

(6) Colorado promotes responsible fatherhood through evidence-based responsible parenting and relationship education programs.

(7) Colorado offers subsidized employment programs for both custodial and non-custodial parents that are TANF eligible. The Colorado Works Subsidized Employment and Training Program (CW STEP) is one example. The program assists Colorado Works recipients to attain living- wage, permanent jobs through employment opportunities with subsidized wages, including apprenticeships, on-the-job training, transitional jobs, and paid internships.

(8) Colorado disregards all wages earned in subsidized employment from eligibility determination and grant calculation pursuant to C.R.S. 26-2- 706.9 (9) (d) and C.R.S. 26-2-709 (1) (II).

Non-citizens. Non-citizens, who entered qualified non-citizen status on or after August 22, 1996 and have been in the country for five or more years, are eligible for TANF funds in accordance with Section 402 (b) of the Act. Colorado pays TANF assistance to excepted qualified non- citizens as required by Title IV of PRWORA. Victims of severe forms of trafficking are eligible for federally funded TANF benefits to the same extent as refugees. Counties may assist 1) unexpected qualified aliens who arrived on or after August 22, 1996 and have been in this country less than five years and 2) aliens lawfully present who would be eligible for TANF but for Title IV of PRWORA with segregated State/local funds.

Refugees. Refugees are qualified aliens exempt from the five-year bar. Refugees eligible for assistance through Colorado Works submit an application through their county of residence. The State provides its Refugee-TANF (Colorado Works) population assistance and services by utilizing county departments and the Colorado Refugee Services Program. County departments are charged with the responsibility of Colorado Works eligibility determination, and CRSP with case management and service provision responsibilities, which may include workforce development. The model implemented by the State helps ensure all services for refugees are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Through the assessment process, CRSP determines the most appropriate way to serve refugee families. Consistent with all families accessing Colorado Works benefits, the assessment is used to determine if either a monthly grant or a non-recurrent short term benefit is most appropriate based upon family circumstances.

Family preservation. The Family Preservation Program replaced the IV-A Emergency Assistance Program that was administered by the child welfare. This program utilizes segregated federal TANF funds to provide services to families where the child(ren) are at risk of out-of- home placement. These services are designed to ensure that child(ren) can be cared for in their