3.606.8 Diversion, Other Assistance, and Family Needs Payments A.

A Colorado Works client may receive a diversion payment to address a specific crisis situation or episode of need. Such payments are not designed to meet clients’ basic ongoing needs. A diversion payment may address needs over a period of no more than four (4) months. In addition to a diversion payment, a client who is eligible for diversion may receive supportive payments based on a defined need. A Colorado Works client may receive a diversion payment (diversion grant) under the following terms and conditions: 1. The client does not need long-term cash assistance or basic cash assistance as determined by the assessment. 2. The client demonstrates a need for a specific item or type of assistance, including but not limited to, cash, housing, or transportation. Such assistance may be provided in the form of cash payment, vendor payments, or in-kind services. 3. The client enters into a written or verbal agreement with the county department. The agreement shall be documented in the statewide automated system and shall: a. Document the reason why the client does not need basic cash assistance; and, b. Define the expectations and the terms of the diversion payment; and, c. Specify the need(s) for and the specific type(s) of non-recurring cash payment. 4. The client shall agree not to receive any further Colorado Works assistance in the county where he or she received the diversion payment or any other county for a period of time to be established by the county that issued the diversion payment. This Period of Ineligibility (POI) shall start in the month that the payment is provided and shall not be longer than the equivalent maximum grant payment for the household size over the same period of time. 5. If the client is unable to sustain the agreement because of circumstances beyond his or her control, he or she may apply for and the county may grant basic cash assistance or another diversion payment prior to the end of the POI. The county department can end the POI before it expires if good cause exists and is granted by the county department. 6. A diversion payment is a needs-based, cash or cash-equivalent payment made to a client who is eligible for basic cash assistance, or, at county option, and based on the county’s policy, a higher income limit not to exceed the maximum criteria established in the State plan for non-recurrent short-term benefits. All diversion clients who receive a one-time cash payment are not required to assign child support rights, and receipt of such payment does not count toward their Federal TANF assistance time limit. 7. Two Payments of Assistance in the Same Month A client shall not receive a diversion grant for any month in which he/she receives basic cash assistance. B. Supportive payments and referrals 1. Counties shall provide referrals for all families and assess non-work eligible families for supportive payments at each eligibility interview, at minimum. Work eligible clients must be assessed for supportive payments according to 3.608.1, at minimum. To receive supportive payments while receiving Colorado Works grant payments, clients must have an assessed need as defined in section 3.601. Supportive payments can also be issued as incentives for gaining or maintaining employment, participation in the workforce development program, or other achievements. 2. County departments shall take action on all supportive payment requests within ten (10) calendar days from the date of request by the client. All requests for and decisions to approve or deny supportive payments must be documented in the statewide automated system. Clients shall receive notice of supportive payment decisions as defined in section 3.609.7. 3. Supportive payments may include anything but the following: a. Medical services, except for family planning; b. Title IV of the Social Security Act funding that supports children in foster care; c. Supports to children under 18 who are not in the home; d. Any juvenile justice purposes; and e. Capital assets over $5,000. C. Family Preservation Eligibility To receive Family Preservation Services as provided in the Social Services rule manual, 12 CCR 2509-4 Section 7.304.21 under “Title IV-A Emergency Assistance,” a family's income and resources must meet all of the following guidelines: 1. The family income must be under $75,000 yearly; and, 2. The child must meet out-of-home placement criteria; and, 3. The child lived with a specified relative within the last six months. D. Other assistance Counties may provide assistance to clients meeting the following broad based Colorado Works eligibility criteria: 1. At least one dependent child or pregnancy in the home; 2. Lawfully present; and 3. Household income under $75,000 yearly. E. County Department's Right to Decide The county department may provide, by means of its own funds, items which are needed by a client and which are not included in the standards of assistance. Such provisions for “unmet need” shall not be deducted as income in the budgeting process.