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Massachusetts TANF State Plan

Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Summer Jobs: Administered by DCR, summer employment for youth is aimed at serving underprivileged populations especially in economic development areas. The expenditures included in this MOE claim only include the portion of expenditures associated with the TAFDC eligible population. Regulations regarding financial eligibility can be found at 106 CMR 704.010.

(a)(1)(A)(ii) Require a parent or caretaker receiving assistance to engage in work (as defined by the State) once the State determines the parent or caretaker is ready to engage in work, or once the parent or caretaker has received assistance under the program for 24 months (whether or not consecutive), whichever is earlier. Parents or caregivers receiving TAFDC are assessed for their ability to work or engage in an employment, education or training program once their TAFDC case is approved. Parents or caregivers who have received assistance for 60 days must work 20 hours per week if the youngest child in the assistant unit is between the ages of 2 and 6 or 30 hours per week if the youngest child in the assistant unit is six or older. Exceptions to this are parents or caregivers who are exempt, caring for a foster child in the home who is under age 2, caring for a foster child in the home whose needs exceed a standard level of care as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families or who have good cause. TAFDC work program rules are found in regulation at 106 CMR 703.150. When a parent or caregiver is not engaged in work or an approved activity after 60 days or stops participating in work or an approved activity without good cause, they are removed from the grant and the grant is reduced to the lower household size until the parent or caregiver connects with the FEW and accepts a program referral. If the parent or caregiver continues not to participate the grant is terminated. DTA continuously evaluates a family’s readiness to participate in the work program at application, recertification and every time a case manager engages with a parent or caregiver. FEWs engage with parents or caregivers and collaborate with employment service programs to identify and address challenges that may impact a parent or caregiver’s ability to participate to prevent sanction, and to re-engage parents or caregivers as soon as possible when a sanction is in place. (a)(1)(A)(iii) Ensure that parents and caretakers receiving assistance under the program engage in work in accordance with section 407. In accordance with the Massachusetts Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan, DTA works with the Department of Career Services (DCS) and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) and other WIOA partner agencies to create dedicated partnerships that ensure parents and caregivers receiving TAFDC, who are often the individuals with the highest challenges to employment, are well served not just by DTA, but by all of the appropriate parts of the workforce development system.