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Vermont TANF State Plan Renewal October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2027 2

(a)(1) OUTLINE OF THE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM-

(A) GENERAL PROVISIONS

This plan provides an outline of how the State intends to do the following:

(i) Conduct a program, designed to serve all political subdivisions in the State (not necessarily in a uniform manner), that provides assistance to needy families with (or expecting) children and provides parents with job preparation, work, and support services to enable them to leave the program and become self-sufficient.

Outline of the Reach Up Program’s General Provisions

On July 1, 2001, Vermont implemented Reach Up, its principal TANF program. The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) is the single state agency that administers Reach Up. The program operates uniformly in twelve district offices throughout the state.

The Reach Up Program has two components: the financial assistance component and the services component. Adults in participating families who are receiving financial assistance must participate in the services component. Adult participants must participate in the process of planning and engaging in goal achievement. These goals may be related to family well-being, financial stability, employment, training, education, and addressing obstacles to employment. Adult participants meet services participation requirements through one or a combination of work, education, training, and other activities that address the family's goals and well-being.

Using a coaching case management model, Reach Up provides eligible families with support services and opportunities designed to address the families’ goals that are related to gaining and maintaining the employment, training, and education needed for families to thrive. A “family” is defined as one or more dependent children living with one or both parents or a relative or caretaker of such children, whose income and resources are considered when determining eligibility for benefits. A “family” may consist of a pregnant individual with no other eligible children in the household either: (1) 30 days before the due date; or (2) in the case of a high-risk pregnancy, three months before the due date.

The state statute governing the Reach Up program can be in Title 33, Chapter 11 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, located online at: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/33/011. The rules and procedures implementing the Reach Up program can be found in the Reach Up manual located online at: https://dcf.vermont.gov/esd/laws-rules/current.

Application

Financial eligibility for the program is determined by income and resource limits (see Attachment C).