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Vermont TANF State Plan Renewal October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2027 5

Incentives and Disregards

DCF offers incentive payments and income disregards to encourage participants to achieve goals required by their FDPs. Income disregards are provided to families who are receiving income from employment. DCF disregards the first $350 of earned income, and 25% of the remainder after the $350 is deducted. DCF also offers incentive payments for participants to complete specified tasks leading to achievement of an FDP requirement, such as improvement of parenting skills and participation in secondary education.

Transportation

• Good News Garage In a contract with this non-profit organization, DCF agrees to pay a negotiated flat fee for repairs on donated vehicles. After the vehicles are repaired, they are provided to Reach Up participants who need a vehicle to begin or maintain employment or education.

Housing DCF contracts with organizations to provide short-term housing for homeless families with specialized housing case management services that provide intervention for families at risk of losing their home, and assistance with locating a place to live for those who have lost their home.

Child Care

The Child Development Division of DCF establishes the standards for childcare eligibility, including direct payment for transportation to and from childcare. Eligible families include families receiving financial assistance in the Reach Up Program, transitioning off the program, or at risk of becoming dependent on financial assistance. State expenditures for childcare are designated as qualified state expenditures and applied toward Vermont's maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirements for TANF.

Temporary Absences

Vermont continues to exercise its option under section 408, paragraphs (a)(10)(A) and (B), of the Act to continue payment of TANF financial assistance benefits for a minor child absent from the home for at least 30 but not more than 180 consecutive days.

State Time Limits

While families with an adult recipient cannot receive cash assistance from federal TANF funds for longer than 60 months (unless a hardship exemption applies pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 607(a)(7)(C)), a family in which a participating adult has received 60 or more countable, cumulative months of Reach Up financial assistance, or cash assistance funded by a TANF block grant in another state, shall be eligible for state-funded assistance under the Reach Up program if each participating adult is fully engaged with Reach Up services component requirements and is:

• actively participating in the process of planning and engaging in goal achievement related to