Page 6

Vermont TANF State Plan Renewal October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2027 6

employment, training, education, and addressing obstacles pursuant to 33 V.S.A. § 1113(a); or • engaged in any of the activities listed in 33 V.S.A. § 1101(2), excluding subsection (2)(L).

Months in which a participant is unable to work, caring for a child under one year of age, caring for an ill or disabled family member in the home, or domestic violence do not count toward the state time limit.

Months in which a parent is under the age of 18 or in a two-parent household with a parent under the age of 18 do not count toward the state time limit. Assistance groups with no participating adult are exempt from both state and federal time limits.

Job Retention and Enhancement Services

Reach Up participants who obtain unsubsidized employment are eligible to receive job retention and enhancement services. Participants who are no longer eligible for Reach Up financial assistance continue to be eligible for these services for up to six months after they leave the program. The services provided may include coaching and encouragement, referrals to community resources, education and training, and the range of support services provided to Reach Up participants who are meeting their work requirement through unsubsidized employment during their employment phase.

Other TANF-Funded Programs

Reach First – Vermont’s Diversion Program

Families who file a new application for assistance because they are experiencing a short-term financial crisis may be eligible to participate in Vermont’s diversion program. Reach First is a TANF-funded program that provides families with case management, financial help, and support services to address a discrete and short-term need that can be resolved within a four-month period. A cash benefit may be provided in a lump sum or in payments, based on the families’ needs. The purpose of the program is to assist the family to overcome a temporary and short-term crisis.

Financial and non-financial eligibility criteria for Reach First are the same as for Vermont’s Reach Up program, except that families’ income from child support, after disregard of the first $100 received in a month, is counted as unearned income in determining eligibility and potential benefits.

Families who have not participated in Reach First in the past 12 months may be able to participate in the program after they have been oriented to the program participation requirements and benefits and other programs available to them. Program benefits and services are provided to Reach First families based on need. Reach First families who do not have a documented and certain plan for self-sufficiency within the four-month Reach First certification period must cooperate with assessment activities and referrals to ensure that Reach First is an appropriate program for them and that supports are in place to achieve program goals. At any point when the family is determined to be inappropriate for Reach First, the family will be advised of alternatives and assisted to transfer or participate in an alternative program.