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Budget Summary FY2014

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Department of Transitional Assistance
Data Current as of:  9/11/2013





FISCAL YEAR 2014 BUDGET SUMMARY ($000)
ACCOUNT FY2014
Conference
FY2014
Vetoes
FY2014
Overrides
FY2014
GAA
Dept. of Transitional Assistance Administration & Operation 63,289 0 0 63,289
Food Stamp Participation Rate Programs 2,911 0 0 2,911
Domestic Violence Specialists 891 0 0 891
Caseworkers Reserve 61,434 0 0 61,434
Employment Services Program 7,684 0 0 7,684
Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children Grant Pmt 301,972 0 0 301,972
Supplemental Nutritional Program 1,200 0 0 1,200
Teen Structured Settings Program 9,194 0 0 9,194
State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income 234,188 0 0 234,188
Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children 93,244 0 0 93,244
TOTAL    776,007 0 0 776,007 0  

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account description amount
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE 780,527,383
4400-1000 Dept. of Transitional Assistance Administration & Operation
For the central administration of the department of transitional assistance; provided, that all costs associated with verifying disability for all programs of the department shall be paid from this item; provided further, that the department shall submit on a monthly basis to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the secretary of administration and finance a status report on program expenditures, savings and revenues, error rate measurements and public assistance caseloads and benefits; provided further, that the department shall collect all out-of-court settlement restitution payments; provided further, that the restitution payments shall include, but not be limited to, installment and lump sum payments; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary and unless otherwise expressly provided, federal reimbursements received for the purposes of the department, including reimbursements for administrative, fringe and overhead costs for the current fiscal year and prior fiscal years, shall be credited to the General Fund; provided further, that an application for assistance under chapter 118 of the General Laws shall also be an application for assistance under chapter 118E of the General Laws; provided further, that if assistance under said chapter 118 is denied, the application shall be transmitted by the department to the executive office of health and human services for a determination of eligibility under said chapter 118E; provided further, that the department of transitional assistance shall provide the caseload forecasting office with enrollment data and any other information pertinent to caseload forecasting that is requested by the office on a monthly basis; provided further, that the information shall be provided in a manner that meets all applicable federal and state privacy and security requirements; provided further, that after April 1, 2014, the commissioner of transitional assistance may transfer funds for identified deficiencies between items 4403-2000, 4405-2000 and 4408-1000; provided further, that the distribution of the funds to be transferred shall be included in an allocation plan, which the commissioner shall file with the house and senate committees on ways and means 15 days before any such transfer; provided further, that in implementing an enhanced vendor payment process, the department shall use the BEACON system to screen families receiving direct benefits through items 4403-2000 and 4408-1000 to determine those families who have a chronic history of delinquent rent or utility payments; provided further, that vendor payments shall be instituted with respect to rent and utilities according to the standards set out in section 4 of chapter 161 of the acts of 2012; and provided further, that the department may terminate vendor payments when it determines that the risk to the best interests of the child or the assistance unit or the risk of other chronic misuse of benefits has substantially subsided
63,289,182
4400-1001 Food Stamp Participation Rate Programs
For programs to increase the commonwealth's participation rate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program and other federal nutrition programs; provided, that funds shall be expended for a grant Project Bread - The Walk for Hunger, Inc.; provided further, that the work of department employees paid for from this item shall be restricted to processing supplemental nutrition assistance program applications; provided further, that the department shall not require supplemental nutrition assistance program applicants to provide re-verification of eligibility factors previously verified and not subject to change; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department shall require only 1 signature from supplemental nutrition assistance program applicants; provided further, that the department shall fund a unit staffed by department employees to respond to supplemental nutrition assistance program inquiries, and arrange and conduct telephone interviews for initial supplemental nutrition assistance program applications from this item; provided further, that the department shall fund a system to image and catalogue eligibility documents electronically from this item; provided further, that funds may be expended for supplemental nutrition assistance program outreach; and provided further, that the department shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than December 6, 2013 on the status of these programs
2,910,728
4400-1025 Domestic Violence Specialists
For domestic violence specialists at local area offices
890,620
4400-1100 Caseworkers Reserve
For the payroll of the department's caseworkers; provided, that only employees of bargaining unit 8 shall be paid from this item
61,434,483
4401-1000 Employment Services Program
For employment and training services for recipients of benefits provided under the transitional aid to families with dependent children program; provided, that the young parent program shall receive not less than $3,447,571; provided further, that funds from this item may be expended on former recipients of the program for up to 1 year after termination of their benefits; provided further, that certain parents who have not yet reached the age of 18, including those who are ineligible for transitional aid to families with dependent children and who would qualify for benefits under chapter 118 of the General Laws but for the deeming of the grandparents' income, shall be eligible to receive services; provided further, that not less than $530,000 shall be expended for programs operated through the Office for Refugees and Immigrants with whom the office entered into service agreements in fiscal year 2011; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be provided for learning disability assessments through the University of Massachusetts; provided further, that not less than $460,966 shall be expended for transportation benefits for recipients of transitional aid to families with dependent children; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended for the DTA works internship program; and provided further, that not less than $3,000,000 shall be expended for providers with whom the department entered into service agreements in fiscal year 2011 as procured under the competitive integratedemployment service program
7,683,922
4403-2000 Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children Grant Pmt
For a program of transitional aid to families with dependent children; provided, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, benefits under the program shall be paid only to citizens of the United States and to non-citizens for whom federal funds may be used to provide benefits; provided further, that notwithstanding this act or any general or special law to the contrary, no benefit under this item shall be made available to illegal or undocumented aliens; provided further, that the need standard shall be equal to the standard in effect in fiscal year 2013 unless the department determines that a reduction in the monthly payment standard shall be implemented before the end of the fiscal year to keep program expenditures within the amounts appropriated in this item; provided further, that the payment standard shall be equal to the need standard; provided further, that the payment standard for families who do not qualify for an exempt category of assistance under subsection (e) of section 110 of chapter 5 of the acts of 1995 shall be 2.75 per cent below the otherwise applicable payment standard in fiscal year 2014, under the state plan required under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Public Law 104-193, as amended, and under said act and notwithstanding section 218 of chapter 149 of the acts of 2004 or any other general or special law to the contrary, the recipients defined in said section 218 whose youngest child of record is of the age at which full-time schooling is mandatory or older shall meet the federal standard of 30 hours per week of work-related activity; provided further, that the department shall notify parents under the age of 20 receiving benefits from the program of the requirements of clause (2) of subsection (i) of said section 110 of said chapter 5; provided further, that a $40 per month rent allowance shall be paid to all households incurring a rent or mortgage expense and not residing in public housing or subsidized housing; provided further, that a nonrecurring children's clothing allowance of $150 shall be provided to each child eligible under this program in September 2013; provided further, that the children's clothing allowance shall be included in the standard of need for the month of September 2013; provided further, that benefits under this program shall not be available to those families in which a child has been removed from the household under a court order after a care and protection hearing under chapter 119 of the General Laws, nor to adult recipients otherwise eligible for transitional aid to families with dependent children but for the temporary removal of the dependent child from the home by the department of children and families under department procedures; provided further, that notwithstanding section 2 of chapter 118 of the General Laws, or any other general or special law to the contrary, the department shall render aid to pregnant women with no other eligible dependent children only if it has been medically verified that the child is expected to be born within the month the payments are to be made or within the 3 month period after the month of payment and who, if the child had been born and was living with such woman in the month of payment, would be categorically and financially eligible for transitional aid to families with dependent children benefits; provided further, that certain families that suffer a reduction in benefits due to a loss of earned income and participation in retrospective budgeting may receive a supplemental benefit to compensate them for the loss; provided further, that the department shall, to the extent feasible within the existing appropriation and funding from other sources, review its disability standards to determine the extent to which such standards reflect the current medical and vocational criteria; provided further, that the department shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities 75 days before any changes to the disability standards are proposed; provided further, that no funds from this item shall be expended by the department for childcare or transportation services for the employment and training program, family reunification benefits or informal childcare; provided further, that the department shall provide oral and written notification to all recipients of their childcare benefits at the time of application and on a semi-annual basis; provided further, that the notification shall include the full range of childcare options available, including center-based childcare, family-based childcare and in-home relative childcare; provided further, that the notification shall detail available childcare benefits for current and former recipients, including employment and training benefits and transitional benefits; provided further, that the notice shall further advise recipients of the availability of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits; provided further, that in promulgating, amending or rescinding its regulations relative to eligibility for, or levels of, benefits under the program, the department shall take into account the amounts available to it for expenditure from this item so as not to exceed this appropriation; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities and the clerks of the senate and house of representatives 75 days before adopting eligibility or benefit changes; provided further, that the report shall include the text of, basis and reasons for the proposed changes; and provided further, that the report shall state the department's most accurate assessment of the probable effects of benefit or eligibility changes upon recipient families
301,971,532
4403-2007 Supplemental Nutritional Program
For a nutritional benefit program for low-income workers; provided, that benefits shall be provided only to those for whom receiving these benefits will improve the work participation rate under the federal program of temporary assistance for needy families
1,200,000
4403-2119 Teen Structured Settings Program
For the provision of structured settings as provided in subsection (i) of section 110 of chapter 5 of the acts of 1995, or any successor statute, for parents under the age of 20 who are receiving benefits under the transitional aid to families with dependent children program
9,194,318
4405-2000 State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income
For the state supplement to the Supplemental Security Income program for the aged and disabled, including a program for emergency needs for supplemental security income recipients; provided, that the expenses of special grant recipients residing in rest homes, as provided in section 7A of chapter 118A of the General Laws, may be paid from this item; provided further, that the department, in collaboration with the executive office of health and human services, may fund an optional supplemental living arrangement category under the federal Supplemental Security Income program that makes payments to persons living in assisted living residences certified under chapter 19D of the General Laws who meet the income and clinical eligibility criteria established by the department and the executive office; provided further, that the optional category of payments shall only be administered in conjunction with the Medicaid group adult foster care benefit; provided further, that funds shall be made available for rate increases for level IV rest homes as defined in 105 CMR 150.001 in an amount not less than the amount received in fiscal year 2013; and provided further, that reimbursements to providers for services rendered in prior fiscal years may be expended from this item
234,188,118
4408-1000 Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children
For a program of cash assistance to certain residents of the commonwealth, entitled emergency aid to the elderly, disabled and children found by the department to be eligible for the aid under chapter 117A of the General Laws and regulations promulgated by the department and subject to the limitations of appropriation for such purpose; provided, that benefits under this item shall only be provided to residents who are citizens of the United States or qualified aliens or non-citizens otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law and shall not be provided to illegal or undocumented aliens; provided further, that the recipient shall not be subject to sponsor income deeming or related restrictions; provided further, that the payment standard shall equal the payment standard in effect under the general relief program in fiscal year 1991; provided further, that the department may provide benefits to persons age 65 or older who have applied for benefits under chapter 118A of the General Laws, to persons suffering from a medically-determinable impairment or combination of impairments which is expected to last for a period as determined by department regulations and which substantially reduces or eliminates such individuals' capacity to support themselves and which has been verified by a competent authority, to certain persons caring for a disabled person, to otherwise eligible participants in the vocational rehabilitation program of the Massachusetts rehabilitation commission and to dependent children who are ineligible for benefits under both chapter 118 of the General Laws and the separate program created by section 210 of chapter 43 of the acts of 1997 and parents or other caretakers of dependent children who are ineligible under said chapter 118 and under said separate program; provided further, that no person incarcerated in a correctional institution shall be eligible for benefits under the program; provided further, that no funds shall be expended from this item for the payment of expenses associated with any medical review team, other disability screening process or costs associated with verifying disability for this program; provided further, that the department shall adopt emergency regulations under chapter 30A of the General Laws to implement the changes to the program required by this item promptly and within the appropriation; provided further, that in implementing the program for fiscal year 2014, the department shall include all eligibility categories permitted in this item at the payment standard in effect for the former general relief program in fiscal year 1991; provided further, that in promulgating, amending or rescinding its regulations with respect to eligibility or benefits, including the payment standard, medical benefits and any other benefits under this program, the department shall take into account the amount available to it for expenditure by this item so as not to exceed the amount appropriated in this item; provided further, that the department may promulgate emergency regulations under said chapter 30A to implement these eligibility or benefit changes, or both; provided further, that nothing in this item shall be construed to create any right accruing to recipients of the former general relief program; provided further, that reimbursements collected from the Social Security Administration on behalf of former clients of the emergency aid to the elderly, disabled and children program or unprocessed payments from the program that are returned to the department shall be credited to the General Fund; provided further, that funds shall be made available for rate increases for level IV rest homes as defined in 105 CMR 150.001 in an amount not less than the amount received in fiscal year 2013; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the funds made available in this item shall be the only funds available for the program and the department shall not spend funds for the program in excess of the amount made available; provided further, that notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, 60 days before adopting any eligibility or benefit changes, the department shall file with the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities and with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives a detailed and comprehensive report setting forth the text of, basis and reasons for the proposed changes; and provided further, that the report shall state exactly which components of the current benefit package will be altered and the department's most accurate assessment of the effects of benefit or eligibility changes upon recipient families
93,244,480

account description amount
Federal Grant Spending 4,520,000
4400-3063 Increase Farmers Market Access to SNAP
For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Increase Farmers Market Access to SNAP
20,000
4400-3064 SNAP Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention
For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, SNAP Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant
3,000,000
4400-3067 SNAP Employment and Training
For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training
1,000,000
4400-3080 SNAP Healthy Incentives Pilot
For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, SNAP Healthy Incentive Pilot (HIP)
500,000

account description amount