C.M.R. 10, 144, ch. 331, IX
The 117th Legislature authorized the Department to establish an Alternative Aid program. 22 M.R.S. §3763(8) requires the department to provide alternative aid to eligible applicants who seek short-term assistance in order to obtain or retain employment; and establish eligibility requirements. It limits alternative aid to no more than 3 times the value of the monthly TANF grant and aid no more than once during any 12-month period. It requires a family who reapplies for TANF within three months of receiving alternative aid to repay any alternative aid received in excess of the amount that the family would have received on TANF via the method used for the repayment of unintentional overpayments in the TANF program.
The Alternative Aid voucher payment is assistance to applicants who seek short-term help to obtain or retain employment. The intent of the program is to help families remain self- supporting by providing voucher payments worth up to three months of the TANF benefits for which they are eligible. The expectation is that by providing a larger amount of benefits in a shorter time period, the family is able to obtain or retain a job and will not become dependent on the TANF program.
Assistance includes, but is not limited to, help with car repairs, child care, resolution of a housing-related problem, uniforms, or other items necessary to assist a person in obtaining or retaining employment.
Applicants statewide may volunteer to receive Alternative Aid. Alternative Aid is not available to families who are currently receiving TANF.
The Department shall pay vendor payment(s) for the application month and the two subsequent months for which the family is eligible. The Department shall authorize benefits within 30 days of application. No cash benefit is paid to the family. Vendor payments are authorized after the expense has been confirmed.
The rules that govern the TANF payment, including the asset limit, income limit and the budgeting process, apply to Alternative Aid assistance with the following exceptions:
Periods of receipt of Alternative Aid do not constitute receipt of TANF benefits for purposes of eligibility for Transitional Food Assistance, TANF Earnings Food Benefit, Transitional Child Care, or Transitional Transportation.
If during the 3 month eligibility period in which a family is receiving the Alternative Aid benefit the family applies for and is determined eligible for TANF or PaS, the family must repay any Alternative Aid received for any period which was covered by both Alternative Aid and TANF. The repayment method is the same as that used for the repayment of unintentional overpayments in the TANF program.
Families who receive Working Families Supplement Benefit (WSB) cannot receive Alternative Aid during the same time. WSB recipients can apply for Alternative Aid. If a WSB recipient applies for Alternative Aid and is found eligible, WSB can be suspended during the period of Alternative Aid eligibility and shall be reinstated after the eligibility period has ended if otherwise eligible.
The Department shall explain Alternative Aid to all TANF applicants. Families may apply for Alternative Aid if they think the program will help them retain or obtain employment.
A family may apply for Alternative Aid instead of TANF by completing an application and consent form agreeing to comply with the terms of Alternative Aid.
C.M.R. 10, 144, ch. 331, IX