2022 -- H 7641

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LC005147

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES - THE RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Slater, McNamara, Ruggiero, Cortvriend,
Edwards, Kennedy, Morales, Kazarian, and Alzate

     Date Introduced: March 02, 2022

     Referred To: House Finance

     (Dept. of Human Services)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 40-5.2-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-5.2 entitled "The Rhode

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Island Works Program" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     40-5.2-10. Necessary requirements and conditions.

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     The following requirements and conditions shall be necessary to establish eligibility for

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the program.

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     (a) Citizenship, alienage, and residency requirements.

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     (1) A person shall be a resident of the state of Rhode Island.

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     (2) Effective October 1, 2008, a person shall be a United States citizen, or shall meet the

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alienage requirements established in § 402(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity

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Reconciliation Act of 1996, PRWORA, Pub. L. No. 104-193 and as that section may hereafter be

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amended [8 U.S.C. § 1612]; a person who is not a United States citizen and does not meet the

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alienage requirements established in PRWORA, as amended, is not eligible for cash assistance in

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accordance with this chapter.

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     (b) The family/assistance unit must meet any other requirements established by the

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department of human services by rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the administrative

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procedures act, as necessary to promote the purpose and goals of this chapter.

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     (c) Receipt of cash assistance is conditional upon compliance with all program

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requirements.

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     (d) All individuals domiciled in this state shall be exempt from the application of

 

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subdivision 115(d)(1)(A) of Pub. L. No. 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work

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Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, PRWORA [21 U.S.C. § 862a], which makes any

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individual ineligible for certain state and federal assistance if that individual has been convicted

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under federal or state law of any offense that is classified as a felony by the law of the jurisdiction

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and that has as an element the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance as defined

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in § 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 802(6)).

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     (e) Individual employment plan as a condition of eligibility.

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     (1) Following receipt of an application, the department of human services shall assess the

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financial conditions of the family, including the non-parent caretaker relative who is applying for

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cash assistance for himself or herself as well as for the minor child(ren), in the context of an

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eligibility determination. If a parent or non-parent caretaker relative is unemployed or under-

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employed, the department shall conduct an initial assessment, taking into account: (A) The physical

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capacity, skills, education, work experience, health, safety, family responsibilities, and place of

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residence of the individual; and (B) The child care and supportive services required by the applicant

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to avail himself or herself of employment opportunities and/or work readiness programs.

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     (2) On the basis of this assessment, the department of human services and the department

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of labor and training, as appropriate, in consultation with the applicant, shall develop an individual

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employment plan for the family that requires the individual to participate in the intensive

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employment services. Intensive employment services shall be defined as the work requirement

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activities in § 40-5.2-12(g) and (i).

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     (3) The director, or his or her designee, may assign a case manager to an

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applicant/participant, as appropriate.

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     (4) The department of labor and training and the department of human services in

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conjunction with the participant shall develop a revised individual employment plan that shall

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identify employment objectives, taking into consideration factors above, and shall include a

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strategy for immediate employment and for preparing for, finding, and retaining employment

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consistent, to the extent practicable, with the individual's career objectives.

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     (5) The individual employment plan must include the provision for the participant to

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engage in work requirements as outlined in § 40-5.2-12.

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     (6)(i) The participant shall attend and participate immediately in intensive assessment and

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employment services as the first step in the individual employment plan, unless temporarily exempt

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from this requirement in accordance with this chapter. Intensive assessment and employment

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services shall be defined as the work requirement activities in § 40-5.2-12(g) and (i).

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     (ii) Parents under age twenty (20) without a high school diploma or general equivalency

 

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diploma (GED) shall be referred to special teen-parent programs that will provide intensive services

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designed to assist teen parents to complete high school education or GED, and to continue approved

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work plan activities in accord with Rhode Island works program requirements.

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     (7) The applicant shall become a participant in accordance with this chapter at the time the

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individual employment plan is signed and entered into.

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     (8) Applicants and participants of the Rhode Island works program shall agree to comply

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with the terms of the individual employment plan, and shall cooperate fully with the steps

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established in the individual employment plan, including the work requirements.

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     (9) The department of human services has the authority under the chapter to require

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attendance by the applicant/participant, either at the department of human services or at the

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department of labor and training, at appointments deemed necessary for the purpose of having the

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applicant enter into and become eligible for assistance through the Rhode Island works program.

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The appointments include, but are not limited to: the initial interview, orientation and assessment;

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job readiness; and job search. Attendance is required as a condition of eligibility for cash assistance

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in accordance with rules and regulations established by the department.

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     (10) As a condition of eligibility for assistance pursuant to this chapter, the

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applicant/participant shall be obligated to keep appointments; attend orientation meetings at the

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department of human services and/or the Rhode Island department of labor and training; participate

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in any initial assessments or appraisals; and comply with all the terms of the individual employment

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plan in accordance with department of human services rules and regulations.

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     (11) A participant, including a parent or non-parent caretaker relative included in the cash

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assistance payment, shall not voluntarily quit a job or refuse a job unless there is good cause as

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defined in this chapter or the department's rules and regulations.

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     (12) A participant who voluntarily quits or refuses a job without good cause, as defined in

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§ 40-5.2-12(l), while receiving cash assistance in accordance with this chapter, shall be sanctioned

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in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the department.

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     (f) Resources.

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     (1) The family or assistance unit's countable resources shall be less than the allowable

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resource limit established by the department in accordance with this chapter.

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     (2) No family or assistance unit shall be eligible for assistance payments if the combined

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value of its available resources (reduced by any obligations or debts with respect to such resources)

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exceeds one thousand dollars ($1,000).

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     (3) For purposes of this subsection, the following shall not be counted as resources of the

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family/assistance unit in the determination of eligibility for the works program:

 

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     (i) The home owned and occupied by a child, parent, relative, or other individual;

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     (ii) Real property owned by a husband and wife as tenants by the entirety, if the property

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is not the home of the family and if the spouse of the applicant refuses to sell his or her interest in

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the property;

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     (iii) Real property that the family is making a good-faith effort to dispose of, however, any

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cash assistance payable to the family for any such period shall be conditioned upon disposal of the

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real property within six (6) months of the date of application and any payments of assistance for

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that period shall (at the time of disposal) be considered overpayments to the extent that they would

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not have occurred at the beginning of the period for which the payments were made. All

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overpayments are debts subject to recovery in accordance with the provisions of the chapter;

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     (iv) Income-producing property other than real estate including, but not limited to,

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equipment such as farm tools, carpenter's tools, and vehicles used in the production of goods or

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services that the department determines are necessary for the family to earn a living;

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     (v) One vehicle for each adult household member, but not to exceed two (2) vehicles per

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household, and in addition, a vehicle used primarily for income-producing purposes such as, but

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not limited to, a taxi, truck, or fishing boat; a vehicle used as a family's home; a vehicle that annually

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produces income consistent with its fair market value, even if only used on a seasonal basis; a

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vehicle necessary to transport a family member with a disability where the vehicle is specially

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equipped to meet the specific needs of the person with a disability or if the vehicle is a special type

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of vehicle that makes it possible to transport the person with a disability;

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     (vi) Household furnishings and appliances, clothing, personal effects, and keepsakes of

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limited value;

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     (vii) Burial plots (one for each child, relative, and other individual in the assistance unit)

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and funeral arrangements;

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     (viii) For the month of receipt and the following month, any refund of federal income taxes

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made to the family by reason of § 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 32 (relating

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to earned income tax credit), and any payment made to the family by an employer under § 3507 of

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the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 3507 [repealed] (relating to advance payment of

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such earned income credit);

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     (ix) The resources of any family member receiving supplementary security income

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assistance under the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.;

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     (x) Any veteran's disability pension benefits received as a result of any disability sustained

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by the veteran while in the military service.

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     (g) Income.

 

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     (1) Except as otherwise provided for herein, in determining eligibility for and the amount

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of cash assistance to which a family is entitled under this chapter, the income of a family includes

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all of the money, goods, and services received or actually available to any member of the family.

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     (2) In determining the eligibility for and the amount of cash assistance to which a

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family/assistance unit is entitled under this chapter, income in any month shall not include the first

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one hundred seventy dollars ($170) of gross earnings plus fifty percent (50%) of the gross earnings

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of the family in excess of one hundred seventy dollars ($170) earned during the month.

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     (3) The income of a family shall not include:

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     (i) The first fifty dollars ($50.00) in child support received in any month from each

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noncustodial parent of a child plus any arrearages in child support (to the extent of the first fifty

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dollars ($50.00) per month multiplied by the number of months in which the support has been in

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arrears) that are paid in any month by a noncustodial parent of a child;

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     (ii) Earned income of any child;

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     (iii) Income received by a family member who is receiving Supplemental Security Income

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(SSI) assistance under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1381 et seq.;

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     (iv) The value of assistance provided by state or federal government or private agencies to

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meet nutritional needs, including: value of USDA-donated foods; value of supplemental food

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assistance received under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended, and the special food service

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program for children under Title VII, nutrition program for the elderly, of the Older Americans Act

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of 1965 as amended, and the value of food stamps;

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     (v) Value of certain assistance provided to undergraduate students, including any grant or

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loan for an undergraduate student for educational purposes made or insured under any loan program

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administered by the United States Commissioner of Education (or the Rhode Island council on

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postsecondary education or the Rhode Island division of higher education assistance);

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     (vi) Foster care payments;

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     (vii) Home energy assistance funded by state or federal government or by a nonprofit

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organization;

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     (viii) Payments for supportive services or reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses made

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to foster grandparents, senior health aides, or senior companions and to persons serving in SCORE

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and ACE and any other program under Title II and Title III of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act

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of 1973, 42 U.S.C. § 5000 et seq.;

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     (ix) Payments to volunteers under AmeriCorps VISTA as defined in the department's rules

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and regulations;

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     (x) Certain payments to native Americans; payments distributed per capita to, or held in

 

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trust for, members of any Indian Tribe under P.L. 92-254, 25 U.S.C. § 1261 et seq., P.L. 93-134,

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25 U.S.C. § 1401 et seq., or P.L. 94-540; receipts distributed to members of certain Indian tribes

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which are referred to in § 5 of P.L. 94-114, 25 U.S.C. § 459d, that became effective October 17,

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1975;

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     (xi) Refund from the all federal and state earned income tax credit credits, any stimulus

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funds provided for the well-being of the children or adults, and specified short-term approvals as

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defined by the departments rules and regulations;

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     (xii) The value of any state, local, or federal government rent or housing subsidy, provided

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that this exclusion shall not limit the reduction in benefits provided for in the payment standard

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section of this chapter;

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     (xiii) The earned income of any adult family member who gains employment while an

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active RI Works household member. This income is excluded for the first six (6) months of

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employment in which the income is earned, or until the household's total gross income exceeds one

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hundred eighty-five percent (185%) of the federal poverty level, unless the household reaches its

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forty-eight-month (48) time limit first;

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     (xiv) Any veteran's disability pension benefits received as a result of any disability

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sustained by the veteran while in the military service.

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     (4) The receipt of a lump sum of income shall affect participants for cash assistance in

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accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the department.

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     (h) Time limit on the receipt of cash assistance.

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     (1) On or after January 1, 2020, no cash assistance shall be provided, pursuant to this

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chapter, to a family or assistance unit that includes an adult member who has received cash

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assistance for a total of forty-eight (48) months (whether or not consecutive), to include any time

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receiving any type of cash assistance in any other state or territory of the United States of America

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as defined herein. Provided further, in no circumstances other than provided for in subsection (h)(3)

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with respect to certain minor children, shall cash assistance be provided pursuant to this chapter to

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a family or assistance unit that includes an adult member who has received cash assistance for a

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total of a lifetime limit of forty-eight (48) months.

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     (2) Cash benefits received by a minor dependent child shall not be counted toward their

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lifetime time limit for receiving benefits under this chapter should that minor child apply for cash

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benefits as an adult.

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     (3) Certain minor children not subject to time limit. This section regarding the lifetime time

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limit for the receipt of cash assistance shall not apply only in the instances of a minor child(ren)

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living with a parent who receives SSI benefits and a minor child(ren) living with a responsible adult

 

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non-parent caretaker relative who is not in the cash assistance payment.

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     (4) Receipt of family cash assistance in any other state or territory of the United States of

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America shall be determined by the department of human services and shall include family cash

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assistance funded in whole or in part by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds

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[Title IV-A of the federal Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.] and/or family cash assistance

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provided under a program similar to the Rhode Island families work and opportunity program or

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the federal TANF program.

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     (5)(i) The department of human services shall mail a notice to each assistance unit when

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the assistance unit has six (6) months of cash assistance remaining and each month thereafter until

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the time limit has expired. The notice must be developed by the department of human services and

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must contain information about the lifetime time limit, the number of months the participant has

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remaining, the hardship extension policy, the availability of a post-employment-and-closure bonus;

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and any other information pertinent to a family or an assistance unit nearing the forty-eight-month

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(48) lifetime time limit.

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     (ii) For applicants who have less than six (6) months remaining in the forty-eight-month

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(48) lifetime time limit because the family or assistance unit previously received cash assistance in

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Rhode Island or in another state, the department shall notify the applicant of the number of months

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remaining when the application is approved and begin the process required in subsection (h)(5)(i).

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     (6) If a cash assistance recipient family was closed pursuant to Rhode Island's Temporary

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Assistance for Needy Families Program (federal TANF described in Title IV-A of the federal Social

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Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.), formerly entitled the Rhode Island family independence

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program, more specifically under § 40-5.1-9(2)(c) [repealed], due to sanction because of failure to

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comply with the cash assistance program requirements; and that recipient family received forty-

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eight (48) months of cash benefits in accordance with the family independence program, then that

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recipient family is not able to receive further cash assistance for his/her family, under this chapter,

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except under hardship exceptions.

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     (7) The months of state or federally funded cash assistance received by a recipient family

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since May 1, 1997, under Rhode Island's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

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(federal TANF described in Title IV-A of the federal Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.),

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formerly entitled the Rhode Island family independence program, shall be countable toward the

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time-limited cash assistance described in this chapter.

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     (i) Time limit on the receipt of cash assistance.

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     (1) No cash assistance shall be provided, pursuant to this chapter, to a family assistance

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unit in which an adult member has received cash assistance for a total of sixty (60) months (whether

 

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or not consecutive) to include any time receiving any type of cash assistance in any other state or

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territory of the United States as defined herein effective August 1, 2008. Provided further, that no

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cash assistance shall be provided to a family in which an adult member has received assistance for

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twenty-four (24) consecutive months unless the adult member has a rehabilitation employment plan

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as provided in § 40-5.2-12(g)(5).

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     (2) Effective August 1, 2008, no cash assistance shall be provided pursuant to this chapter

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to a family in which a child has received cash assistance for a total of sixty (60) months (whether

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or not consecutive) if the parent is ineligible for assistance under this chapter pursuant to subsection

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(a)(2) of this section to include any time they received any type of cash assistance in any other state

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or territory of the United States as defined herein.

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     (j) Hardship exceptions.

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     (1) The department may extend an assistance unit's or family's cash assistance beyond the

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time limit, by reason of hardship; provided, however, that the number of families to be exempted

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by the department with respect to their time limit under this subsection shall not exceed twenty

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percent (20%) of the average monthly number of families to which assistance is provided for under

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this chapter in a fiscal year; provided, however, that to the extent now or hereafter permitted by

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federal law, any waiver granted under § 40-5.2-34, for domestic violence, shall not be counted in

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determining the twenty percent (20%) maximum under this section.

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     (2) Parents who receive extensions to the time limit due to hardship must have and comply

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with employment plans designed to remove or ameliorate the conditions that warranted the

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extension.

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     (k) Parents under eighteen (18) years of age.

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     (1) A family consisting of a parent who is under the age of eighteen (18), and who has

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never been married, and who has a child; or a family consisting of a woman under the age of

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eighteen (18) who is at least six (6) months pregnant, shall be eligible for cash assistance only if

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the family resides in the home of an adult parent, legal guardian, or other adult relative. The

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assistance shall be provided to the adult parent, legal guardian, or other adult relative on behalf of

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the individual and child unless otherwise authorized by the department.

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     (2) This subsection shall not apply if the minor parent or pregnant minor has no parent,

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legal guardian, or other adult relative who is living and/or whose whereabouts are unknown; or the

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department determines that the physical or emotional health or safety of the minor parent, or his or

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her child, or the pregnant minor, would be jeopardized if he or she was required to live in the same

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residence as his or her parent, legal guardian, or other adult relative (refusal of a parent, legal

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guardian, or other adult relative to allow the minor parent or his or her child, or a pregnant minor,

 

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to live in his or her home shall constitute a presumption that the health or safety would be so

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jeopardized); or the minor parent or pregnant minor has lived apart from his or her own parent or

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legal guardian for a period of at least one year before either the birth of any child to a minor parent

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or the onset of the pregnant minor's pregnancy; or there is good cause, under departmental

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regulations, for waiving the subsection; and the individual resides in a supervised supportive-living

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arrangement to the extent available.

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     (3) For purposes of this section, "supervised supportive-living arrangement" means an

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arrangement that requires minor parents to enroll and make satisfactory progress in a program

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leading to a high school diploma or a general education development certificate, and requires minor

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parents to participate in the adolescent parenting program designated by the department, to the

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extent the program is available; and provides rules and regulations that ensure regular adult

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supervision.

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     (l) Assignment and cooperation. As a condition of eligibility for cash and medical

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assistance under this chapter, each adult member, parent, or caretaker relative of the

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family/assistance unit must:

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     (1) Assign to the state any rights to support for children within the family from any person

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that the family member has at the time the assignment is executed or may have while receiving

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assistance under this chapter;

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     (2) Consent to and cooperate with the state in establishing the paternity and in establishing

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and/or enforcing child support and medical support orders for all children in the family or assistance

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unit in accordance with title 15, as amended, unless the parent or caretaker relative is found to have

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good cause for refusing to comply with the requirements of this subsection.

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     (3) Absent good cause, as defined by the department of human services through the

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rulemaking process, for refusing to comply with the requirements of subsections (l)(1) and (l)(2),

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cash assistance to the family shall be reduced by twenty-five percent (25%) until the adult member

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of the family who has refused to comply with the requirements of this subsection consents to and

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cooperates with the state in accordance with the requirements of this subsection.

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     (4) As a condition of eligibility for cash and medical assistance under this chapter, each

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adult member, parent, or caretaker relative of the family/assistance unit must consent to and

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cooperate with the state in identifying and providing information to assist the state in pursuing any

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third party who may be liable to pay for care and services under Title XIX of the Social Security

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Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1396 et seq.

 

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES - THE RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM

***

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     This act would allow families to continue to receive state and federal tax credits and any

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stimulus funds provided for the well-being of children or adults without jeopardizing the family's

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RI Works cash benefit.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC005147

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