An Act To Expand Transitional Assistance for Families
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0078
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: BEAUDOIN
Amends: 22 MRSA §3762

Legislative Document 
No. 78 
H.P. 61 
House of Representatives, January 22, 2013 
An Act To Expand Transitional Assistance for Families 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BEAUDOIN of Biddeford. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3762, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. S, §§1 and 
2, is further amended to read: 
8.  Transitional support services.  The department shall administer a program of 
transitional support services in accordance with PRWORA, DRA and this subsection. 
A.  The department shall administer a program of transitional Medicaid to families 
receiving benefits under Section 1931 of the federal Social Security Act in 
accordance with this paragraph. 
(1)  The department shall provide transitional Medicaid to families whose 
average gross monthly earnings, less costs to the family for child care necessary 
for employment, do not exceed 185% 200% of the federal poverty guidelines in 
accordance with PRWORA and this subsection.  In order to receive transitional 
Medicaid as the result of increased earnings or number of hours worked, a family 
must have received Medicaid assistance for at least 3 of the last 6 months, except 
as provided in subparagraph (2). 
(2)  The department shall provide transitional Medicaid for families whose 
eligibility for Medicaid assistance terminated due to employment obtained 
through work search activities pursuant to this chapter, in which case the family 
must have received Medicaid assistance for at least one of the last 3 months. 
(3)  To continue to receive transitional Medicaid assistance following the first 6 9 
months of coverage, a family entering the transitional Medicaid program with 
income above 133% of the federal poverty guidelines must pay premiums in 
accordance with rules adopted by the department.  
(5)  The department shall provide transitional Medicaid for  4  6 months to 
families whose eligibility for Medicaid assistance terminated due to an increase 
in the amount of child support received by the family. 
(6)  The department shall require reporting of income or circumstances for the 
purpose of determining eligibility and premium payments, copayments or other 
methods of cost sharing for benefits under this paragraph in accordance with 
rules adopted by the department. 
(7)  The scope of services provided under this paragraph must be the same as the 
scope of services provided when a family received Medicaid assistance. 
B.  The department shall provide limited transitional transportation benefits to meet 
employment-related costs to ASPIRE-TANF program participants who lose 
eligibility for TANF assistance due to employment.  Benefits may be provided for up 
to 12 18 months following loss of TANF eligibility.  The department may adopt rules 
that impose a weekly limit on available transitional transportation benefits and that 
require a contribution from each participant toward the cost of transportation. 
C.    The department shall make available transitional child care services to families 
who lose eligibility for TANF as a result of increased earnings or an increase in the 
number of hours worked. The department shall make available transitional child care 
services to families who lose eligibility for TANF as a result of increased earnings or 
an increase in the number of hours worked and whose gross income is equal to or less 
than 250% 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. The department may also make 
transitional child care services available to families in which one or both adults are 
working and who, although they remain financially eligible for TANF benefits, 
request that their benefits be terminated.  The family shall pay a premium of 2% to 
10% of gross income, based on the family's gross income compared to the federal 
poverty level in accordance with rules adopted by the department.   Parents must have 
a choice of child care within the rate established by the department. 
E.  Beginning October 1, 2011, the department shall establish maximum rates for 
child care that are at least equal to the 75th percentile of local market rates for various 
categories of child care and higher rates for children with special needs. 
F.  The department may provide limited transitional food benefits to meet the needs 
of food supplement benefit recipients living with one or more dependent children 
under 18 years of age who are working at least 30 hours per week or who are working 
at least 20 hours per week if one or more dependent child is under 6 years of age.  
The benefit may not exceed $50 $75 per month per family. 
SUMMARY 
This bill expands transitional benefits for families that lose eligibility for assistance 
under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and the MaineCare 
program because of increased income and for certain working families that receive 
supplemental nutrition assistance as follows. 
1.  For families that were eligible for MaineCare because their income was below 
150% of the federal poverty level, it expands the upper limit of financial eligibility for 
transitional Medicaid from 185% to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, extends the 
time period during which payment of premiums for transitional Medicaid is not required 
from 6 to 9 months and, for families whose ineligibility is due to increased child support, 
extends the period of eligibility for transitional Medicaid from 4 to 6 months. 
2.  For families that lose eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families due 
to employment, it expands transitional transportation benefits from 12 to 18 months. 
3.  For families that lose eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families due 
to increased earnings or increased hours of work, it expands financial eligibility for 
transitional child care services from 250% to 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. 
4.  For certain working families that receive supplemental nutrition assistance, it 
expands transitional food assistance from $50 per month to $75 per month.