Code of Maine Rules › 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › 144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL › Chapter 331 - PUBLIC ASSISTANCE MANUAL (TANF) › Chapter X - Parents as Scholars Program

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
LEGAL BASIS:
The 118th Legislature authorized
				  the Department to establish a student financial aid program based on need for
				  up to 2000 participants known as the Parents as Scholars Program, (PaS) to aid
				  needy students who have dependent children and who are matriculating in
				  post-secondary undergraduate 2-year and 4-year degree-granting education
				  programs. Enrollees in the program are provided with a package of student aid
				  that includes aid for living expenses in an amount equivalent to TANF
				  recipients. A family that ceases to receive aid under this chapter as a result
				  of increased child support or increased hours of, or increased income from,
				  employment is eligible to receive transitional support services. The program
				  must be supported with funds other than federal block grant funds provided
				  under the United States Social Security Act, Title IV-A. The program begins
				  8/1/97.
The 121st Legislature enacted law to allow the Department to
				  use the Federal TANF Block Grant to fund twelve months of a family's PaS
				  benefits beginning on or after July 1, 2003.
GENERAL RULE:
Recipient and applicant families
				  who qualify for TANF assistance on or after 6/20/97 may apply to participate in
				  the PaS program instead of TANF. Individuals with marketable bachelor's degrees
				  are ineligible for the Parents as Scholars.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:
Eligibility for and the
				  amount of assistance for PaS is determined in accordance with all the
				  eligibility criteria and procedures used in the TANF program including
				  assignment of child support, with the following exception:
1. Individuals applying to the program must
				be assessed in accordance with the provisions of the ASPIRE-TANF/PaS rules. To
				the extent that program resources and space permit, enrollment in the program
				must be granted if the ASPIRE-TANF/PaS assessment results in findings as
				follows:
a. the individual does not possess
				the necessary skills to obtain employment that will enable that individual to
				support a family at 85% of the median family income in the State for a family
				of the same size;
b. considering
				potential employment opportunities and local labor market conditions, the
				postsecondary education sought by the individual will significantly improve the
				ability of the family to be self-supporting; and
c. the individual has the aptitude to
				complete the proposed post-secondary program successfully.
NOTE:
PaS participants are subject to the
				  60-month TANF time limit regardless of the funding source of the benefits. PaS
				  participants may be eligible for a temporary extension of benefits if they meet
				  the requirements listed in Chapter 1, Time Limits.
PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS:
An enrollee must
				  participate in a combination of education, training, study or work-site
				  experience for an average of 20 hours per week in the first 24 months of the
				  program. Aid under this chapter may continue beyond 24 months if the enrollee
				  remains in an educational program and agrees to participate in either of the
				  following options which are the result of Legislative action which becomes
				  effective on September 18, 1999:
A.
				Fifteen hours per week of work-site experience in addition to other education,
				training or study; or
B. A total of
				40 hours of education, training, study or work-site experience.
The Department must present both options to enrollees and
				  permit them to choose either option. For the purpose of this subsection,
				  work-site experience includes, but is not limited to, paid employment, work
				  study, practicums, internships, clinical placements, laboratory or field work
				  directly related to the enrollee's employment goal or any other work activities
				  that, as determined by the Department, will enhance the enrollee's
				  employability in the enrollee's field. In the last semester of the enrollee's
				  educational program, work-site experience may also include resume preparation,
				  employment research, interviews and other activities related to job
				  placement.
The Department must make reasonable adjustments in the
				  participation requirements in this subsection for good cause.
Good Cause:
For the purpose of this subsection, "good cause" means
				  circumstances in which the required participation would cause the enrollee to
				  seriously compromise academic performance. "Good cause" includes, but is not
				  limited to:
1. a verifiable need to
				take care of a family member with special needs;
2. a physical or mental health problem,
				illness, accident, death; or
3. a
				serious personal or family problem that necessitates reduced participation or
				time off from education, training or work.
An enrollee receiving aid under this chapter must make
				  satisfactory progress in the enrollee's educational program. Rules defining
				  satisfactory academic progress are found in the ASPIRE-TANF manual. The
				  Department may not disapprove an educational plan based solely on the length of
				  the educational program.