Code of Maine Rules › 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › 144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL › Chapter 330 - HIGHER OPPORTUNITY FOR PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT (HOPE) PROGRAM RULES › Section 144-330-1 - DEFINITIONS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
Advance Notice
means a written notice mailed at
				  least twelve (12) days prior to the effective date of an action taken by the
				  HOPE Program.
Agent
means the entity under contract with the
				  Department to provide Student Navigation services.
Annual Limit
means the maximum amount of Support
				  Service benefits that can be issued during the calendar year from January
				  1st to December
				  31st.
Application
means a request for HOPE services -
				  that includes the Applicant's full name, mailing address, and manual or
				  electronic signature - on a form required by the Department.
Applicant
means an individual who has applied
				  for HOPE, whether or not eligibility has been determined.
Adequate Job Outlook
means identified by the
				  Center for Workforce Research and Information within the Department of Labor as
				  having an annual job opening rate of at least 10% or as providing opportunity
				  for employment in high-wage, in-demand jobs in the State at the time of
				  enrollment as published on the Maine Department of Labor's website at that time
				  (A link to this data can be found at:
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/hope/do-i-qualify
1.);
				  or otherwise approved by the commissioner or the commissioner's
				  designee.
Career Pathway
means a plan for a combination of
				  training and education for career advancement of the individual that helps the
				  individual enter or advance within a specific trade or occupation, and leads to
				  a universally recognized and accepted degree or credential that provides an
				  opportunity for employment in a job with an Adequate Job Outlook; or a
				  verifiable Substantial Improvement in Earnings and Benefits.
Center for Workforce Research and Information
				  (CWRI)
means an agency of the Maine Department of Labor providing
				  research and guidance regarding occupations and employment outlook in the State
				  of Maine.
Credential
means a degree, certificate, license,
				  or industry-recognized (or universally recognized and accepted) formal
				  qualification that leads to employment and has labor market value.
Department
means the Maine Department of Health
				  and Human Services - Office for Family Independence.
Enrolled
means authorized by the Department to
				  receive HOPE Program supports or authorized to continue to receive supports
				  while on Emergency Leave.
Financial Aid Award Letter
means a letter
				  provided by the Educational Institution the Applicant or Participant has been
				  accepted to or is matriculated in and details the financial aid package.
Fraud, Investigation and Recovery Unit (FIRU)
means the unit within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible
				  for investigating allegations of misuse, fraud, and over payments. The unit is
				  responsible for seeking repayment when appropriate or referring the matter to
				  the Attorney General's office for prosecution.
Good Cause
means an acceptable reason, or
				  reasons, as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services, for the
				  Applicant or Participant to not comply with a HOPE Program requisite.
Half-time
means Matriculation that is at least
				  half of what is considered a full-time course load as determined by the
				  Training or Education Institution.
High-Value Credential
means a document, or set
				  of documents, showing completion of a skills-based training program, and
				  outlines the competencies obtained by earning the credential, which address
				  local workforce needs, fill employment pipelines, and provide pathways to
				  growth-oriented jobs.
Industry-Recognized Certificate
means a
				  professional certificate that is recognized in the labor market, is portable
				  across state borders, and is a valid assessment of students' skills related to
				  a particular industry or occupation.
Intentional Program Violation (IPV)
means when
				  an individual has purposely misused "cash or benefits" and/or misrepresented
				  actual circumstances in order to receive benefits, and the individual would not
				  have been eligible had the proper information been provided.
Lifetime Limit
means the maximum amount of a
				  benefit, service, or exception offered during the course of a Participant's
				  lifetime.
Matriculation
means acceptance to and official
				  registration as at least a half-time student with the Training or Education
				  Institution. For a Participant who previously met the Matriculation
				  requirement, and has completed that program, registration in a licensing exam
				  or test preparation course related to requirements for their credential or
				  participation in a final clinical, field placement, or externship will also be
				  considered matriculation.
Minor Child
means a child under the age of
				  eighteen (18); or if aged eighteen (18), a full-time student in a high school
				  or an equivalent instruction alternative leading to a high school
				  diploma.
Outstanding Tuition and Fees
means tuition and
				  fees incurred and still owed to a Training or Educational Institution before
				  acceptance in the HOPE Program.
Parental Responsibility
means rights and
				  privileges that an individual has with a child and involves assuming day-to-day
				  care, decision-making and financial responsibilities for the child.
Parents as Scholars (PaS)
means a program
				  implemented by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that helps
				  low-income parents in associate or bachelor's degree programs.
Participant
means an individual who has been
				  determined eligible for, and is enrolled in, HOPE.
Part-time
means an employment status that is
				  less than full time and has, at a minimum, an average of 15 hours worked
				  weekly.
Remedial Services
means a preparatory course, or
				  program, that fulfills a requirement of the postsecondary Training or Education
				  Institution as necessary to matriculate in the Training or Education
				  Program.
Short-Term Occupational Training Program
(also
				  "Training Program") means a postsecondary program that generally is completed
				  in one year or less and provides specific training that leads to a high-value
				  credential or industry-recognized certificate.
Specified Relative
means a person related to the
				  minor child within the fifth degree of kinship by blood, marriage, or adoption
				  who lives with the child; a legal guardian or Indian Custodian who lives with
				  the child.
Stackable Credential
means part of a sequence of
				  credentials earned along a specific Career Pathway that can be accumulated over
				  time to increase an individual's qualifications and help build the Career
				  Pathway to more sustainable employment.
Student
means an individual who is matriculated
				  in and attending a Training or Education Program.
Substantial Improvement in Earnings and Benefits
means either
A. a monthly increase in
				current or potential net income at least equal to the amount to trigger a
				change reporting as are most currently in effect as published by Food and
				Nutrition Services (FNS). (This figure can be found at
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/hope/do-i-qualify
2.)
				taking into consideration increases in total compensation and decreases in work
				related and family related expenses such as child care and transportation,
				or
B. an increase in current or
				potential net income that does not meet the threshold in A. that is accompanied
				by other quantifiable improvements to the individual's or the individual's
				minor children's Social Determinants of Health as are most currently defined by
				the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published on its
				website, of at least two percent. (A link to the list of Social Determinates of
				Health can be found at
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/hope/do-i-qualify
3.)
Universally Recognized and Accepted
means
				  acknowledged, accepted, and valued by the majority of employers within the
				  individual's geographic region and trade of choice as aligning with skill needs
				  of industries in the economy of the State or regional economy involved.
Unmet Need
means a need demonstrated to be
				  directly related to successful completion of the Training or Education Program
				  in excess of available funding from all other federal, state, public, private,
				  and institutional sources of aid, excluding loans or federal work study.
Weekly Limit
means the maximum amount of a
				  Support Service benefits that can be issued during a seven-day period from
				  Sunday to Saturday.
Working Age
means those aged 16 through
				  64.
1 Individuals unable to access
				  this link may request the information from the HOPE Program by mailing a
				  request to DHHS OFI-HOPE Program, 11 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333;
				  calling (207) 624-4170; faxing a request to (207) 287-3455; or e-mailing a
				  request to HOPE.DHHS@maine.gov.
2 Individuals unable to access
				  this link may request the information from the HOPE Program by mailing a
				  request to DHHS OFI-HOPE Program, 11 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333;
				  calling (207) 624-4170; faxing a request to (207) 287-3455; or e-mailing a
				  request to HOPE.DHHS@maine.gov
3 Individuals unable to access
				  this link may request the information from the HOPE Program by mailing a
				  request to DHHS OFI-HOPE Program, 11 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333;
				  calling (207) 624-4170; faxing a request to (207) 287-3455; or e-mailing a
				  request to HOPE.DHHS@maine.gov