The Real Facts:

1

• The Real Facts
• An Overview of Maines
• Temporary Assistance
• for Needy Families Program

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2
What is TANF?

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides
  short term assistance with basic needs for
• families with children whose lives have been
  disrupted by divorce, illness, unemployment or
  similar challenges.

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3
How Is Eligibility
Determined?

• Review family composition
• Review deprivation of children
• Review family income level
• Family of 2 762 monthly
• Family of 3 1,023 monthly
• Family of 4 1,286 monthly

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How is Eligibility Determined?

• Parent or caretaker relative must live in Maine
  and maintain a home for the child.
• A child must be
• Under age 18
• A U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen
• Living with one parent or caretaker relative
  and,
• Missing the full support of one parent as a
  result of death, disability, continued absence
  from the home, or underemployment or unemployment.

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How is TANF Funded? State Fiscal Year 07 Estimate

• TANF Block Grant - 78,120,889
• State General Fund (depends on participation rate
  and Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements)
• 75 percent MOE 37,523,943 (if participation
  rate is met)
• 80 percent MOE 40,025,539 (if participation
  rate is unmet)
• Approximately 11 million of the General Fund
  contribution comes from Child Support Collection

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How Are TANF Funds Spent?

• Basic Living Benefits 57 percent
• Child Care Benefits 22 percent
• Transportation Benefits 9 percent
• Other Employment Support 5 percent
• Technology/Administration 4.5 percent
• Other assistance 2.5 percent

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The Typical TANF Family

• The typical TANF family is led by a single mom,
  with fewer than two children (1.7 children
  average).
• Single-parent families comprise 65 percent of the
  caseload.
• 22 percent of the grants go to children only.
• 13 percent of cases involve two-parent families,
  where one parent is unemployed or incapacitated.
• Maine has the highest percentage of
• working TANF families in New England.

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The Typical TANF Benefit in Maine

• The average benefit received by a family of three
  is 354 a month.
• Maines maximum benefit is 485 a month.
• This is the lowest monthly maximum offered in New
  England.
• The maximum represents 34 percent of the federal
  poverty level.
• Even when Food Stamps are added, TANF recipients
  reach
• just 65 percent of the federal poverty level.

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Length of Time Receiving TANF

• More than 70 percent of recipients receive
  benefits for one year or less.
• 85 percent of recipients receive the benefit for
  two years or less.
• Four percent (493 families) have received TANF
  for more five years. Nearly 90 percent of these
  493 families are
• headed by an adult who is permanently disabled
  (64)
• employed, but not earning enough to leave TANF
  (15)
• headed by an adult who is not the parent, e.g. a
  grandparent (8).
• Many of the remaining families include adults or
  children with serious impairments that limit the
  families ability to work.

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The Responsibility of the TANF Parent

• Any adult who is approved for TANF is expected to
  work on a plan to achieve self-sufficiency.
• Most parents are required to participate in a
  work activity for 30 hours per week. Failure to
  do so will result in a loss of benefits.
• About 60 percent of TANF recipients are active in
  an education, training and employment plan.
  Others are engaged in pre-work activities to
  reduce their barriers to employment.
• Maine has the highest rate of employed TANF
  recipients in New England.
• Maine ranks fifth in the nation in retaining jobs
  for TANF recipients.

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The Responsibility of the TANF Parent

• The TANF parent must inform OIAS staff of any
  changes that may affect their current benefit.
  These changes include

• Additional employment
• New employment with a pay change
• Financial assistance from a parent or relative
• A change in family size
• A parent moving back in with a family.

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The Responsibility of the TANF Parent

• In addition, the TANF parent must

• Cooperate with Child Support Enforcement
• Assist with establishing a childs paternity
• Cooperate with medical insurance enforcement
• Participate in ASPIRE activities.

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TANF Program Success

• Since 1996, DHHS staff has helped 63,000 families
  leave the TANF program.
• The TANF caseload has dropped from more than
  21,000 in 1994 to 13,163 (December 2007).
• An average of 200 cases are closed each month.

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Shattering Myths About Fraud And Abuse

• Maines documented rate of fraud and abuse is
  2/10th of 1 percentsignificantly lower than the
  national average.
• The average rate of fraud nationwide is 4
  percent.
• DHHS has dedicated staff members that investigate
  all complaints of fraud and abuse.
• Eligibility is reviewed regularly.
• Staff verifies income and assets with government
  agencies, examines bank accounts and has access
  to other benefit records like unemployment and
  social security benefits.

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The Top 10 TANF Facts

• 10. 85 percent of recipients receive the benefit
  for two years or less. Only 4 percent have
  received assistance for more than five years, the
  majority of those have a permanent disability.
• 9. Two parent families are eligible for TANF only
  when one parent is incapacitated, unemployed,
  underemployed. Sometimes other adults may live in
  a TANF household. In those cases their income is
  only considered if they are legally responsible
  for the child, or they are fully supporting the
  child.

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The Top 10 TANF facts

• 8. Absent parents have the right to visit TANF
  children in accordance with court visitation
  orders. However, if the parent has moved back in
  or is in the home nearly all the time, the family
  may no longer be eligible for TANF.
• 7. In order to get TANF benefits, all family
  members must be a citizen or a legal immigrant.
  A family must also prove that they are residents
  of Maine.

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The Top 10 TANF facts

• 6. Maine, like many other states, does not have
  an arbitrary time
  limit. DHHS does work with all families to
  develop a self- sufficiency plan that they must
  follow or lose assistance. As noted above, 85 of
  all TANF families leave the program within 2
  years.
• 5. Maine has the highest rate of employed TANF
  recipients in New England and ranks fifth in the
  nation in retaining jobs for TANF parents.

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The Top 10 TANF Facts

• 4. Maines maximum TANF benefit is the lowest
  offered in New England.
• 3. The documented rate of fraud in Maine is
  2/10th of 1 percent, far below the national
  average.
• 2. Since the TANF program began, 63,000 families
  have left the program.

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The Top 10 TANF Facts

• 1. People are not moving here to get public
  benefits.
• Less than 1 percent of all recipients in 2006
  came from another state and of those, one-third
  were coming home.
• Over five years, five times as many benefit
  recipients left Maine each month compared to the
  number of people who moved here and received
  assistance.

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20

• The Real Facts
• An Overview of the
• MaineCare and Food Stamp Program

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What is Medicaid?

• Medicaid is a key pillar in our states health
  care system. It provides medically necessary
  health care to those who would otherwise be
  uninsured including low-income families with
  children, the elderly, persons who are disabled
  or blind.
• In Maine, the federal government pays 2 out of
  every 3 dollars for health care services
  purchased through MaineCare.

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Basic Requirements Of Medicaid Coverage

• Must provide mandatory services to mandatory
  populations
• All services must be available statewide
• Members must be able to choose their providers
• Services must be sufficient in amount, duration,
  and scope to reasonably achieve their purpose
• Services must be medically necessary
• Do not have to cover prescriptions,
• but if offered virtually all FDA-approved
• drugs must be available

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Basic Requirements of Medicaid Coverage

• Services cannot be denied or reduced due to
  diagnosis, type of
  
  illness, or condition
• Coverage must be based on medical criteria
• Rates must be adequate to assure reasonable
  access/quality
• Experimental services may be excluded
• Services can be limited by utilization
• 
  control procedures

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Who We Serve In MaineCare

• Medicaid Title XIX
• Families with dependent children and the aged,
  blind, or disabled who cannot afford necessary
  medical services, as defined by
  income/eligibility standards.
• There are mandatory coverage groups under the law
  and the state has the option to cover other
  individuals or groups.
• SCHIP Title XXI
• SCHIP provides funds to states to provide child
  health assistance to uninsured, low-income
  children.
• CMS provides a higher match rate under Title XXI.
• Maine Rx/Drugs for the Elderly/Disabled (DEL)
• Completely state-funded, Maine Rx provides a
  savings of 15 percent on brand name drugs and up
  to 60 percent on generic drugs.
• DEL members pay 20 percent of prescription drug
  costs, plus a small co-pay.

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How Medicaid Is Funded

• Current Rate 63.31 Federal 37.69
  State
• SCHIP 74.32 Federal 26.68 State
• Fiscal Agent 90 Federal 10
  State
• Administrative 50 Federal 50
  State

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Enrollment vs. Expenditures
Elderly 10.4
Elderly 21.5
Disabled 17.2
Disabled 44.5
Adults 30
Children 42.3
Adults 11.7
Children 22.2
Medicaid Enrollees and Expenditures by Enrollment
Group - 2003Source Paul Saucier, Muskie School
of Public Service
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Top Medicaid/ MaineCare Facts

• Federal law does not prohibit MaineCare families
  from having a vehicle so that they can get back
  and forth to work and get the medical care that
  they need.
• This is particularly important in a rural state
  like Maine with so little public transportation.
  
• MaineCare is only available for those who meet
  certain income and asset restrictions.
• It provides health care to people who would
  otherwise be uninsured. MaineCare protects their
  health and prevents the cost of the care from
  being shifted to others in the health care
  system.

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Top Medicaid/ MaineCare Facts

• Sometimes MaineCare helps families access
  employer-based coverage that they could not pay
  for on their own.
• This helps deliver the program in the most
  cost-effective way possible.
• Many working families still qualify for MaineCare
  coverage.

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• The Real Facts
• An Overview of the
• Food Stamp Program

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What are Food Stamps?

• The Food Stamp Program is funded by the Federal
  Government. It helps low-income people and
  families buy the food they need for good health. 
  
• The Food Stamp Program also supports our farmers,
  local grocers
• and the states economy.
•  

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How Eligibility Is Determined

• Households have to meet income eligibility
  requirements, unless all members are receiving
  TANF or SSI.
• Most households must meet both the gross and net
  income requirements.
• A household with an elderly person, or a person
  who is receiving certain types of disability
  payments only has to meet the net income
  requirement.
• A Social Security number for every household
  member, including children, must be provided.

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How Eligibility Is Determined

• With certain exceptions, able-bodied adults
  between 16 and 60 years of age must register for
  work, accept an offer of suitable work, and take
  part in an employment and training program.
• Generally, able-bodied adults age 18 to 50 who
  have no children and are not pregnant can get
  food stamps for only three months in a three-year
  period, unless working or involved in a work
  program.

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Current Income Requirements

• Most households that have income over the amounts
  listed below cannot get food stamps (Oct. 1,
  2007 through Sept. 30, 2008)
• Household Gross monthly income Net Monthly
  Income
• size (130 percent of poverty) (100 percent
  of poverty)
• 1 1,107 851
• 2 1,484 1,141
• 3 1,861 1,431
• 4 2,238 1,721
• 5 2,615 2,011
• 6 2,992 2,301
• 7 3,369 2,591
• 8 3,746 2,881
• Gross income total, non-excluded income, before
  deductions
• Net income gross income minus allowable
  deductions.

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How Allotment Is Determined

• The amount of benefits the household gets is
  called an allotment.
• The net monthly income of the household is
  multiplied by .3, and the result is subtracted
  from the maximum allotment for the household
  size.
• This formula is used because food stamp
• households are expected to spend about
• 30 percent of their resources on food.

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Current Allotment Maximums

• (Effective through September 30,
  2008)
• People in Maximum Monthly
• Household Allotment
• 1 162
• 2 298
• 3 426
• 4 542
• 5 643
• 6 772
• 7 853
• 8 975

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Food Stamps In Maine

• Maine ranks 1 nationwide for access to Food
  Stamps for eligible people.
• Maine recently received an award of 680,000 from
  the Federal Government for helping people in need
  receive this federal benefit to purchase healthy
  foods.
• In October, 2007, Maine helped 169,531
  individuals purchase healthy foods through the
  federal Food Stamp Program.
• In 2007, more than 15.2 million in Food Stamps
  was distributed to grocers throughout Maine.

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Food Stamp Facts

• Food Stamps can only be used to purchase food.
• Recipients cannot use the benefit for alcohol or
  tobacco products.
• Consumer research shows that there is no
  difference in the kinds of foods purchased by
  Food Stamp recipients and all other consumers.
• In order to get Food Stamp benefits, a person
  must be a citizen OR legal immigrant.
• A person must also prove residency in Maine.

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A Few Words About Citizenship

• Only legally admitted citizens who have
  established residency in Maine are eligible for
  benefits.
• Every application is considered a signed
  affidavit.
• Electronic cross-checks of databases, including
  Social Security, Maine Department of Labor and
  many other state and national databases are
  conducted routinely as a part of application
  process.
• For Medicaid benefits, citizenship and identity
  must be verified.
• If a person is in need of emergency medical
  treatment and is intending to become a Maine
  resident, his/her treatment would be covered.

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Help Us Ensure Success

• We are committed to running a successful,
  accountable program that serves people in need
  effectively. If you have concerns about how this
  program is delivering services, please call
  1-800-424-9121 and trust that these reports will
  be taken seriously and fully examined.
• Feel free to request copies of the Top 10 Real
  Facts pocket guide and distribute them freely.
• Look for the launch of a Real Facts web site in
  2008.
• This site will provide up-to-date information and
  resources that can help in the education process.

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Questions?

• For further information, please feel free to
  contact
• Barbara Van Burgel, Director
• Office of Integrated Access and Support
• 207-287-5083

Caring..Responsive..Well-Managed..We are DHHS