The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 33 : Human Services

Chapter 011 : Reach Up

Subchapter 001 : GENERAL PROVISIONS; ELIGIBILITY, AID, AND SERVICES

• § 1108. Limits on family financial assistance

  (a) Except for grants to children in the care of persons other than their parents, only participating families who have received fewer than 60 cumulative months of financial assistance in which the family was not granted a deferment, including those months in which any type of cash assistance funded by a TANF block grant was received in other states or territories of the United States, shall be eligible for benefits under the Reach Up program.

  (b) The Department shall not count toward the Reach Up program’s cumulative 60-month lifetime eligibility period any months in which:

  (1) the participant is not able-to-work;

  (2) the participant is a parent or caretaker who is caring for a child under one year of age, in accordance with criteria established by rule pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25;

  (3) the participant is affected by domestic violence in accordance with criteria established by rule pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25; and

  (4) the participant is needed in the home on a full-time basis to care for an ill or disabled parent, spouse, or child in accordance with criteria established by rule pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25.

  (c) The cumulative 60-month lifetime eligibility period shall not begin to toll until the parent or parents of a participating family have reached 18 years of age.

  (d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a participating family that does not meet any of the criteria under subsection (b) of this section and that has exceeded the cumulative 60-month lifetime eligibility period set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall qualify for a hardship exemption that allows the adult member of the participating family to continue to receive financial assistance if the participating adult is engaged in any of the work activities listed in subdivision 1101(2) of this chapter, with the exception of subdivision 1101(2)(L) of this chapter.

  (e) A participating family that does not qualify for a hardship exemption pursuant to subsection (d) of this section may be eligible to continue receiving benefits under the Reach Up program if the program director, or the program director’s designee, determines, on a monthly basis, that the participating adult is actively participating in the universal engagement model, including the process of planning and engaging in goal achievement related to employment, training, education, and addressing obstacles pursuant to subsection 1113(a) of this chapter. (Added 1999, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. July 1, 2001; amended 2007, No. 30, § 8, eff. May 17, 2007; 2013, No. 50, § E.323.1, eff. May 1, 2014; 2015, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § E.323; 2021, No. 133 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. January 1, 2024.)