§ 1107. Case management; family development plans; coordinated services

(a)(1) The Commissioner shall provide all Reach Up services to participating families through a case management model informed by knowledge of the family's home, community, employment, and available resources. Services may be delivered in the district office, the family's home, or the community in a way that facilitates progress toward accomplishment of the family development plan. Case management may be provided to other eligible families. The case manager, with the full involvement of the family, shall recommend, and the Commissioner shall modify as necessary, a family development plan established under the Reach First or Reach Up program for each participating family, with a right of appeal as provided by section 1132 of this title. A case manager shall be assigned to each participating family as soon as the family begins to receive financial assistance. If administratively feasible and appropriate, the case manager shall be the same case manager the family was assigned in the Reach First program. The applicant for or recipient of financial assistance under this chapter shall have the burden of demonstrating the existence of his or her condition.

(2) The case manager shall meet with each participating family following any statutory or rule changes affecting the amount of the earned income disregard, asset limitations, or other eligibility or benefit criteria in the Reach Up program to inform the family of the changes and advise the family about ways to maximize the opportunities to achieve earned income without a corresponding loss of benefits.

(b) The case manager shall establish a schedule for periodic review of the family development plan. In addition, the case manager shall review, and modify if necessary, the plan in the following circumstances:

(1) there is a lack of satisfactory progress in achieving the goals of the plan;

(2) the parent or caretaker has lost unsubsidized or subsidized employment;

(3) a family member has failed to comply with a family development plan requirement or a work requirement;

(4) services required by the plan are unavailable;

(5) at least 30 days prior to when the parent or caretaker would become work-ready or would otherwise be deemed work-ready on the basis of 12-cumulative-month receipt of financial assistance;

(6) a deferment or modification of the work requirements imposed by section 1113 of this title has been requested or is due for review;

(7) within 30 days of when the parent or caretaker has started an unsubsidized or subsidized job; or

(8) changes to the plan are needed to protect the well-being of the children.

(c) The Commissioner shall adopt rules, consistent with research on best practices, establishing maximum caseloads for case managers.

(d) The Secretary of Education, with the assistance and support of the Commissioner for Children and Families, the Commissioner of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living, and the Commissioner of Labor, shall develop and implement comparable and reciprocally recognized literacy assessment protocols that will be used for all clients seeking adult education and literacy services; related services of the Agency of Education; or the services of the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living, the Department of Labor, or the Department for Children and Families, when such services are being sought for the purpose of developing or strengthening competencies or skills related to the clients' current or future employment. Such protocols shall, to the extent practicable, utilize the same terminology and apply comparable criteria, consistent with individual program purposes and authorization, in determining when testing, other standardized measurement tools, or referrals to relevant professionals for evaluation or diagnosis are appropriate.

(e) The Secretary shall work cooperatively with public and private, local, and regional entities:

(1) to develop subsidized jobs with employers, using the same health and safety standards in effect for unsubsidized jobs;

(2) to develop work placements that incorporate an adult education and literacy component into the hours of work for participants who need to continue to work on their secondary education while fulfilling their work requirement;

(3) to adopt rules which set priorities for services of benefit to the people of Vermont, and which prevent displacement of previous unsubsidized workers by subsidized Reach Up program participants; and

(4) to ensure that necessary support services are available, appropriate, and within a reasonable distance, including child care, health care, and transportation.

(f) The Secretary shall:

(1) work with community providers to develop and maintain an adequate number and variety of supervised living alternatives designed to meet the individual needs of parents who are under 18;

(2) work with community providers to develop and maintain parenting, training, and education options for parents who are under 18;

(3) establish and maintain an information program to enable parents to learn about and take advantage of benefits and services that are available to parents who work outside the home;

(4) increase public awareness of the federal and State earned income tax credits, and encourage families who may be eligible to apply for such tax credits; and

(5) in partnership with the Human Resources Investment Council, develop and maintain one or more job training and employment programs for noncustodial parents to encourage long-term economic self-sufficiency and, by extension, their ability to pay child support. (Added 1999, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. July 1, 2001; 1999, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; amended 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006; 2005, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 83; 2007, No. 30, § 7, eff. May 17, 2007; 2013, No. 50, § E.323; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 292, eff. Feb. 14, 2014; 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 26, eff. May 20, 2014; 2013, No. 198 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2017, No. 109 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)