Coordinating Assistance for TANF Recipients Act
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for state demonstration projects that provide coordinated case management to help TANF recipients increase their employment and self-sufficiency.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4543 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4543
To provide for the conduct of demonstration projects to provide
coordinated case management services for TANF recipients.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 19, 2021
Mrs. Walorski introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the conduct of demonstration projects to provide
coordinated case management services for TANF recipients.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Coordinating Assistance for TANF
Recipients Act''.
SEC. 2. COORDINATED CASE MANAGEMENT DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.
Section 403 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Coordinated Case Management Demonstration Projects.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to
States to conduct demonstration projects designed to implement
and evaluate strategies to provide coordinated case management
to help individuals receiving assistance under a State program
funded under this part or any other State program funded with
qualified State expenditures (as defined in section
409(a)(7)(B)(i)) increase their employment and self-
sufficiency.
``(2) Application requirements.--The Secretary shall
require each State that applies for a grant under this
paragraph to do the following:
``(A) Describe how, using the funds provided under
this paragraph, the State or its designee will ensure
an individual responsibility plan is developed in
accordance with section 408(b) for each recipient
referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
``(B) Describe how the State or its designee will
ensure the development of this plan is coordinated with
other programs and agencies providing benefits and
services to the individual to help the recipient
increase the employment and self-sufficiency of the
recipient.
``(C) Describe how the State or its designee will
ensure the delivery of the benefits and services to the
recipient (which may include the use of home visiting
models).
``(D) Describe how the State or its designee will
meet with the recipient at least monthly to review the
employment status of the recipient and status of the
participation of the recipient in other activities, the
benefits and services the recipient is receiving, and
the progress of the recipient toward meeting the goals
specified in the individual responsibility plan of the
recipient.
``(3) Use of funds.--A State to which a grant is made under
this subsection may use the grant for the following purposes:
``(A) To support coordinated case managers in
completing the activities specified in paragraph (2).
``(B) To provide short-term transitional benefits
and services to individuals who, due to increased
employment or earnings, may face disincentives to
increasing work or earnings due to the phase-out or
loss of certain benefits.
``(C) To ensure that recipients of services under
the demonstration project have a choice between two or
more coordinated case management service providers
(which may include managed care organizations) that
demonstrate experience and expertise in case
management, including the development of individual
assessment plans and coordinated service management
across various programs.
``(D) To improve coordination between programs
serving recipients who are part of the demonstration
project.
``(E) To improve coordination between information
technology and other systems to deliver better benefits
or services to the recipient, except that not more than
10 percent of the grant amount may be used for this
purpose.
``(4) Evaluation.--The Secretary, in consultation with each
State conducting a demonstration project under this subsection,
shall conduct a high-quality evaluation of the demonstration
project in accordance with the following:
``(A) Evaluator qualifications.--The Secretary may
not enter into a contract with an evaluator unless the
evaluator has demonstrated experience in conducting
rigorous evaluations of program effectiveness
including, where available and appropriate, well-
implemented randomized controlled trials.
``(B) Methodologies to be used.--The evaluation of
a demonstration project shall use experimental designs
using random assignment or other reliable, evidence-
based research methodologies that allow for the
strongest possible causal inferences when random
assignment is not feasible.
``(C) Public disclosure.--The Secretary shall
publish the results of the evaluation on the website of
the Department of Health and Human Services in a
location easily accessible by the public.
``(D) Limitation on cost of evaluations.--For
evaluations under this paragraph, the Secretary may not
obligate more than 20 percent of the funds reserved
under paragraph (6) for each fiscal year.
``(5) Recommendations to congress.--The Secretary shall
submit recommendations to the Congress on ways to improve case
management and better coordinate benefits and services across
programs.
``(6) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out
subsection (b) for fiscal year 2023 and each succeeding fiscal
year, the Secretary shall reserve $300,000,000 to carry out
this subsection.
``(7) Availability of funds.--Funds provided to a State
under this subsection for a fiscal year shall be expended by
the State in the fiscal year or in the succeeding fiscal
year.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1,
2022.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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