An Act To Expand Transitional Assistance for Families
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3762, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. S, §§1 and 2, is further amended to read:
(1) The department shall provide transitional Medicaid to families whose average gross monthly earnings, less costs to the family for child care necessary for employment, do not exceed 185% 200% of the federal poverty guidelines in accordance with PRWORA and this subsection. In order to receive transitional Medicaid as the result of increased earnings or number of hours worked, a family must have received Medicaid assistance for at least 3 of the last 6 months, except as provided in subparagraph (2).
(2) The department shall provide transitional Medicaid for families whose eligibility for Medicaid assistance terminated due to employment obtained through work search activities pursuant to this chapter, in which case the family must have received Medicaid assistance for at least one of the last 3 months.
(3) To continue to receive transitional Medicaid assistance following the first 6 9 months of coverage, a family entering the transitional Medicaid program with income above 133% of the federal poverty guidelines must pay premiums in accordance with rules adopted by the department.
(5) The department shall provide transitional Medicaid for 4 6 months to families whose eligibility for Medicaid assistance terminated due to an increase in the amount of child support received by the family.
(6) The department shall require reporting of income or circumstances for the purpose of determining eligibility and premium payments, copayments or other methods of cost sharing for benefits under this paragraph in accordance with rules adopted by the department.
(7) The scope of services provided under this paragraph must be the same as the scope of services provided when a family received Medicaid assistance.
summary
This bill expands transitional benefits for families that lose eligibility for assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and the MaineCare program because of increased income and for certain working families that receive supplemental nutrition assistance as follows.
1. For families that were eligible for MaineCare because their income was below 150% of the federal poverty level, it expands the upper limit of financial eligibility for transitional Medicaid from 185% to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, extends the time period during which payment of premiums for transitional Medicaid is not required from 6 to 9 months and, for families whose ineligibility is due to increased child support, extends the period of eligibility for transitional Medicaid from 4 to 6 months.
2. For families that lose eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families due to employment, it expands transitional transportation benefits from 12 to 18 months.
3. For families that lose eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families due to increased earnings or increased hours of work, it expands financial eligibility for transitional child care services from 250% to 300% of the federal poverty guidelines.
4. For certain working families that receive supplemental nutrition assistance, it expands transitional food assistance from $50 per month to $75 per month.