Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3763, sub-§8, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 530, Pt. A, §16, is amended to read:

8. Alternative aid. To assist applicants who seek short-term assistance to obtain or retain employment, the department shall pay one-time voucher payments of up to 3 times the monthly TANF grant for which the family is eligible. An application for alternative aid assistance for the family may be approved only once during any calendar year. If the family reapplies for TANF within 3 months of receiving alternative aid, the family must repay any alternative aid received in excess of the amount that the family would have received on TANF. The method of repayment must be the same as that used for the repayment of unintentional overpayments in the TANF program.

SUMMARY

This bill increases the availability of alternative aid assistance in connection with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program from once to once per calendar year in order to assist families who seek short-term assistance to obtain or retain employment.