(1) Plan submission. The
state department shall submit and amend as necessary a plan to the secretary of
the federal department of health and human services that is consistent with the
provisions of this part 7 and federal law.
(2) County block grant allocation. (a) The state department shall allocate
the amount of moneys that shall be provided to a county as a county block grant for
the purposes of a county's administration and implementation of the works
program pursuant to section 26-2-714.
(b) Except as provided in section 26-2-720.5, the county block grant shall
represent the total amount that a county shall receive from the state for the
administration and implementation of the Colorado works program.
(3) Maintenance of effort. The state department shall monitor the state's
progress toward meeting the levels of spending required under the federal law and
section 26-2-713.
(4) Performance measurements. (a) The state department shall develop
performance goals and a formula for measuring a county's progress toward
meeting such performance goals in administering and implementing the works
program with county block grants. The state department shall provide data
gathered on behalf of each county to the general assembly on a quarterly basis
regarding employment- and training-related performance measures for the works
program. Such data must include wages earned by works program participants
upon leaving the program, job retention rates, and other related information. Such
data must be provided through the state department's computerized systems, if
available. Counties are not required to provide additional manual or computerized
systems to gather such data. The state department shall work with the state work
force development council to gather data on works program participants who
participate in training and job placement programs offered by work force
development boards and the result of such participation.
(b) The formula may be based upon the formula developed by the secretary
of the federal department of health and human services after consultation with the
national governors' association and the American public welfare association for
measuring states' performance under the TANF block grants.
(5) Oversight. In connection with overseeing the works program, the specific
duties of the state department are to:
(a) Oversee the implementation of the works program statewide and, in
connection with such oversight, develop standardized forms for the counties' use in
streamlining the application process, delivery of services, and tracking of
participants;
(b) Monitor the state's progress in meeting the work participation
requirements set forth in federal law;
(c) Establish a process to implement the provisions for regionalization set
forth in section 26-2-718 pursuant to which any combination of county departments
may be approved by the state department to administer and implement the works
program pursuant to the provisions of this part 7;
(d) Establish statewide goals and monitor the state's progress toward
meeting such goals for the reduction in the incidence of pregnancies of women and
men who are not married;
(e) Monitor the counties' provision of basic cash assistance grants pursuant
to section 26-2-706.6 and, if necessary due to increased caseloads or economic
downturns, do the following to ensure that the basic cash assistance grant is
provided in a consistent manner statewide:
(I) Grant moneys to one or more counties from the county block grant
support fund administered pursuant to section 26-2-720.5; or
(II) If no funds administered pursuant to section 26-2-720.5 are available:
(A) Request supplemental appropriations from the general assembly,
including but not limited to an appropriation from the Colorado long-term works
reserve created pursuant to section 26-2-721; or
(B) Reduce the county block grant of any county that maintains moneys in a
county reserve account pursuant to section 26-2-714 (5) in order that moneys may
be made available to one or more counties to avoid the need to reduce or eliminate
the basic cash assistance grant statewide. If the state department makes a
reduction in a county's reserve account pursuant to this sub-subparagraph (B), the
state department shall increase the county's block grant for the following fiscal
year by the amount of the reduction authorized pursuant to this sub-subparagraph
(B); or
(III) After taking the actions described in subparagraphs (I) and (II) of this
paragraph (e), take any actions necessary to reduce the costs of, or reduce or
eliminate, the basic cash assistance grant statewide.
(6) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2008, p. 1964, � 14, effective January 1, 2009.)
(7) Colorado works program capacity building. The state department shall
develop training for case workers and other service providers so that they are
knowledgeable and may assist persons who receive assistance through the
Colorado works program in:
(a) Identifying goals, including work activities, time frames for achieving
self-sufficiency, and the means required to meet these benchmarks;
(b) Obtaining supportive services such as mental health counseling,
substance abuse counseling, domestic violence services, life skills training, and
money management and parenting classes;
(c) Utilizing the family's existing strengths;
(d) Providing ongoing support and assistance to the family in overcoming
barriers to training and employment;
(e) Monitoring the progress of the family toward attaining self-sufficiency;
(f) Understanding and properly utilizing data reporting systems to report
participation data and outcomes required by the state department; and
(g) Providing opportunities for persons working with Colorado works
participants to access professional-level curriculum to become proficient in
assessing participant needs and developing individual plans to address those
needs.
(8) Domestic violence services training - rules. (a) To facilitate the proper
identification, screening, and assessment of past and present victims of domestic
violence who apply for or participate in the Colorado works program and to assist
counties in complying with the provisions of this subsection (8) and section 26-2-708 (5), the state board shall promulgate rules that require the state department to
provide ongoing domestic violence training and appropriate domestic violence
training materials to county staff and to:
(I) Assist counties in developing local resources and using available
community resources to provide counseling and supportive services to past and
present victims of domestic violence; and
(II) Require counties to make applicants to and participants in the Colorado
works program aware of the services and assistance provided by the state
department pursuant to this subsection (8) and by the county.
(b) The state department may contract with an individual or entity that has
demonstrated expertise in the area of domestic violence assistance for the
provision of the services specified in this subsection (8).
(9) Waiver process. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this
subsection (9), the governor and the state department, acting jointly, may grant a
county's application for a waiver of any requirement of this part 7 or the rules
promulgated pursuant to this part 7. Any waiver granted pursuant to this
subsection (9) shall be designed to improve methods of achieving participants' self-sufficiency, meeting work participation rates and performance goals, or reducing
dependency.
(b) Any application for a waiver shall include a statement of the purpose of
the waiver. The application shall be submitted to the governor and the state
department no later than October 1 of the year immediately preceding the year in
which the county intends to implement the waiver. The county shall provide notice
of its application to all adjacent counties. The governor and the state department
shall grant or deny the county's application no later than December 1 of the year in
which the county applied. A waiver granted pursuant to this subsection (9) shall
take effect on January 1 of the year immediately following approval of such waiver.
The governor and the state department shall specify the duration of such waivers.
(c) The state department and the governor shall not approve an application
under this subsection (9) that proposes to waive any statute or rule governing
statewide eligibility, the amount of the basic cash assistance grant, the county
maintenance of effort, or any requirement of the federal law. The governor and the
state department shall not approve an application under this subsection (9) that
proposes to waive a participant's right to appeal a county determination under the
works program, but they may approve the waiver of statutes or rules governing the
method or procedure for such appeal.
(d) The governor and the state department may approve any number of
applications for waivers of one or more provisions of this part 7 or of the rules
promulgated pursuant to this part 7, so long as such waivers meet the requirements
of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this subsection (9).
(e) In the event that the governor has reason to believe that a county's
implementation of the works program pursuant to a waiver granted under this
subsection (9) fails to satisfy the requirements of the federal law or is inconsistent
with the purposes of the works program as set forth in section 26-2-705, the
governor may revoke the waiver granted to the county and require the county to
resume implementation of the works program pursuant to the provisions of this part
7 and the rules promulgated pursuant to this part 7.
(f) In the event that the governor and the state department grant waivers to
a county pursuant to this subsection (9), the performance contract entered into
between the county and the state department pursuant to section 26-2-715 shall be
amended to reflect the county's authority to implement the works program in
accordance with the waivers granted and the governor's authority to revoke the
waivers in accordance with paragraph (e) of this subsection (9).
(10) Job market analysis. The state department, the department of labor and
employment, and the state board for community colleges and occupational
education created in section 23-60-104 (1)(b), C.R.S., shall annually analyze job
market information in order to establish a compilation of the types of jobs most
appropriate and likely to lead to long-term self-sufficiency for participants. As used
in this subsection (10), job market information means any state or regional job
market or labor data or statistics or any information related to state or regional
labor trends that the department of labor and employment may have or to which it
may have access.
(11) Tuition voucher system. (a) The state department shall collaborate with
the state board for community colleges and occupational education, created in
section 23-60-104 (1)(b), C.R.S., to develop a tuition voucher system pursuant to
which a participant may attend courses at an institution in the state's system of
community and technical colleges by using a tuition voucher.
(b) The state department and the state board for community colleges and
occupational education, created in section 23-60-104 (1)(b), C.R.S., shall enter into a
cooperative arrangement to make available appropriate educational and academic
training programs for participants who receive tuition vouchers.