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Second Regular Session

Sixty-first General Assembly

LLS NO. 98­0093.01 DFH HOUSE BILL 98­1092

STATE OF COLORADO

BY REPRESENTATIVES Kreutz and Pankey;

also SENATORS Coffman and Lacy.

REREVISED

HEWI

A BILL FOR AN ACT

CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A SELF­SUFFICIENCY AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS, AND MAKING AN APPROPRIATION IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.

Bill Summary

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not necessarily reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted.)

Interim Committee on Old Age Pension Program. Creates a self­sufficiency and employment program as a pilot program to evaluate the cost­effectiveness of requiring applicants for the old age pension (OAP) program and the aid to the needy disabled (AND) program who are identified as potentially employable to participate in efforts leading to employment. Allows current recipients in OAP and AND to voluntarily participate in the self­sufficiency and employment program.

Directs that the pilot program be conducted in 4 workforce development regions that have implemented the one­stop career concept. Sets criteria for the selection of the workforce development regions, including the voluntary participation of one or more county departments of social services within those regions.

Requires the department of human services, in conjunction with the department of labor and employment, to design a screening tool to identify those OAP and AND applicants who demonstrate potential for employment. Refers those applicants to the local one­stop career center for an employment assessment. Requires the career center to develop an individual employment plan for those persons who are determined to have employment potential. Requires the participant to agree to follow through with the individual employment plan as a condition of receiving OAP or AND. Allows a participant to be exempted from participation in the pilot program for good cause, as defined by rules of the state board of human services.

As an incentive to participate in the pilot program, allows participants to earn and retain extra income up to a certain percentage of the federal poverty level without becoming ineligible for OAP or AND.

Subject to available appropriations and the receipt of any necessary federal waivers, allows the following persons to participate in the transitional­plus medicaid buy­in program:

! A recipient of AND during the time he or she is participating in the pilot program;

! A recipient of AND who becomes ineligible for AND due to employment and does not have health insurance as an employee benefit;

! A recipient of OAP whose health care was provided through the state­funded health care program and who becomes ineligible for OAP due to employment and does not have health insurance as an employee benefit.

Requires a report to the _____ committee(s) of the general assembly on the pilot program. Provides for the repeal of the pilot program on July 1, 2003.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. Article 2 of title 26, Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW PART to read:

PART 9

COLORADO SELF­SUFFICIENCY AND EMPLOYMENT ACT

26­2­901.  Short title. THIS PART 9 SHALL BE KNOWN AND MAY BE CITED AS THE "COLORADO SELF­SUFFICIENCY AND EMPLOYMENT ACT".

26­2­902.  Legislative declaration. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HEREBY FINDS THAT ENCOURAGING AND ASSISTING APPLICANTS FOR THE OLD AGE PENSION PROGRAM TO OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT AND BECOME SELF­SUFFICIENT IS BENEFICIAL TO THOSE PERSONS AND TO THE STATE. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECLARES THAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS PART 9 IS TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROJECT IN AN URBAN SETTING AND A RURAL SETTING TO TEST A BLOCK GRANT CONCEPT THAT WOULD ALLOW THE PARTICIPATING COUNTIES SOME FLEXIBILITY TO BE INNOVATIVE IN THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EMPLOYMENT AND SELF­SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR OLDER PERSONS , WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ASSISTING DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS.

26­2­903.  Employment and self­sufficiency pilot program ­ creation ­ block grants. (1)  THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN EMPLOYMENT AND SELF­SUFFICIENCY PILOT PROJECT, REFERRED TO IN THIS PART 9 AS THE "PILOT PROJECT", FOR PERSONS APPLYING FOR THE OLD AGE PENSION PROGRAM. THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS, THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL SELECT ONE URBAN COUNTY AND ONE RURAL COUNTY OR GROUP OF RURAL COUNTIES TO PARTICIPATE IN TWO DEMONSTRATION SITES AS PART OF THE PILOT PROJECT. COUNTY DEPARTMENTS DESIRING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT PROJECT OR ANOTHER AGENCY APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MAY SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND A PRIVATE OR PUBLIC AGENCY OR ENTITY THAT IS WILLING TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PURSUANT TO CONTRACT. THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL EVALUATE THE PROPOSALS AND SELECT TWO THAT PRESENT THE BEST PLANS FOR PLACING OLD AGE PENSION CLIENTS IN JOBS. AFTER SELECTION OF THE TWO DEMONSTRATION SITES, THE STATE DEPARTMENT SHALL ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR EACH DEMONSTRATION SITE WITH THE AGENCY OR ENTITY THAT HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, REFERRED TO IN THIS PART 9 AS THE "EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER". AS PART OF THE CONTRACT, THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER SHALL DETERMINE HOW BEST TO APPLY AND ALLOCATE AVAILABLE GRANT MONEYS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CLIENTS REFERRED TO IT FOR EMPLOYMENT SERVICES.

(2)  PROPOSALS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT PROJECT SHALL IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING:

(a)  THE ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AGENCIES THAT ARE COLLABORATING ON THE PROPOSAL;

(b)  THE PRIVATE OR PUBLIC AGENCY OR ENTITY THAT WILL BE AN EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER PURSUANT TO CONTRACT TO THOSE CLIENTS REFERRED BY THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT FOR EMPLOYABILITY ASSESSMENTS AND EMPLOYMENT­RELATED SERVICES;

(c)  THE TYPES OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES THAT WOULD BE OFFERED BY THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER TO CLIENTS, SUCH AS:

(I)  EMPLOYMENT ASSESSMENTS;

(II)  THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EMPLOYABILITY PLAN FOR THOSE CLIENTS WITH EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL;

(III)  TRAINING, INCLUDING SKILL AND JOB READINESS TRAINING, APPLICATION PROCESSES, AND INTERVIEWING SKILLS;

(IV)  JOB COUNSELING;

(V)  REFERRAL TO RESOURCES FOR SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AND AIDES, SUCH AS EYEGLASSES, HEARING AIDS, DENTAL WORK, AND TRANSPORTATION;

(VI)  JOB REFERRAL AND JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE;

(VII)  JOB FOLLOW­UP FUNCTIONS TO MONITOR THE SUCCESS OF JOB PLACEMENTS;

(VIII)  COLLECTION OF DATA;

(d)  HOW THE PROPOSAL WILL ASSIST DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS WITHIN THE POPULATION OF OLD AGE PENSION CLIENTS TO SEEK AND OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT;

(e)  HOW THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT, THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVIDER, AND THE OTHER ENTITIES COLLABORATING ON THE PILOT PROJECT PROPOSE TO EVALUATE THE PROJECT'S SUCCESS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO AN EXTERNAL REVIEW BY AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY OR CONTRACTING WITH A PRIVATE ENTITY FOR AN EVALUATION.

(3)  THE PILOT PROJECT SHALL COMMENCE ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 1999, AND OPERATE IN EACH DEMONSTRATION SITE FOR THREE FULL YEARS. THOSE COUNTIES THAT ARE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT PROJECT WILL RECEIVE AN ANNUAL BLOCK GRANT TO PAY FOR THE CONTRACT EXPENSES.

(4)  REFERRAL OF AN APPLICANT FOR THE OLD AGE PENSION PROGRAM TO THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVIDER SHALL NOT AFFECT THE APPLICANT'S ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS.

26­2­904.  County responsibilities. COUNTIES PARTICIPATING IN THE PILOT PROJECT SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INFORMING ALL APPLICANTS FOR THE OLD AGE PENSION PROGRAM ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SEEKING EMPLOYMENT AND MAKING THEM AWARE OF AN OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EMPLOYMENT AND SELF­SUFFICIENCY PILOT PROJECT. ALL APPLICANTS WHO EXPRESS INTEREST IN SEEKING EMPLOYMENT SHALL BE REFERRED BY THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT TO THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER FOR AN EMPLOYMENT ASSESSMENT.

26­2­905.  Repeal. THIS PART 9 IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2003.

SECTION 2.  Appropriation. In addition to any other appropriation, there is hereby appropriated, out of any moneys in the old age pension fund not otherwise appropriated, to the department of human services, office of information technology services, for the client­oriented information network, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998, the sum of twelve thousand seven hundred dollars ($12,700), or so much thereof as may be necessary, for the implementation of this act.

SECTION 3.  Future appropriations. It is the intent of the general assembly that this act be implemented in the future within existing FTE allocations and that no separate appropriations of state moneys for FTE's will be necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.

SECTION 4.   Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.