Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-92
Section 467 - Powers and duties of department(a) Within ninety days of the effective date of this subarticle, the secretary shall submit to the appropriate Federal agency a request for any and all waivers of Federal law and regulations and for any other approvals by the Federal Government necessary for the implementation of this subarticle for an initial demonstration period of three years. It shall be the obligation of the secretary to enter into good faith negotiations with the appropriate Federal officials and to make every effort to obtain the necessary Federal waivers and approvals.(b) The department and the County Board of Assistance from an area participating in the demonstration program shall be responsible for making the AFDC eligibility determinations and budget computations necessary for the implementation of the provisions of section 464.(c) The department shall obtain the necessary school attendance information at the initial eligibility determination and shall review the school attendance information at all subsequent eligibility determination reviews.(d) The department shall disqualify for AFDC benefits any parent, guardian or otherwise qualified individual who fails to cooperate with or hinders the department in obtaining or reviewing school attendance enrollment information.(e) The department shall provide to each participating school district, on a monthly basis, a list of all AFDC recipients under nineteen years of age who are residing in that school district.(f) The department shall establish procedures to provide hearings for persons aggrieved by the provisions of this subarticle. These hearings shall be conducted under the provisions of 2 Pa.C.S. (relating to administrative law and procedure).(g) On or before September 15 following the first school year of the implementation of this subarticle and on or before that date in each succeeding year of the demonstration program, the department shall provide a report covering the preceding school and fiscal year to the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives for distribution to members of the General Assembly. The report shall provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of the demonstration program in meeting its stated purposes. The annual report shall contain, but not be limited to, the following information, provided for each geographic area participating in the demonstration program, with the relevant school districts delineated:(1) The number of AFDC recipients affected by the demonstration program who receive a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma, beginning with the school year preceding the implementation of this subarticle and every year thereafter.(2) The number of AFDC recipients who continue to receive public assistance as a result of their participation in the demonstration program under section 464, beginning with the first school year of the implementation of this subarticle and every year thereafter.(3) The number of AFDC recipients who become ineligible for AFDC assistance as a result of section 464 during the first year of implementation of this subarticle and each year thereafter, together with the average length of time of their ineligibility and the amounts of Federal and State funds that would have been spent had these persons remained otherwise eligible for participation in AFDC, and the amount of State funds for general assistance spent to provide cash assistance to such persons during each fiscal year.(4) An overall statement of the progress of the demonstration program during the preceding year, along with recommendations for improvement.(h) Within sixty days after any necessary Federal waiver approval, the department shall promulgate regulations necessary to effectuate the provisions of this subarticle, except for the provisions of sections 468 and 469.(i) The department shall conduct a three-year comprehensive review of the demonstration program.1967, June 13, P.L. 31, No. 21, art. 4, § 467, added 1994, June 16, P.L. 319, No. 49, § 9, effective in 60 days.