Substitute House Bill No. 7104 seeks to amend the eligibility criteria for the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) program by allowing the Department of Social Services (DSS) to disregard specific income sources when assessing eligibility. The bill introduces provisions that enable DSS to exclude financial assistance from family members involved in approved pilot programs focused on direct cash transfers, as well as stipends from job training programs. The disregard for income from pilot programs can extend for up to 60 cumulative months, while job training stipends are disregarded for a maximum of 36 cumulative months. The bill also repeals existing language in subsection (d) of section 17b-112 and replaces it with these new criteria, while maintaining certain existing provisions, such as disregarding the first $50 of monthly child support income.

Furthermore, the bill mandates that DSS can only approve pilot programs that secure necessary waivers for federal and state benefits programs and requires the department to maintain a publicly available list of these approved programs. It also obligates DSS to inform potential participants about how their involvement in these programs may affect their eligibility for federal and state benefits. The changes outlined in the bill are set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and the bill eliminates a previous requirement for establishing a pilot program aimed at benefit cliff mitigation recommendations.