Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Morales
SYNOPSIS
Requires DHS to establish program to assist children with incarcerated non-custodial parents in enrolling in safety net programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning enrollment in safety net programs and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Human Services, in collaboration with county welfare agencies, shall establish an enrollment and outreach program focused on assisting any New Jersey child, with an incarcerated non-custodial parent, in enrolling in safety net programs for which the child or the childs custodial parent or guardian may be eligible.
b. In order to effectuate the goal of the program, the department, at a minimum, shall:
(1) collaborate with the Department of Corrections, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and any other applicable public agency to identify any child in the State, up to and including the age of 18, whose non-custodial parent is or will be incarcerated;
(2) contact, at a minimum, the custodial parent or guardian of a child identified in paragraph (1) of this subsection no less than on three occasions, using as many means of contact as are available to the department, with the department contacting the parent or guardian in writing on at least one occasion. During each contact, the custodial parent or guardian of the child shall be informed of: the various benefits and services offered through the safety net programs administered by the department; the eligibility requirements of each program; the methods in which the custodial parent or guardian may apply for the programs, including the physical location and hours of operation of the local county welfare agency; a contact phone number and e-mail address which the custodial parent or guardian may use to ask questions or seek guidance on enrollment at a later time, and referrals to any programs administered by a State agency other than the department that may provide services or benefits useful to the child or the custodial parent or guardian of the child; and
(3) track any applications for safety net programs submitted under this section and expedite the processing of these applications such that a determination is provided to the custodial parent or guardian within 30 days of submission.
c. As used in this section:
County welfare agency means that agency of county government, which is charged with the responsibility for determining eligibility for safety net programs. The term county welfare agency includes, but is not limited to, agencies that may be locally known as the Board of Social Services; the Department of Citizen Services; Division of Welfare; the Division of Social Services; the Division of Temporary Assistance and Social Services; or the Department of Family and Community Development.
Safety net programs mean any program administered through the Department of Human Services which is authorized to provide assistance and services to needy persons, including but not limited to: the New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program established pursuant to the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, Pub.L.110-246 (7 U.S.C. s.2011 et seq.); the Work First New Jersey program established pursuant to P.L.1997, c.38 (C.44:10-55 et seq.); the NJ FamilyCare program established pursuant to P.L.2005, c.156 (C.30:4J-8 et al.); and the Child Care Subsidy Program.
2. The Commissioner of Human Services, pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill directs the Department of Human Services (department), in collaboration with county welfare agencies, to establish an enrollment and outreach program focused on assisting any New Jersey child, with an incarcerated non-custodial parent, in enrolling in safety net programs for which the child or the childs custodial parent or guardian may be eligible. As used in the bill, safety net program means any program administered through the department, which is authorized to provide assistance and services to needy persons, such as the New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Work First New Jersey, the NJ FamilyCare program, and the Child Care Subsidy Program.
In order to effectuate the goal of the program, the department, at a minimum, is required to: 1) collaborate with the Department of Corrections, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and any other applicable public agency to identify any child in the State, up to and including the age of 18, whose non-custodial parent is or will be incarcerated; 2) contact, at a minimum, the custodial parent or guardian of such a child no less than on three occasions, using as many means of contact as are available to the department, with the department contacting the parent or guardian in writing on at least one occasion. During each contact, the custodial parent or guardian of the child is to be informed of the various benefits and services offered through the safety net programs administered by the department; the eligibility requirements of each program; the methods in which the custodial parent or guardian may apply for the programs, including the physical location and hours of operation of the local county welfare agency; a contact phone number and e-mail address which the custodial parent or guardian may use to ask questions or seek guidance on enrollment at a later time; and referrals to any program administered by a State agency other than the department that may provide services or benefits useful to the child or the custodial parent or guardian of the child; and 3) track any applications for safety net programs submitted under the program and expedite the processing of these applications such that a determination is provided to the custodial parent or guardian within 30 days of submission.