On Monday we will be celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr., with communities across the country offering an array of service and educational opportunities as well as peace walks. Here are some MLK events and resources. In line with Congress, we will take a hiatus next week for the holiday and will be back in your inbox on January 27. | |
Our new report, Recommendations to Strengthen the Impact of SNAP-Ed on Food and Nutrition Security: Perspectives from State SNAP-Ed Agency Leaders, shares policy recommendations for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Congress to support state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) teams in building more equitable and effective SNAP-Ed programs. | |
We are happy to have provided insight into the new Benefits Data Trust playbook, which helps government agencies use data sharing to improve benefits access while helping more eligible families connect to vital programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and SNAP for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Join their webinar on January 25 for an introduction to the playbook with a panel of agency leaders who will speak on the use of data sharing to improve benefit systems and facilitate access to critical assistance for eligible families. | |
Our latest Catalyst blog post by Natalie Evans Harris shares how the collection and use of data is vital to advancing racial wealth equity. The blog also introduces the launch of the Black Wealth Data Center. Their site features a searchable racial wealth equity database focusing on assets and debt, business ownership, education, employment, and homeownership within the Black community. | |
Child and Family Well-Being | |
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ACF Releases Report to Congress on 2022 State Child Welfare IV-B Expenditures
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a report to Congress that provides national totals of planned spending by service category for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services program, along with planned and actual spending by service category for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program.
Read Report
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Employment and Economic Well-Being | |
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FNS Posts Tentative Summer P-EBT Plan Template
The USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) posted its tentative summer Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) plan guidance to its P-EBT website this week. While the template is still subject to change, states can use it to start drafting their plans. States can also access a word document version of the template by asking their regional offices.
Read Guidance
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FNS Posts Guidance on Ending of Emergency Allotments
The USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) posted guidance on the end of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Emergency Allotments after February 2023, as required through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The guidance permits states to continue their current cadence of benefit issuance and clean up for their February 2023 benefits.
Read Guidance
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NPRM on TANF Funds Will Be Released April 2023
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is drafting a proposed rule that would make changes to allowable uses of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds and focus its use as a safety net and work preparation program. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) may consider changes around the use of funds, eligible families, state maintenance of effort (MOE) spending, and work flexibilities. APHSA will continue to provide updates about this rule to its members as they become available.
Read Rule
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Clarification on Eligibility of Populations Using Supporter-based Parole Program for ORR Benefits
Through Dear Colleague Letter 23-13, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has issued clarification on a previous Dear Colleague Letter, DCL 23-07. DCL 23-13 specifies the eligibility of implicated populations for ORR benefits. It also states that U.S. based supporters may initiate an online application process on behalf of eligible Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals, and their immediate family members who are outside of the United States and lack U.S. entry documents. This is done through a process resembling the supporter-based parole process utilized for Ukrainians under Uniting for Ukraine. Individuals and their families will be considered on a case-by-case basis for advanced authorization to travel to the United States for a temporary period of parole for up to two years. Cubans and Haitians may be eligible for ORR benefits as well as Social Security Numbers and work authorization. Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who successfully use this process will not be eligible for ORR benefits, though they may apply for a Social Security Number and work authorization.
Read Letter DCL 23-13
Read Letter DCL 23-07
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Afghan Humanitarian Parolees and Asylees Eligible to Receive Resettlement Assistance and Benefits
Section 2502 of Policy Letter 117-43 provides that Afghan nationals, citizens, or those who last habitually lived in Afghanistan and who are granted parole between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2022, are eligible to receive resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other benefits available to refugees. These individuals are not subject to a waiting period and are immediately eligible for benefits through March 31, 2023, or until the end of their parole term, whichever is later. Should asylum seekers be granted asylee status, they would continue to be eligible for SNAP benefits while they remain in that status and would not be subject to a waiting period. Refugees and special immigrants (SIV), including SIVs with parolee statuses, are not subject to the March 31, 2023 limitation and continue to be eligible for federal public benefits like SNAP, provided all other SNAP eligibility requirements are met.
Read Policy Letter 117-43
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Webinar - Supporting PHE Coverage and Navigating Transitions for Medicaid Populations
Join us for a webinar with Deloitte on the Public Health Emergency (PHE) Unwinding. As Medicaid agencies prepare for PHE Unwinding, there are a range of strategies that can be offered to improve access and support independence and decision-making for Medicaid recipients. This webinar will focus on key challenges and areas of the PHE Unwind that address the impact of losing Medicaid coverage and associated benefits, once the continuous coverage requirement is no longer in effect.
Wednesday, January 18, 3:00 PM EST
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Webinar - NSDTA January 2023 Show Case Series: Transfer of Learning in Today’s Training Environment
Join us for our next NSDTA Showcase Series webinar, highlighting how the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many of us to reevaluate how we train (in-person, remote, online, hybrid) and how to best support learners. This session will offer perspectives from panelists on the significant role Transfer of Learning (TOL) plays in creating lasting learning experiences. Panelists will share how their organizations effectively use TOL and explore how their TOL methodologies have (or have not) changed in this evolving training landscape.
Thursday, January 19, 3:00 PM EST
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APHSA and Prevent Child Abuse America Webinar Series on FFPSA
This February will mark five years since the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). To reflect on the impact of FFPSA, APHSA and our affinity group, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA), have partnered with Prevent Child Abuse America to host a series of webinars in 2023 that will center on FFPSA. Join us for the first webinar: Looking Back: 5 Years of Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).
Tuesday, February 7, 2:00-3:30 PM EST
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NCSEA Policy Forum
The National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) Policy Forum explores the important balance of not losing focus on child support’s historical foundation of the services provided, while embracing innovations and program evolution. The Plenary line-up will include discussion on NCSEA’s legislative proposals to congress, child support enforcement tools, and whole family economic mobility.
February 2-4, Washington, D.C.
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NASWA Winter Policy Forum
APHSA will be participating in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) federal policy reform panel at the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) Policy Forum. The Forum is a gathering for NASWA state workforce members to discuss current and developing trends in the workforce system and how they will be affected by changes occurring in the national landscape.
February 14-17, Washington, D.C.
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APHSA Career Center - Post Your Open Positions Today
APHSA serves as a clearinghouse for job opportunities throughout the health and human services (H/HS) field. Employers reach a wide audience of candidates looking for careers in H/HS and job seekers will find a bevy of opportunities throughout the country.
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