§ 26-2-701. Short Title
This part 7 shall be known and may be cited as the “Colorado Works Program Act”. Source: L. 97: Entire part added, p. 1194, § 1, effective June 3.
§ 26-2-702. Legislative Intent
The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: Passage of the federal “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996”, Pub.L. 104-193, and the federal “Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005”, Pub.L. 109-171, gives the state a unique opportunity to develop and maintain a public assistance program that emphasizes placing recipients in work […]
§ 26-2-703. Definitions
As used in this part 7, unless the context otherwise requires: Repealed. “Assistance” means any ongoing assistance payment or short-term assistance payment as those terms are described in section 26-2-706.6. (2.5) “Assistance unit” means those family members who are participants in the Colorado works program and who are receiving cash assistance. “Basic cash assistance grant” […]
§ 26-2-704. No Individual Entitlement
Nothing in this part 7 or in any rules promulgated pursuant to this part 7 shall be interpreted to create a legal entitlement in any participant to assistance provided pursuant to the works program. No county administering or implementing the works program with moneys from a county block grant as provided in section 26-2-714 may […]
§ 26-2-705. Works Program – Purposes
Effective July 1, 1997, the Colorado works program is implemented pursuant to the personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act and is intended to comply with the express requirements for participation in the TANF block grant program. Effective January 1, 2009, the Colorado works program is amended to ensure implementation in compliance with the deficit […]
§ 26-2-706. Target Populations
Subject to the provisions of this section and restrictions in the federal law, those persons or families who may receive assistance under the Colorado works program include: Dependent children under the age of eighteen; Dependent children between the ages of eighteen and nineteen who are full-time students in a secondary school, home school, or in […]
§ 26-2-706.5. Restrictions on Length of Participation
Unless cash assistance is provided through segregated funds pursuant to federal law and section 26-2-714, as of June 3, 1997, each month of cash assistance received by an assistance unit that includes a specified caretaker who has received assistance under Title IV-A of the social security act, as amended, shall count toward that specified caretaker’s […]
§ 26-2-706.6. Payments and Services Under Colorado Works – Rules
Subject to the provisions of federal law, rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to this section, and available appropriations, the payment types and services specified in this section are available to participants in the Colorado works program. Ongoing assistance payment. An assistance unit that applies and is eligible for ongoing assistance shall, unless voluntarily […]
§ 26-2-707.5. Community Resources Investment Assistance
A county department may use county block grant moneys to invest in the development of community resources that support the purposes of the federal “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act”, Public Law 104-193, and that are designed to assist eligible applicants or participants under section 26-2-706 or 26-2-706.6. An eligible applicant or participant may […]
§ 26-2-707.7. Information Concerning Immunization of Children
At the time of application for the works program, the county department shall provide information concerning immunizations to all applicants, including the exemptions listed in section 25-4-903, C.R.S. The information shall include parent education on vaccines and information concerning where to access vaccines in the local community. The department of public health and environment or […]
§ 26-2-708. Assistance – Assessment – Individual Responsibility Contract – Waivers for Domestic Violence
Subject to the provisions of the federal law, the provisions of this section, and available appropriations, a county department shall perform an assessment for a new participant who is eighteen years of age or older, or who is sixteen years of age or older but has not yet attained the age of eighteen years of […]
§ 26-2-709. Benefits – Cash Assistance – Programs – Rules
Standard of need – basic cash assistance grant. The state department shall promulgate rules determining the standard of need for eligibility for a basic cash assistance grant, whether an applicant or participant meets the standard of need, and the amount of the basic cash assistance grant. In addition to any other rules necessary for the […]
§ 26-2-709.5. Exit Interviews and Follow-Up Interviews of Participants
In order to follow the legislative intent declared in section 26-2-702 (1)(a), a county department is strongly encouraged to conduct exit and follow-up interviews upon case closure, either in person or by telephone, with all participants of the Colorado works program, including participants who are or have been receiving short-term assistance payments pursuant to section […]
§ 26-2-710. Administrative Review
The state department shall promulgate rules for an administrative review process. All decisions of the state department shall be binding upon the county department involved and shall be complied with by such county department. If a participant does not agree with or fails to participate in a program or service identified in the IRC, the […]
§ 26-2-711. Works Program – Sanctions Against Participants – Rules
The state board shall promulgate rules for the imposition of sanctions affecting the basic cash assistance grant as described in section 26-2-709 (1). The rules shall require: Imposition of sanctions upon a participant who fails, without good cause as determined by the county, to comply with the terms and conditions of his or her IRC; […]
§ 26-2-712. State Department Duties – Authority
Plan submission. The state department shall submit and amend as necessary a plan to the secretary of the federal department of health and human services that is consistent with the provisions of this part 7 and federal law. County block grant allocation. The state department shall allocate the amount of moneys that shall be provided […]
§ 26-2-713. State Maintenance of Effort
The general assembly shall make annual appropriations from state funds for the works program which, together with the expenditures made by counties under the works program, shall be applied toward the state’s maintenance of historic effort as specified in section 409 (a)(7) of the social security act. Source: L. 97: Entire part added, p. 1208, […]
§ 26-2-714. County Block Grants Formula – Use of Moneys – Rules
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2008, p. 1967 , § 15, effective January 1, 2009.) (1.5) Moneys appropriated by the general assembly to the county block grant line shall remain appropriated and available to counties pursuant to the procedures specified in this section. Subject to available appropriations, in state fiscal year 2009-10 and in each fiscal […]
§ 26-2-714.5. Adjusted Work Participation Rate – Notification – County Authorization – Career and Technical Education
As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, “federal credit” means the caseload reduction credit as calculated pursuant to 45 CFR 261.40 or any employment credit, caseload reduction credit, or other credit against such rate for a fiscal year that may be subsequently adopted by the federal government. The state department shall notify […]
§ 26-2-715. Performance Contracts
Each county, either acting singly or with a group of counties, shall enter into an annual performance contract with the state department that shall identify the county’s or group of counties’ duties and responsibilities in implementing the works program and the Colorado child care assistance program, described in part 8 of this article. The performance […]