2020 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Statewide Virtual Training Conference

This workshop will provide an overview of immigrant eligibility for major public benefits programs and will provide the latest updates on recent proposals to restrict immigrant access to public benefits, including recent changes to public charge and sponsor deeming policies.

Benefits available to veterans from VA can be extremely helpful. However, the process of applying for, and appealing denials of, these benefits, is a daunting administrative process. During this training, we will address how to navigate VA processes, elements of a claim, medical evidence, and best, practical strategies to advocate for and represent veterans.

DHS spent over a year working on a redesign of its TANF and SNAP E & T programs. Basically, these changes abandon the "work first" approach, and it's emphasis on rapid attachment to the work force, and instead focus on assessment, barrier removal, and education/training. Most of these changes are being implemented through modifications to the contracts with EARN programs. In addition, the Work Ready program has been repurposed to focus solely on Extended TANF families. These changes went into effect on July 1, 2020. In this session we will talk in more detail about the programmatic changes as well as various E & T policy changes intended to facilitate the revamp. The COVID pandemic has impacted both the ability of clients to participate in E & T activities and the manner in which they participate. E & T providers are attempting to serve clients remotely, which raises numerous issues that we will explore in the session.

Congress several years ago reauthorized the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. The Reauthorization included numerous family friendly changes to eligibility requirements for subsidized child care, which DHS and OCDEL are still in the process of implementing.

In this session we will review these important changes. We will also cover child care subsidy eligibility, including "doors to child care," i.e., who is served by each of PA's three subsidized child care programs - TANF, SNAP, and ELRC (formerly CCIS) - as well as how and under what circumstances parents can transition from one program to another.

Child care programs have been severely impacted by the COVID pandemic, which has affected both the supply and the capacity of providers to serve children. This at a time when there will be greater demands for child care as many schools are relying on distance learning as part of their plans to reopen safely. The session will include discussion of these issues.