§ 1134. Program evaluation

On or before January 31 of each year, the Commissioner shall design and implement procedures to evaluate, measure, and report to the Governor and the General Assembly the Department's progress in achieving the goals of the programs provided for in sections 1002, 1102, and 1202 of this title. The report shall include:

(1) the types of barriers facing Reach Up families seeking economic self-sufficiency, the number of families with each type of barrier, the frequency of occurrence of each type of barrier, and how support services and incentives assist in overcoming barriers;

(2) documentation of participant results, including specific information relating to the number of persons employed, by occupation, industry, and wage; the types of subsidized and unsubsidized jobs secured by participants; any available information about results for children who have participated in the programs, including objective measures of improved conditions; the number of participating families involved in training programs; and whether the support services and incentives assist in keeping families employed;

(3) data about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation of households who have left the programs during the last fiscal year, including the number of households, adults, and children participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program three months after leaving the applicable program, broken down by reason for termination or leaving, and the Department's plan to identify and assist eligible households to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits;

(4) data about the enrollment of individuals who have left the programs during the last fiscal year in a Health Care Assistance Program, including the number of adults and children enrolled in a Health Care Assistance Program three months after leaving the applicable program, broken down by reason for termination or leaving, and the Department's plan to identify and assist eligible households to apply for health care assistance;

(5) a summary of all interim and final reports submitted by independent evaluation contractors to the Agency or the Department relating to the programs;

(6) a description of the work participation rates, including the method of calculating the caseload reduction credit, for the most recent federal fiscal year;

(7) a description of the current basic needs budget and housing allowance, the current maximum grant amounts, and the basic needs budget and housing allowance adjusted to reflect an annual cost-of-living increase;

(8) a description of the families, during the last fiscal year, that included an adult family member receiving financial assistance for 60 or more months in his or her lifetime, including:

(A) the number of families and the types of barriers facing these families; and

(B) the number of families that became ineligible for the Reach Up program pursuant to subsection 1108(a) of this title, and the types of income and financial assistance received by those families that did not return to the Reach Up program within 90 days of becoming ineligible; and

(9) a description of the families in the postsecondary education program pursuant to section 1122 of this title, including the number of participating families and any barriers to their further participation. (Added 1999, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. July 1, 2001; amended 2003, No. 19, § 22, eff. May 6, 2003; 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006; 2005, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 84; 2007, No. 30, § 17, eff. May 17, 2007; 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 30, eff. May 20, 2014; 2015, No. 11, § 35; 2015, No. 58, § E.323.1; 2015, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § E.323.1.)