COBI 2015 - Refugee Assistance

Overview
Issues
Performance
Background
Financials

Sources Uses

FY 2016 Appropriation

Refugees enter the United States with just the belongings they can carry and any employable education and skills they may possess. The Refugee Resettlement Program is for the effective resettlement of refugees and to assist them in achieving economic self-sufficiency within the shortest possible time after entrance to the State through employment and acculturation by use of coordinated support services and cash/medical assistance.

Funding History

Appropriation Overview

During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $8,132,900 from all sources for Refugee Assistance. This is a 21.2 percent reduction from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources.

Appropriation Adjustments

In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:

DescriptionOngoingOne-Time Supplemental Fed Funds Adj - Workforce Services$0$2,188,600

OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source

$0$2,188,600Federal Funds

Supplemental Federal Funds Request The FY 2015 supplemental federal funds request of $14,438,600 for the Department of Workforce Services was inadvertently excluded from the "Federal Funds Department of Workforce Services" Issue Brief. As a result, the supplemental request was not included in the Social Services Subcommittee motion #1C which authorized the use of federal funds for the department. The FY 2015 supplemental federal funds amount was included on page 4 of the "Workforce Services TANF Funds" Issue Brief which was reviewed by the Social Services Subcommittee during the base budget review. In addition, the department's planned increase in TANF spending for FY 2015 has been discussed several times in interim subcommittee meetings. We respectfully request the Executive Appropriations Committee consider a motion authorizing the use of the supplemental federal funds for FY 2015 for the Department of Workforce Services. The breakout for the supplemental federal funds request is shown below. Detail Breakout To Department of Workforce Services - Operations and Policy (NJBA) From Federal Funds 14,438,600 Schedule of Programs: Eligibility Services (NJP) 5,054,000 Refugee Assistance (NJG) 2,188,600 Temporary Assistance to Needy Facilities (NJF) 7,196,000

Staff Analysis

For the most recent completed fiscal year, the following information represents the purposes for which the money was used:

Refugee Assistance Detailed Purposes

Average Hourly Wage of Those Employed Full-time

Entered Employment Full-time or Part-time

Statute

UCA 35A-3-103(9) states that the division shall "provide refugee resettlement services."

The Refugee program provides cash and medical assistance to:

newly arriving refugees;
new asylees; and
certified victims of human trafficking.

Eligibility: Eligibility is need-based and may only be used within the first eight months of:

arrival;
being granted asylum; or
certification as a trafficking victim.

An individual must not be receiving other federal public cash assistance, such as the Family Employment Program (FEP). An individual must also meet with an employment counselor to develop an employment plan and participate in the plan activities, which may include job skills training, employment, English language training, or applying for Social Security Disability (if disabled).

Intent Language

HB0003: Item 84

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code the Legislature intends that up to $3,100,000 of the appropriations provided for the Operation and Policy line item in Item 30 of Chapter 13 Laws of Utah 2014 not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to computer equipment and software and one-time projects associated with addressing client services due to caseload growth or refugee services.

HB0003: Item 84

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code the Legislature intends that up to $2,500,000 of the appropriations provided for the Operation and Policy line item in Item 75 of Chapter 282 Laws of Utah 2014 for the Special Administrative Expense Account not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any non-lapsing funds is limited to employment development projects and activities or one-time projects associated with client services.

SB0002: Item 77

All General Funds appropriated to the Department of Workforce Services - Operations and Policy line item are contingent upon expenditures from Federal Funds - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1, 111th United States Congress) not exceeding amounts appropriated from Federal Funds - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in all appropriation bills passed for Fiscal Year 2016. If expenditures in the Operations and Policy line item from Federal Funds - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act exceed amounts appropriated to the Operations and Policy line item from Federal Funds - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Fiscal Year 2016, the Division of Finance shall reduce the General Fund allocations to the Operations and Policy line item by one dollar for every one dollar in Federal Funds - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expenditures that exceed Federal Funds - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriations.

SB0002: Item 77

The Legislature intends the Department of Workforce Services and the Administrative Offices of the Courts provide a report to the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst no later than September 1, 2015. The report shall include, at a minimum: 1) a summary of efforts to improve coordination between the Drug Court program and DWS' Workforce Development Division in order to improve Drug Court success, 2) data indicating the success of the efforts including the implementation and reporting on measures of post program recidivism, and 3) any identified savings or additional funding of drug court recipients as a result of improved coordination efforts.

SB0002: Item 77

The Legislature intends that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriation provided for the Operations and Policy line item is limited to one-time projects associated with Unemployment Insurance modernization.

SB0003: Item 17

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that up to $2,000,000 of savings above $7,392,800 from savings from Savings from Higher Federal Match Rate not lapse at the close of FY 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to upgrading technology and phone systems to voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) in FY 2016.

SB0003: Item 17

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that up to $350,000 of savings above $753,500 from savings from Affordable Care Act Mandatory Changes not lapse at the close of FY 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to upgrading technology and phone systems to voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) in FY 2016.

SB0003: Item 17

The Legislature intends that the $100,000 in Beginning Nonlapsing provided to the Department of Workforce Services - Operations and Policy line item is dependent upon up to $100,000 funds not otherwise designated as nonlapsing to the Workforce Services - Housing and Community Development line item being retained as nonlapsing in FY 2015.

SB0003: Item 17

The $5,000 in federal funds appropriated for the Weber County Youth Impact program in Department of Workforce Services in the Operations and Policy line item is dependent upon the availability of and qualification for the the Weber County Youth Impact program for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal funds.

SB0003: Item 17

The $30,000 in federal funds appropriated for the Weber County Youth Impact program in Department of Workforce Services in the Operations and Policy line item is dependent upon the availability of and qualification for the the Weber County Youth Impact program for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal funds.

SB0003: Item 125

SB0007S01: Item 8

The Legislature intends the Department of Workforce Services provide to the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst no later than September 1, 2015 a detailed report on its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reserve amount including the current balance and any uses of the reserve since the 2015 General Session or planned and projected uses of the reserve in the future.

SB0007S01: Item 8

The Legislature intends that the Department of Workforce Services report on the following performance measures for the Operations and Policy line item: (1) Labor Exchange - Total job placements (Target = 50,000 placements per calendar quarter), (2) TANF Recipients - positive closure rate (Target = 70% per calendar month), and (3) Eligibility Services - internal review compliance accuracy (Target = 95%) by January 1, 2016 to the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

SB0007S01: Item 20

Refugee assistance is primarily funded with federal grants. The following four federal grants provide funding for refugee services:

Refugee Social Services: Social service funds are distributed nationally on a formula basis based on the number of recent refugee and entrant arrivals both nationally and to each state;
Refugee Cash/Medical Assistance: Refugees typically enter the United States with just the belongings they can carry and any employable education and skills they may possess. The Refugee Resettlement Program is for the effective resettlement of refugees and to assist them in achieving economic self-sufficiency within the shortest possible time after entrance to the State through employment and acculturation by use of coordinated support services and cash/medical assistance - funds are used for the provision of time-limited financial assistance (Refugee Cash Assistance) and time-limited medical assistance (Refugee Medical Assistance);
Refugee Targeted Assistance: Funds are used for case management and employment support services for refugees in the Salt Lake and Davis County areas due to the high refugee concentration and the high utilization of federal assistance by refugees in these counties. Counties across the nation are evaluated periodically to establish counties with high concentrations of refugees and determine the top 50 counties in need of additional assistance. Funds are distributed on a formula basis based on the number of recent refugee and entrant arrivals both nationally and to each county or statistical area being considered; and
Refugee Discretionary Grants: Funds are awarded to States through a competitive evaluation of projects submitted for specific grant purposes identified by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Federal Refugee Grant Awards

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Funding Source

Expenditure Category

Appropriation Type:

Appropriation History by

Sources of Finance	FY11 Actual	FY12 Actual	FY13 Actual	FY14 Actual	FY15 Approp	FY15 Change	FY15 Revised	FY16 Change	FY16 Approp
General Fund	0	46,600	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Federal Funds	6,430,500	6,776,000	7,786,500	7,904,900	11,670,000	(1,374,500)	10,295,500	(2,188,600)	8,106,900
Dedicated Credits Revenue	0	0	0	26,000	0	26,000	26,000	0	26,000
Beginning Nonlapsing	46,500	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	$6,477,000	$6,822,600	$7,786,500	$7,930,900	$11,670,000	($1,348,500)	$10,321,500	($2,188,600)	$8,132,900

Show Table | Show Additional Information

Categories of Expenditure	FY11 Actual	FY12 Actual	FY13 Actual	FY14 Actual	FY15 Approp	FY15 Change	FY15 Revised	FY16 Change	FY16 Approp
Current Expense	212,900	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other Charges/Pass Thru	6,264,100	6,822,600	7,786,500	8,132,900	11,670,000	(1,348,500)	10,321,500	(2,188,600)	8,132,900
Total	$6,477,000	$6,822,600	$7,786,500	$8,132,900	$11,670,000	($1,348,500)	$10,321,500	($2,188,600)	$8,132,900

COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.