Summer 2005
Below are my notes from the training on April 22,
2002. This information is still current.
I
have tried to summarize what I heard. I do have a number of ASPIRE and PaS
booklets in my office. If you want
these booklets, just let me know and I’ll get you one.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Jim
Peacock
Presented by the Maine Equal
Justice Partners
626-7058 www.mejp.org
Role:
Work in the legislature and the courts
to give low-income Maine people an effective voice on issues they care about.
Parents as Scholars recipients receive the same amount of grant assistance as
ASPIRE families and the same support services.
Presenters: Chris Rusnov & Rebekah Smith
ASPIRE-
Must be TANF recipients (Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families) *used to be called AFDC.
All of our students who say they are on ASPIRE, should be in the PaS
Program if they are in a DEGREE program.
(The benefit to being in PaS as opposed to ASPIRE is that it doesn't count
against a person in terms of the federal five-year time limit on benefits.
Maine doesn't have a five-year limit per se, but some things do change
after five years, so being in PaS just avoids this pitfalls after five years.)
PaS:
Parents as Scholars
assists students in paying for CLOTHES, CAR REPAIRS, CAR INSURANCE, TOOLS, DENTAL,
(only if not covered by Medicaid and necessary to
alleviate pain or take employment), EYE CARE,
(if not covered by Medicaid), CHILD CARE, TRANSPORTATION, BOOKS
& SUPPLIES. (only if student does
not have excess grant money after tuition and fees paid).
Each of these categories has an annual or lifetime limit on expenditures.
Tuition is available in very limited circumstances.
Students must be unable to get other educational funding due to poor
credit. They still need to apply
for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) first.
For every hour a student is in class, they are allotted 1 ½ hours of
study time allotted for each hour of class. Most students would take 12
credits and then allot 18 hours of study time (30 hours/week).
They can transfer to a bachelor’s degree after KVCC.
*Summer: students need to
be considered full time. Whatever
KVCC calls full-time should be the standard.
1 or 2 courses is fine. They
do NOT need to take 4 classes in the summer!
If financial aid does NOT cover summer classes, ASPIRE should be able to
pay for the classes as long as the
caseworker feels that to not pay would create a substantial barrier for the
student in obtaining his or her employment goal OR would result in higher costs
to ASPIRE in the long run if they did not pay for the summer classes.
Students can ask for a "Fair Hearing" if they disagree with any
decision their caseworker makes.
Brochures on the PaS program and on ASPIRE – TANF are
available.
If you would like
one, please contact me (
Jim Peacock
453-5082) and I will arrange to get you one. The two brochures handed out are
also available on line at
www.mejp.org
Understanding ASPIRE – TANF
www.mejp.org/page105mejp.html
Parents as Scholars (PaS)
www.mejp.org/page2mejp.html
Also,
DHS rules are on line at
www.state.me.us/sos/cec/rcn/apa/10/chaps10.htm
--The second presentation follows
below--
TAA/TRA
AUGUSTA CAREER CENTER
Presenter: Kim Gray.
872-5516 ext 225 or 1-800-760-1573
TAA/TRA
All of our
students who receive TAA generally receive TRA.
TAA:
Trade Adjustment Assistance. This is the training component.
TRA:
This is the unemployment portion of the program.
* TAA is for companies that laid off people or closed
due to international competition or foreign imports.
Covers tuition, fees, books, etc. needed for training + mileage if
distance is more than they traveled to their work. TAA students need to be attending a minimum of 12 credits in
fall/spring unless they are at the end of their training and it could be less.
It would be whatever they had left for credits to complete in their
program. TAA will not pay for
courses that are not a part of their required degree.
They are also required by law to apply for financial aid each year.
Some TAA students have attendance forms that need to be filled out weekly
and signed by a faculty member verifying that they attended school that week.
Summer students need to take two classes in the summer and they
need to make sure they cannot take a leave from school for more than 14 business
days. This means they must be in
school BOTH SUMMER SESSIONS or they lose their unemployment.
* CAREERCENTERS are located in Skowhegan, Augusta and Waterville for this
area, and are equipped with lots of
information/books for all aspects of job searching/resume and cover letter writing.
The Career Centers also have computers available for the public with WinWay Resume, Internet,
Mavis Beacon, MS Word, Choices, CareerScope, and Labor Market Information.
Students can register with Labor Exchange to search for jobs and meet with
a job
counselor personally.
Jim/advisor/training/funding
sources for students
