Maine could face up to $12 million in fines over welfare-to-work rules
AUGUSTA — Maine is getting a clearer picture of how much it may have to pay of a maximum $29 million fine for failing to meet federal welfare-to-work standards from 2007 through 2014.
The state is looking at as much as $12 million in penalties for the years 2008 through 2010 because it recently failed to meet a corrective action plan that could have eliminated penalties for that period, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Patrick Fisher said in an email this week.
Such penalties would mean lost federal dollars for Maine’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program next year, which Maine would have to make up in new or existing state funds.
The federal agency has not officially informed the state that it hasn’t met the corrective action plan, and federal officials are still considering whether to reduce the figure, Fisher said. DHHS also has not decided Maine’s challenge of penalties for 2007 and other years, leaving the final financial hit unclear.
Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/09/23/maine-could-face-up-to-12-million-in-fines-over-welfare-to-work-rules/