The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is providing assistance through county departments of job and family services (CDJFS) to victims of hurricane Katrina evacuating to Ohio. The Office of Family Stability has issued a separate memo (Family Stability Letter No. 38, dated September 9, 2005) to counties detailing the Hurricane Katrina Evacuee Assistance Programs: the TANF Evacuee Cash Program; the Non TANF Evacuee Cash Program; and the TANF Evacuee Support Services Program.

Under the newly created Hurricane Evacuee Assistance Programs, families may qualify for $1,500 in disaster assistance funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. In order to be eligible for TANF assistance money, families must include a minor child, or pregnant woman, and be from a hurricane affected area. Single individuals may be eligible for $500 in state funded assistance through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Expenditures related to services for evacuees of hurricane Katrina must be reported on the JFS 02827 report using the following program codes:

Additional types of assistance that may be available to hurricane victims who evacuate to Ohio include Medicaid, food stamp benefits issued under Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) guidance and policy for hurricane evacuees, assistance through the Prevention, Retention and Contingency program, and cash assistance through Ohio Works First.

Until further notice, administrative expenditures related to evacuees of hurricane Katrina will not be identified by separate codes on the Social Services Random Moment Sample (SSRMS) or Income Maintenance Random Moment Sample (IMRMS) time studies. Effective with the all county memo, Tracking Staff Time Spent Administering Hurricane Evacuee Assistance Programs, dated September 13, 2005, agencies providing services to hurricane Katrina evacuees were instructed to record these services according to the appropriate program and class codes currently listed on the Random Moment Sample (RMS) observation forms and indicate in the comments section of the RMS observation form that the service was evacuee related. For all such RMS hits, the RMS Coordinator will enter the date, affected cost pool, observation number and the identifying number on the attached Hurricane Evacuee Assistance Tracking Spreadsheet. The Hurricane Evacuee Assistance Tracking Spreadsheet will be submitted to ODJFS according to the instructions on the form. The RMS Coordinator will also enter the standard RMS information into the RMS system. In the event that supplementary federal funding becomes available, the spreadsheet will be utilized in the reconciliation of RMS information by ODJFS.

For the RMS observation quarter that begins on December 1, 2006, additional hurricane Katrina related RMS program codes may be added to the SSRMS and IMRMS.

Questions regarding this administrative procedure may be directed to your local fiscal supervisor or to the Bureau of County Finance and Technical Assistance by calling (614) 752 9194.