Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Reach Ahead Pilot as June 2025 End Date Nears

Lawmakers on the House Health Services committee heard detailed testimony April 1 about Vermont’s Reach Ahead pilot, a two-year program intended to help families transition from the state’s Reach Up benefits to steady employment. Amy Rose, policy director with Voices for Vermont’s Children, told the committee the pilot offers increased food benefits, car and work supports, and scheduled job-retention payments that aim to keep families employed while they build financial stability.

The pilot began in July 2023 and is scheduled to end June 30, 2025, according to Rose’s testimony. She noted the pilot provides job-retention payments of $750 to $1,000 at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of maintained employment and that participants receive an increased food stipend during the 24-month enrollment window. Rose said the program was funded through an appropriation she recalled as $2,000,000 in one-time funds; committee members later referenced a departmental slide that listed about $2,800,000 in related figures and noted Vermont’s TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) block grant is $47,000,000.

The pilot’s goals and…