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 mechanics matter for both families and state budgeting. "The Reach Ahead pilot program provided supports for working parents transitioning off Reach Up," Rose read from the Department for Children and Families (DCF) report submitted to the committee, noting that all families enrolled meet federal work requirements and contribute to Vermont’s work participation rate.

A single mother from Caledonia County who could not attend in person provided written testimony that committee members read aloud. She recounted using Reach Up, Reach Ahead and the post-secondary education (PSE) grant over several years and said the pilot helped her keep a full-time job by covering occasional car repairs and food needs. "This program has served to help me with paying rent, getting a car, and fixing my car, and has helped me in finding and keeping a full time job," her statement said. She also told the committee she remains unclear whether participants who enroll late in the pilot will receive the full sequence of retention payments if the pilot ends before their 24 months are complete.

Committee members and witnesses discussed program design history and federal policy context. One lawmaker explained the Reach First/Reach Ahead family of programs was created in response to federal work-participation standards (discussed during welfare policy changes around 2007) to both help families maintain employment and protect Vermont’s ability to draw down federal funds. Rose and others noted that the Reach Up monthly grant levels are low relative to estimated basic-needs costs; she said the maximum Reach Up benefit for a family of four is $976 a month, and that housing vouchers and other benefits can substantially change how that benefit is applied.

Advocates relayed implementation issues raised by participants: frequent changes in case managers, unclear communications about remaining stipends, and long waitlists for transportation assistance. Rose cited Reach Up program data showing caseload growth from 231 families in 2022 to 348 in 2024, an increase in shelter barriers from 19% in 2022 to 25% in 2024, and a 2024 wait list of 275 Reach Up participants awaiting vehicles; the program purchased 26 state-surplus vehicles in 2024 to help participants.

The committee did not take formal action on the pilot at the April 1 meeting. Members said they expect DCF to present additional pilot evaluation materials at a follow-up session scheduled for Thursday, and they flagged questions they want answered before any decision on extending or replacing the pilot: whether the appropriation covers 24-month payments for families who enroll late, the pilot’s budget breakdown, which funding streams (TANF vs. general funds) supported the pilot, and whether the department will seek statutory authority or budget language to continue the program.

Rose recommended the committee review the department’s compiled data and participant survey results when they are available. Committee members also said they would press DCF for clearer participant communications ahead of the pilot’s June 30 end date so families know whether they will receive remaining retention payments.

The meeting included brief housekeeping items after the Reach Ahead testimony, including distribution of the Developmental Disabilities Annual Report and notice that bill H.91 would be presented downstairs on Thursday.