Legislative oversight committee hears Reach Ahead update; pilot set to end June 30, members request data

The Legislature's Oversight and Accountability Committee on Thursday heard an update from the Vermont Department for Children and Families on Reach Up and the Reach Ahead pilot, including program funding, benefit design and outstanding evaluation questions. Deputy Commissioner Miranda Graham and Benefits Program Administrator Melissa Bocash told lawmakers the Reach Ahead pilot — enacted July 1, 2023 — ends June 30 and that the department is continuing to analyze program data.

Graham said Reach Up is Vermont’s program under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) framework and described how TANF funding is used across state programs. “Reach Up is Vermont’s Temporary Assistance to Needed Families program,” Graham said, adding that the department is monitoring possible federal changes that could affect allowable uses of funds.

The committee heard that the Reach Ahead pilot served roughly 373 households per month in state fiscal year 2024 and that the pilot layered enhancements on the existing Reach Ahead benefit. Under the pilot, benefit levels increased to as much as $100 for six months and $50 thereafter for up to 24 months; the pilot also provided tiered work‑incentive payments ($750 at six months, $1,000 at 12 months, $1,000 at 18 months and $1,000 at 24 months) and paid for two limited‑service case manager positions and one assistant administrator to support the workload.

The department provided cost figures: the regular Reach Ahead allocation for state fiscal year 2023 was $116,860 and served about 253 families that year; the regular allocation for state fiscal year 2024 was $226,203. The pilot was funded with a two‑year appropriation of $2,000,000 to cover the increased work‑support payments and additional administrative costs. Graham told the committee it currently appears the department will not expend the full $2,000,000 by the pilot end date.

Lawmakers pressed on evaluation methods and outcomes. Several members asked whether the pilot demonstrably improved employment retention or other long‑term outcomes. Graham acknowledged limits in the department’s ability to draw causal conclusions because the pilot was not run with a control group. “We don’t have evidence that says that one way or another,” Graham said when asked whether the pilot caused participants to retain employment longer.

Instead of a randomized control design, the department relied largely on participant surveys and administrative records. Graham said the department sent 256 surveys in state fiscal year 2024 and received 201 returns. Survey questions included both check‑all‑that‑apply items and open‑ended prompts about how participants used work‑support payments and whether incentives affected their employment or housing stability.

Committee members asked for additional, specific follow‑up information. The committee requested that DCF provide by the first of next week: a copy of the survey instrument, a summary of the survey responses, the notices sent to participants about the pilot’s end, an estimate of the pilot funds remaining, and a cost estimate to pay the full pilot benefits for the families who remain enrolled beyond June 30. Those requests were recorded during the meeting and the department agreed to supply the documents.

Members also asked for breakdowns that could clarify which subgroups benefited most — for example single‑parent households versus two‑parent households — and whether childcare subsidies or other supports changed the incentives the pilot provided. Graham said the department plans further analysis but may be limited by how federal reporting categories are structured and by the lack of a contemporaneous comparison group.

Several legislators noted the policy stakes: Reach Ahead counts in Vermont’s federal work participation rate (WPR), and including Reach Ahead participants has historically helped the state meet federal targets for two‑parent and all‑family calculations. Graham explained that even without Reach Ahead, Vermont meets the overall WPR target, but Reach Ahead makes a larger difference in the two‑parent calculation.

With the pilot scheduled to expire June 30, the department is completing the final months of data collection and analysis. Graham told the committee the department will compile the remaining program data and survey results after the pilot closes and use that information to inform any future budget or legislative requests.

The committee concluded the review without taking formal legislative action; members asked for the follow‑up materials to support deliberations on whether to continue, modify or end the pilot program.