Question. Has the Department initiated any new Fish/Wilson Demonstration projects in fiscal year 1991? What steps have been taken to make it easier to states, localities and voluntary agencies to develop and implement alternative refugee resettlement models through the Fish/Wilson demonstration process? Answer. One project in San Diego which was approved in FY 1990, has been implemented in FY 1991. The Department has been talking with two other interested parties, the county of Los Angeles and the State of Washington. The Department has made every effort to make the application process easier. It has responded to every contact from every group expressing interest in a Fish/Wilson demonstration project, and has consulted fully with each one to assure that the applicant has a workable concept and has assisted applicants in reaching the agreements needed locally and with state governments. These more consultative procedures are expected to be codified in a new public announcement in FY 1992. Question. Would you please provide for the Subcommittee a breakdown of allocations under the state administered Cash and Medical Assistance program. How much was allocated for the various priority categories within the account. Answer: The table below provides this information. MARCN 21, 1991 REFUGEE PROGRAM GA СМ oo STATE AFDC RCA 22,000 0 150,000 0 38.000 0 0 597 617,728 6,651 25,439 2,352,953 457.522 387.059 99,171 2,736,913 76,712 329,873 455,327 155,000 139,445 343, 165 $26.414 6,166, 27 360 242,426 687, 137 5,900,000 6.3, 150 000 000 $71, 124 $53,415 776,046 0 3.770,597 0 13,270 WISCONSIN 182,067 1.275.760 WTONING 0 35.000 TOTAL 15,206,307 86,566,780 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 SSI TITLE XIX RMA 0 63,000 51.000 0 0 0 94,047 70,000 230.042 528.744 0 40, 608 77.919 170,000 0 73,024 0 288,524 0 26.000 25,000 0 1,663,706 10,569,761 62,005, 026 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000 MI NORS ST. ADM. CASE MAN. TOTAL 75,000 71,696 231,696 900,000 210,642 2.800,662 167,761 14,573,296 25,000,000 37.672,006 1,853,908 1,872,017 66,651 771,876 004,536 297,269 9,370,958 149,896 2,200,000 1.050,000 371,343 459,629 507.045 1,906,8 12,551, 703 3,721,215 7,517,079 633,855 1.153.175 221,939 302,960 411, 496 517, 155 2,356, 158 395, TT 1,031, 736 574,043 3,675.440 360,455 2,873,953 5.516,862 5,279, 133 290,902 219,555 118.952 416,911 3,416, 152 743, 598 537.800 3, 104, 127 9,239,958 37,270 2.858.00 0 10. 198 70, 198 0 29,824,319 23.751,246 0 229,567,385 000000000000000000000000000000000000 oooooooooooo Question. What has been the largest area of growth within the Cash/Medical assistance program? Answer. The special programs of refugee cash assistance (RCA) and refugee medical assistance (RMA) for needy refugees who do not meet the categorical eligibility requirements for AFDC, Medicaid, and SSI have experienced the largest growth in cash and medical assistance. Question. Would you please outline briefly the present status of refugee dependency rates. What is the average dependency rate for eligible refugees? To what degree do dependency rates vary from State to State? Answer. As of September 30, 1989, the dependency rate of refugees who had arrived in the United States during the previous 24 months was 48.5 percent. Rates have varied greatly from State to State throughout the refugee program. The table below provides State-by-State figures. FSA is not able to provide comparable dependency rates for September 30, 1990, because the Federal refugee funding period for AFDC, Medicaid, and SSI was reduced from 24 months to four months in January 1990 and to zero months in September 1990. Consequently, the data collected on refugees receiving assistance under these programs are no longer comparable. Cash Assistance Dependency Among Timo-Eligible Relugees September 30, 1989, and September 30, 1988 lowa 1,132 390 250 22.1% 867 354 1.232 150 311 67 129 17.3% 29.2% 18.9% 10.5% Cash Assistance Dependency Among Time-Eligible Relugees September 30, 1989, and September 30, 1988 Total 187,987 91,166 48.5% 146,768 76,411 52.1% . al Caseload data derived from the Quarterly Performance Reports, or QPRs (Form ORR-6), are submitted by 49 States (Alaska does not a b/ California's cash assistance data include 35,528 recipients participat ing in the State's Refugee Demonstration Project (RDP) as of 9/30/89. c/ California's cash assistance data include 29,816 recipients participat ing in the State's Refugee Demonstration Project (RDP) as of 9/30/88. d/ Oregon's cash assistance data include 652 recipients participating in the State's Refugee Early Employment Project (REEP) as of 9/30/89. el Oregon's cash assistance data include 278 recipients participating in the State's Refugee Early Employment Project (REEP) as of 9/30/88. QUESTIONS SUBMITTTED BY SENATOR WARREN RUDMAN The FY 92 request for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is $585 million below the FY 1991 appropriation, including amounts provided in an Energy Emergency Contingency Fund. This is a reduction of more than 36 percent. In testimony before the Subcommittee, these massive reductions were justified on the basis that energy burdens on families have been reduced as a result of a decline in prices and consumption. However, your most recent report on the program states that fewer households are receiving LIHEAP assistance and that the percent of household income spent on energy remained about the same as in 1981. Question. If fewer households are receiving benefits and eligible households continue to pay as large a percentage of income as a decade ago, how do you interpret this as a sign of less need? Answer. According to HHS' annual LIHEAP report to Congress for FY 1989, the percent of household income spent on energy has not remained the same as in 1981. In fact, it has declined sharply. AS shown in table K-13 (page 21), the average home energy (space heating and cooling) burden of low income households declined from 8.0 percent of household income in 1981 to 5.4 percent of household income in 1989, indicating a reduced need for LIHEAP to offset home energy costs as a percent of household income. |