620.515. Hero at home program established to assist members of the national guard and their families--report to general assembly.
Hero at home program established to assist members of the nationalguard and their families--report to general assembly.
620.515. 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the"Hero at Home" program, the purpose of which is to:
(1) Assist the spouse of an active duty national guard or reservecomponent service member reservist to address immediate needs andemployment in an attempt to keep the family from falling into poverty whilethe primary income earner is on active duty, and during the one-year periodfollowing discharge from deployment; and
(2) Assist returning national guard troops or reserve componentservice member reservists with finding work in situations where anindividual needs to rebuild business clientele or where an individual's jobhas been eliminated while such individual was deployed, or where theindividual otherwise cannot return to his or her previous employment.
2. Subject to appropriation, the department of economic developmentshall operate the hero at home program through existing programs or byentering into a contract with qualified providers through local workforceinvestment boards. Eligibility for the program shall be based on thefollowing criteria:
(1) Eligible participants in the program shall be those familieswhere:
(a) The primary income earner was called to active duty in defense ofthe United States for a period of more than four months;
(b) The family's primary income is no longer available;
(c) The family is experiencing significant hardship due to financialburdens; and
(d) The family has no outside resources available to assist with suchhardships;
(2) Services that may be provided to the family will be aimed atameliorating the immediate crisis and providing a path for economicstability while the primary income is not available due to the activemilitary commitment. Services shall be made available up to one yearfollowing discharge from deployment. Services may include, but not belimited to the following:
(a) Financial assistance to families facing financial crisis fromoverdue bills due to reduced income after the deployment of a spouse;
(b) Help paying day care costs to pursue training and or employment;
(c) Help covering the costs of transportation to training and oremployment;
(d) Vocational evaluation and vocational counseling to help theindividual choose a visible employment goal;
(e) Vocational training to acquire or upgrade skills needed to bemarketable in the workforce;
(f) Paid internships and subsidized employment to train on the job;and
(g) Job placement assistance for those who don't require skillstraining;
(3) The department shall ensure the eligible providers are:
(a) Community-based not-for-profit agencies which have significantexperience in job training, placement, and social services;
(b) Providers with extensive experience providing such services toveterans and implementing contracts with veteran organizations such as thedepartment of veteran affairs;
(c) Providers which have attained the distinction of being accreditedthrough a national accreditation body for training and or human services;
(d) Providers which are able to provide a twenty percent match to theprogram either through indirect or direct expenditures; and
(e) Providers with experience in the regions targeted for theprogram.
3. The department shall structure any contract such that payment willbe based on delivering the services described in this section as well asperformance to guarantee the greatest possible effectiveness of theprogram.
4. Because of the important nature of this program to the health andwelfare of Missourians, this section shall become effective on July 1,2006. The department shall make every reasonable effort to ensure that thehero at home program is serving families by August 1, 2006.
5. The department shall prepare a report on the operations andprogress of the program to be delivered to the speaker of the house ofrepresentatives and the president pro tem of the senate no later thanJanuary 1, 2007.
(L. 2006 H.B. 1787, A.L. 2008 H.B. 1678)