[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 188 (Friday, October 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 54466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21369]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of Refugee Resettlement


Public/Private Refugee Cash Assistance Inflationary Increase

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS).

ACTION: Notice of change in payment ceilings.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with ORR regulations, the Director of ORR is 
announcing an inflationary increase to the public/private Refugee Cash 
Assistance (RCA) program's monthly payment ceilings, effective October 
1, 2021. The current payment ceilings have remained fixed since March 
22, 2000, despite inflation. The new payment ceilings accommodate that 
inflation and will provide arriving ORR-eligible populations greater 
economic stability as they transition to self-sufficiency.

DATES: The changes described in this Federal Register Notice are 
effective October 1, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colleen Mahar-Piersma, Refugee Policy 
Unit, Division of Policy and Procedures, Office of the Director, Office 
of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, by 
phone at (202) 260-5493, and email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    ORR-eligible populations are eligible for up to eight months of RCA 
after their initial ORR eligibility date if they are deemed ineligible 
for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. When 
TANF was established in 1996, ORR gave states the option to either 
establish a publicly administered RCA program modeled after their TANF 
program in terms of eligibility determinations and benefits levels, or 
the option to establish a public/private partnership (PPP) RCA program. 
States that chose the PPP RCA model proposed a plan to ORR that created 
their income eligibility standard and may have included sliding scale 
payments or incentives for early employment aimed at refugee self-
sufficiency, as long as they remained within the established payment 
ceilings.
    ORR established the PPP RCA monthly payment ceilings codified at 45 
CFR 400.60(a) using the poverty guidelines developed by the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation within HHS. These poverty 
guidelines, which are updated annually, are mainly used for 
administrative purposes such as determining an individual's eligibility 
for certain programs. When ORR established the current PPP RCA monthly 
payment ceilings, it used the 1998 HHS Poverty Guidelines with the 
following formula: ``50% of the 1998 HHS Poverty Guidelines for each 
family size, divided by 12 months. . . .'' Where family units were 
greater than four people, the monthly payment ceiling was increased by 
$70 for each additional person.
    These PPP RCA payment ceilings have remained fixed since March 22, 
2000, despite inflation and an increased cost of living nationwide. The 
payment ceilings are insufficient to meet refugees' initial expenses 
for housing, utilities, transportation, food, and other essentials, as 
they acclimate to their new communities and try to secure employment. 
Refugees generally have no other means of assistance such as savings or 
family resources to assist in the early days of arrival. Additionally, 
more than half of current projected ORR-eligible arrivals do not 
benefit from assistance from the Department of State's Reception and 
Placement Program, making RCA a critical source of support as they 
strive for economic self-sufficiency and integration.
    As such, in accordance with ORR regulations at 45 CFR 400.60(d), 
the ORR Director has determined that the PPP RCA payment ceilings need 
to be adjusted for inflation.
    Using ORR's original formula in relation to the 2021 HHS poverty 
guidelines, the adjusted PPP RCA payment ceilings are:

                   Public/Private RCA Payment Ceilings
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                                                              Monthly
                   Size of family unit                        payment
                                                              ceiling
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1.......................................................            $537
2.......................................................             726
3.......................................................             915
4.......................................................           1,104
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    Where family units are greater than four people, the monthly 
payment ceiling is increased by $113 for each additional person.
    These payment ceilings only apply to RCA recipients within PPP-
administered programs. All remaining RCA programs must continue to 
follow their established TANF rate.
    To implement the RCA payment ceilings outlined in this Notice, the 
State/Replacement Designee (RD) must first revise its State Plan and 
ORR-1 CMA estimate. ORR will issue further guidance on how a State/RD 
should address implementation of the new public/private partnership RCA 
rate in its State Plan and ORR-1 prior to the implementation of the 
increased rate.
    ORR will also conduct minimally, a bi-annual review of the HHS 
Poverty Guidelines, the established PPP rates, and the availability of 
funding with the goal of enacting more responsive and equitable cash 
assistance rates in the public/private RCA program.

(Authority: 45 CFR 400.60)

    Dated: September 24, 2021.
Cindy Huang,
Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
[FR Doc. 2021-21369 Filed 9-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-27-P