text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Coordinating Assistance for TANF 
  Recipients Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. COORDINATED CASE MANAGEMENT DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.
  
      Section 403 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603) is amended 
  by adding at the end the following:
      ``(c) Coordinated Case Management Demonstration Projects.--
              ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to 
          States to conduct demonstration projects designed to implement 
          and evaluate strategies to provide coordinated case management 
          to help individuals receiving assistance under a State program 
          funded under this part or any other State program funded with 
          qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 
          409(a)(7)(B)(i)) increase their employment and self-
          sufficiency.
              ``(2) Application requirements.--The Secretary shall 
          require each State that applies for a grant under this 
          paragraph to do the following:
                      ``(A) Describe how, using the funds provided under 
                  this paragraph, the State will develop an individual 
                  responsibility plan in accordance with section 408(b) 
                  for each recipient referred to in paragraph (1) of this 
                  subsection.
                      ``(B) Describe how the State will coordinate the 
                  development of this plan with other programs and 
                  agencies providing benefits and services to the 
                  individual to help the recipient increase the 
                  employment and self-sufficiency of the recipient.
                      ``(C) Describe how the State will coordinate the 
                  delivery of the benefits and services to the recipient 
                  (which may include the use of home visiting models).
                      ``(D) Describe how the State will meet with the 
                  recipient at least monthly to review the employment 
                  status of the recipient and status of the participation 
                  of the recipient in other activities, the benefits and 
                  services the recipient is receiving, and the progress 
                  of the recipient toward meeting the goals specified in 
                  the individual responsibility plan of the recipient.
              ``(3) Use of funds.--A State to which a grant is made under 
          this subsection may use the grant for the following purposes:
                      ``(A) To support coordinated case managers in 
                  completing the activities specified in paragraph (2).
                      ``(B) To provide short-term transitional benefits 
                  and services to individuals who, due to increased 
                  employment or earnings, may face disincentives to 
                  increasing work or earnings due to the phase-out or 
                  loss of certain benefits.
                      ``(C) To ensure that recipients of services under 
                  the demonstration project have a choice between 2 or 
                  more coordinated case management service providers.
                      ``(D) To improve coordination between programs 
                  serving recipients who are part of the demonstration 
                  project.
                      ``(E) To improve coordination between information 
                  technology and other systems to deliver better benefits 
                  or services to the recipient, except that not more than 
                  10 percent of the grant amount may be used for this 
                  purpose.
              ``(4) Evaluation.--The Secretary, in consultation with each 
          State conducting a demonstration project under this subsection, 
          shall conduct a high-quality evaluation of the demonstration 
          project in accordance with the following:
                      ``(A) Evaluator qualifications.--The Secretary may 
                  not enter into a contract with an evaluator unless the 
                  evaluator has demonstrated experience in conducting 
                  rigorous evaluations of program effectiveness 
                  including, where available and appropriate, well-
                  implemented randomized controlled trials.
                      ``(B) Methodologies to be used.--The evaluation of 
                  a demonstration project shall use experimental designs 
                  using random assignment or other reliable, evidence-
                  based research methodologies that allow for the 
                  strongest possible causal inferences when random 
                  assignment is not feasible.
                      ``(C) Public disclosure.--The Secretary shall 
                  publish the results of the evaluation on the website of 
                  the Department of Health and Human Services in a 
                  location easily accessible by the public.
                      ``(D) Limitation on cost of evaluations.--For 
                  evaluations under this paragraph, the Secretary may not 
                  obligate more than 20 percent of the funds reserved 
                  under paragraph (6) for each fiscal year.
              ``(5) Recommendations to congress.--The Secretary shall 
          submit recommendations to the Congress on ways to improve case 
          management and better coordinate benefits and services across 
          programs.
              ``(6) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out 
          subsection (b) for fiscal year 2016 and each succeeding fiscal 
          year, the Secretary shall reserve $300,000,000 to carry out 
          this subsection.
              ``(7) Availability of funds.--Funds provided to a State 
          under this subsection for a fiscal year shall be expended by 
          the State in the fiscal year or in the succeeding fiscal 
          year.''.
  
  SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
  
      The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
  2015.
target: Coordinating Assistance for TANF Recipients Act This bill amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to states to conduct demonstration projects designed to implement and evaluate strategies to provide coordinated case management to help individuals receiving TANF assistance to increase their employment and self-sufficiency.
feat_title: Coordinating Assistance for TANF Recipients Act