Public hearings to be held statewide

Emergency regulations for the Alaska Senior Assistance Program, a new safely net program for needy seniors, took effect July 1, 2003. The Alaska Senior Assistance Program is a needs-based benefit program that offers $120 per month to all Alaskan seniors age 65 or older who meet certain eligibility requirements.

The regulations give specific guidance for implementing the new program. Copies of the regulations, as well as additional information on the Senior Assistance Program, can be found on the Division of Public Assistance (DPA) web page at http://health.hss.state.ak.us/dpa/.

Eligible seniors will receive their final Longevity Bonus checks in August 2003. With that check, they will receive information about a new program called the Alaska Senior Assistance Program (ASAP). The ASAP is not a replacement for the Longevity Bonus, but it will help soften the blow to some seniors who are losing the bonus.

The Alaska Senior Assistance Program is a temporary program that will provide $120 a month to Alaska seniors age 65 or older who meet certain income and asset tests.

On July 1, 2003, the statewide reorganization became effective. We welcome our new staff at the Anchorage Childcare Program Office and Kevin Henderson and Kathy Ensor to the DPA team. As part of the division

Most Alaskans know someone who has a seasonal job -- they play an important part in the state's economy. Just how important a role is revealed in a new report from the Department of Labor.

That belief is confirmed in a new study that shows Alaska's workforce jumps by 50,000 jobs every year when seasonal work begins. And that number tends not to change much year-to-year.

New Office of Children