Intro to WFFA - Work Supports Strategies

Worker
Introduction to…
History of WFFA
In August of 1996, the federal
government enacted the
Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families Program under President
Clinton’s welfare reform initiative.
TANF drastically changed the
scope and philosophy of welfare in
the United States.
North Carolina implemented its’ TANF program under the name
Work First. North Carolina's Work First Program was built upon
the premise that "all people have a responsibility to their
families and communities to work and to provide for their
children.”
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Eligibility Requirements
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Short-Term Services and Benefits
Benefit Diversion is a cash alternative to traditional WFFA. Counties determine the
families to whom Benefit Diversion is offered, and the family decides whether they
will accept it. It can be received only once in a twelve-month period and Federal and
State time limits do not apply. The package of services may include:
 A one-time payment of up to a maximum of three months of WFFA benefits;
 Medicaid for the months in the Benefit Diversion period; and
 Referrals to child support, child care assistance, and other community and
agency resources.
Benefit Diversion are short term benefits which must meet the following criteria to
be a viable alternative to cash assistance:
 Are designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need;
 Are not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and
 Will not extend beyond 3 months.
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Short-Term Services and Benefits
Emergency Assistance is designed to assist with
families’ sporadic emergency needs, which are nonrecurring and not expected to last beyond four
months, such as a utility cut-off or an eviction notice.
All counties are required to operate Emergency
Assistance Programs and each county specifies the
procedures for Emergency Assistance in their Work
First Plan.
The family must have a child who lives with a relative and meets the age limit as
defined for Work First Family Assistance;
• Total gross family income must be at or below 200% of FPL;
• The caseworker may accept the family’s statement regarding U.S. citizenship,
unless it is questionable.
• The applicant(s) for benefits must meet all other eligibility requirements for
Emergency Assistance that are included in the County Work First Plan.
•
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Personal Responsibility
WFFA requires caretakers to be responsible for themselves and the
well-being of their children. Every family must develop an MRA
detailing the responsibilities of the caretaker and the agency in
helping the family achieve self-sufficiency.
Core MRA Requirements for all Families:
 Children must receive scheduled immunizations and health
screenings;
 All children must attend school;
 Minor parents must live with a parent/approved;
 Caretakers must cooperate with 4D in the establishment,
enforcement and modification of support orders;
 Caretakers must keep all scheduled appointments with worker(s);
 Caretakers must contact their worker within 10 calendar days of
knowing of a change in their situation.
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Personal Responsibility
MRA Plan of Action is the caretaker’s individualized plan to achieve
self sufficiency and eliminate the need for Work First cash assistance.
The MRA Plan of Action includes:
 Employment goals;
 A plan for participating in work activities designed to achieve goals;
 Plan for case management and support services to help the family
become self-sufficient within two years;
 Detail of plan and reasonable accommodations needed for
individuals with a disability.
The caretaker(s) must sign and meet the requirements
outlined in the MRA to receive, or continue to receive, WFFA.
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Job Quit Penalty
If the client (during an application or ongoing) quits or loses a job without
good cause, the family will be ineligible for WFFA for a period of three
months. The penalty is applied when an individual:
 Voluntarily quits;
 Leaves a job unannounced or does not return to work
 Had been warned by the employer and continues objectionable behavior
after the warning and is subsequently terminated;
There is no cure for the job quit penalty. Once the penalty period begins, it
continues for the full three months, even if the individual obtains
employment.
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Individual Criminal Violations
Reduce the family’s need standard by one for each individual that meets
one of the criteria below.
 Fleeing to avoid prosecution of a felony (or high misdemeanor in NJ); or
 Fleeing to avoid custody after a felony conviction (or a high misdemeanor in NJ); or
 Violating a condition of probation/parole under Federal or State law; or
 Convicted on or after August 23, 1996, for an offense committed on or after August
23, 1996, which is classified as a felony and has as an element the possession, use, or
distribution of a controlled substance.
EXAMPLE: A family consists of four members, one of which has
been convicted of a felony drug offense. Use the need standard
for a family of three to determine the family’s benefits and
continue to count all of the income and resources of the
offender.
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Substance Abuse/Mental Health Initiative
All Work First adult applicants/recipients are screened for possible substance
abuse. Individuals may be voluntarily screened for mental health issues.
If the screening indicates the adult is at risk for substance abuse, the
individual will be referred to a Qualified Professional in Substance Abuse
(QPSA) or other qualified staff. The QPSA will conduct a comprehensive
substance abuse assessment. If treatment is appropriate, the QPSA will
facilitate the arrangements for the treatment.
Applicants/recipients who do not comply with their treatment plan are not
eligible for Work First cash assistance.
Each DSS and Local Management Entity (LME) must enter into an
agreement specifying the details of their coordinated effort in this
initiative.
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FAMILY VIOLENCE OPTION
Family violence is defined as verbal, sexual, emotional, psychological
and/or physical abuse between or among family members or intimate
partners. Violence in the family is a substantial barrier to selfsufficiency for many people.
All Work First participants are notified of the FVO and potential to
request a waiver of some or all of the Work First requirements. If, at
any time, a participant discloses being a victim of family violence, the
participant is referred to an individual trained in family violence. This
individual will conduct a screening and/or an assessment of the
participant’s barriers to obtaining and/or keeping a job and meeting
other Work First requirements.
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TIME CLOCKS
Federal Time Limits
Adults in the United States have a 60month lifetime limit on the receipt of
assistance under TANF, which includes
Work First Family Assistance.
State Time Limits
Work eligible adults who are active in
Employment Services, are also subject to a
24-month time limit on the receipt of Work
First Family Assistance.
The 60-month time limit is a cumulative Months when a family received assistance
total and includes the months TANF
in another state do not count against the
assistance was received in other states. 24-month time limit nor do the receipt of EA
or Benefit Diversion.
Families who have reached their 60month time limit may apply for a
hardship exemption that would allow
them to receive additional months of
assistance.
The family is ineligible for 36 consecutive
months following termination, unless an
extension is granted
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WFFA Family Unit
Who must be included in the case?
 All minor brothers and sisters, half brothers, half sisters,
stepbrothers and stepsisters.
 Biological or adoptive parents and stepparents
The following individuals cannot be included in a WFFA case:
 A caretaker relative (aunt, grandma, sister…etc) or non-relative
with legal custody or guardianship
 SSI recipients
 Children receiving foster care/adoption assistance payments
 Incarcerated or institutionalized individuals
 Individuals not meeting the Citizenship/Qualified Immigrant
 Any child who does not meet the Kinship/ Living With Rule.
 Parents who fail to cooperate with child support enforcement.
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WFFA Budgeting and Reserve
The income of the following household members is counted
towards the WFFA benefit:
 Parents and Step-parents unless they receive SSI.
 Children’s unearned income (even if they are a Family Cap child)
unless they are ineligible for assistance (not legal immigrant or
receives SSI).
Do not count the income of the relative
(grandma/aunt) or non-relative (guardianship)
caretaker of a child-only case.
A family receiving Work First Family Assistance is allowed $3,000 in
resources. Resources that can be readily converted to cash count
toward the $3,000 limit. “Readily converted” means the resource can
be converted to cash within five working days.
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Reporting
Quarterly WFFA Report
Child-only cases are issued a report to complete
quarterly if:
 Income is being budgeted, and/or
 There is a child(ren) 16 or older on the case.
Quarterly Transitional Benefit Report
To be eligible for 12 months Transitional
Medicaid, the family must:
 Have received assistance 3 out of the last 6 months, and
 Have an increase in earnings (can be in combination with
other income) which causes ineligibility for assistance.
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Payments
Effective October 1, 2009, North Carolina implemented a new
method for issuing WFFA payments to families that include an
adult as a recipient. These families must demonstrate
compliance with all provisions of their MRA documents prior
to receiving the benefit check. This method of benefit payment
is called “pay after performance” (PAP).
Child only cases are not subject to the PAP method.
Those cases continue to receive their checks at the
beginning of the benefit month. This includes families
where the parents are in the household but are not
eligible to be included due to receipt of SSI or nonqualified immigrant status.
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