3110.1 TANF Participation Rate Requirements - Although participation is a major consideration, in some instances an activity which does not count as participation may be utilized because it best addresses the client's barriers/strengths. Clients with temporary disabilities should be assigned to work related activities if an appropriate activity is available.
States are required to meet annual participation rates with respect to all TANF families that include an adult or minor child head of household receiving assistance. Each DCF management region needs to work toward achieving the 50% all families work participation rate and a 90% two-parent work participation rate. These participation requirements are specific to TANF and do not apply to Food Assistance E&T.
A work eligible client is anyone
whose participation in work activities contributes to determining
whether the family counts in the calculation of the work participation
rate. Work eligible individuals are either:
An adult who is receiving TANF
except:
an adult providing care
for a disabled family member who is in the home;
an adult participating in
tribal work programs;
OR a non-recipient parent living
with a child receiving TANF except:
minor parents who are not
head of household;
minor parents who are not
a spouse of the head-of-household;
illegal non-citizens; and
recipients of SSI or SSDI (by state option).
Kansas expects participation in assignments that best address individual family needs. To meet the federal work participation rules, minimum weekly assignments are 30 hours in one parent households where the youngest child is 6 years of age or older or 55 hours in two parent households (35 hours per week if child care is not used) and the maximum assignment is 40 hours per week per individual.
NOTE: Single parent families with a child under age 6 meet the
federal participation requirement if the parent is engaged in work or
work activities for at least 20 hours per week in a primary work activity.
Up to 30% of the total TANF clients meeting the work participation requirement
may be in the Vocational Education activity.
Allowable activities that count toward the participation rate are divided into "primary" and "secondary" activities . In order for TANF clients to meet Federal participation requirements, clients must be assigned to 20 hours a week in primary activities and an additional 10 hours a week of either primary or secondary activities. The EES career navigator will plan individually with each applicant/client to develop the Self-Sufficiency Plan. The Plan will define the number of weekly hours of participation to best help the client achieve employment and the maximum level of self-sufficiency.
Definition
And Special Rules For Two-Parent Families - The two parent
work participation requirement applies to TANF cases in which a child,
including an unborn,
has
both parents in the home and neither of the parents is prevented
from employment. The following situations are considered two parent
households:
one or both parents are
age 60 or over;
one parent is a minor and has been emancipated; or
other non-mutual children
are in the family group.
The
following situations do not meet the two parent definition and
will not be required to meet the two parent family participation
criteria:
one or both parents are
ineligible (e.g., ineligible immigrant) or are considered
disabled (including situations where the individual self declares
a disability or incapacity);
both parents are minors;
boyfriend/girlfriend situations
where one parent is under age 18 and not emancipated;
To meet the Federal work participation rate:
both parents must participate
in a combined total of 55 hours per week, 50 hours of which
must be in primary activities, or
one or both parents could
be assigned a combined total of 35 hours per week (30 hours
of which must be primary activities) if DCF paid child care
is not received by the family.
Example of an appropriate 35 hour assignment: The father
is employed 35 hours per week, the family has one vehicle
and the mother stays home to provide care for four children.
The career navigator should advise the client about the different
work participation possibilities for addressing the family's
specific situation and meeting the federal work participation
requirement. The client and the career navigator will develop
the plan that best addresses the needs of the family.
Importance of System Coding:
The following coding is critical in assuring the State correctly
reports the number of two-parent families:
If one or both parents
is disabled, the Medical Condition page will need to be updated.
If two adult TANF recipients
on a case are both coded as parent for one or more children
, the system will regard this case as a two-parent family
for federal reporting purposes.
NOTE: Some two-adult households do not meet the two-parent definition. For instance, there may not be a mutual child or the only mutual child is an unborn. These two-adult households are required to participate 30 hours per week. If there is a child under the age of 6, at least 20 of those hours are to be completed by one adult. If there is no child under the age of 6, all 30 hours must be completed by one adult to meet the federal participation requirement.
3110.2 Food Assistance Employment Service Participation Limitations - The total hours of participation in an employment service program will be determined by dividing the household’s food assistance allotment for the month by the federal minimum wage. These hours may be divided between household members. Participation hours in activities and/or employment for any food assistance household member cannot exceed 120 hours per month. The career navigator cannot require the client to volunteer to work beyond the 120 hour maximum.