3500 FAILURE TO MEET WORK RELATED REQUIREMENTS
There shall be ineligibility for TANF benefits when a non-exempt person fails or refuses to meet work related requirements for TANF without good cause. No penalties are applicable to food assistance with the exception of potential employment (KEESM 3540) and the comparable penalty provisions (KEESM 2550).
Penalties can result in a hardship to the family without other alternatives of support, so they must be applied with care and consideration. To ensure that penalties are applied uniformly and appropriately, the following guidelines must be followed in all instances of employment services non-cooperation.
At the point non-cooperation is first reported or discovered, the career navigator must check with Prevention and Protection Services (PPS) to determine if there is any PPS activity that might support good cause for failing to meet requirements. This is required in TANF non-cooperation situations only.
If a person has been assigned to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault activity due to domestic violence, the career navigator will contact the DV/SA advocate to determine if there is good cause for failing to cooperate due to domestic violence.
The notices will inform customers they may call any
time prior to an appointment to request a date or time change and up to
a 24-hour grace period after they have missed an appointment to report
good cause for non-cooperation. The career navigator has the option to
request good cause documentation for situations including but not limited
to:
If the customer calls prior to the appointment requesting a change in
the time or date the career navigator will set up a new date and/or time.
A new appointment notice will be sent to document the change on the system.
Good cause documentation may be requested by the career navigator if needed
due to multiple cancelations or other suspicious circumstances.
If the customer calls within the 24-hour grace period after the appointment
is missed, the career navigator will determine good cause based on KEESM 3530.
If good cause is met a new appointment will be made and a new appointment
notice documenting the change will be sent.
If the customer calls after the 24-hour grace period has expired, good
cause may be requested and an employment services Program Administrator will review the case circumstances
to determine if the penalty notice should be rescinded.
If good cause documentation is requested prior to the appointment, during
the 24-hour grace period or after the 24-hour grace period, the career navigator will allow up to 3 business days for it to be mailed or brought into the
DCF office. Good cause will only be requested if the customer contacts
the DCF career navigator.
NOTE: If a disqualification is imposed on a TANF household for failure to comply with TANF work related requirements and the household also receives food assistance, the agency shall impose the same disqualification on the member of the food assistance household who failed to comply with the TANF requirements. See 2550.