Source: https://aspe.hhs.gov/report/setting-baseline-report-state-welfare-waivers/section-1-work-requirements
Timestamp: 2018-10-21 17:30:04
Document Index: 44059621

Matched Legal Cases: ['art: 10', 'art: 4', 'art: 1', 'art: 1', 'art: 4', 'art: 10', 'art: 1', 'art: 10', 'art: 10', 'art: 10', 'art: 4', 'art: 7', 'art: 1', 'art: 7', 'art: 7']

Section 1: Work Requirements | ASPE
Setting the Baseline: A Report on State Welfare Waivers. Section 1: Work Requirements
Setting the Baseline: A Report...
Section 1: Work Requirements
The JOBS Evaluation: Monthly Participation Rates in Three Sites and Factors Affecting Participation Levels in Welfare-to-Work Programs Building an Employment Focused Welfare System Use of TANF Work-Oriented Sanctions in Illinois, New Jersey, and South Carolina: Final Report Strategies for Increasing TANF Work Participation Rates: Summary Report Using Data to Monitor and Improve the Work Participation of TANF Recipients: Examples from New York City and Utah
AFDC Requirement: States could require recipients who did not fall into one of the specified exemption categories to participate in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program, which provided education, training, and work experience activities. Individuals were exempt from JOBS participation if they: were ill, incapacitated, or aged; were under age 16 or in school full-time; were already working at least 30 hours per week; were in the second or third trimester of pregnancy; were needed in the home to care for an ill or incapacitated family member; resided in an area where the program was not available; were providing care to a child under age 3 (or age 1 at state option); or were providing care to a child under age 6 and child care was not available. Individuals caring for a child under age 6 could not be required to participate more than 20 hours per week. Individuals who did not meet one of these categories, and who did not have good cause for not participating, were considered JOBS mandatory.
States were required to provide the following JOBS activities: educational activities, including high school or the equivalent, and ESL, job skills training, job readiness, and job development and placement; states were also required to offer at least two of the following work activities: job search, on-the-job training, work supplementation, or community work experience. Post-secondary education was an optional component. States could require up to eight weeks of job search for new applicants, and up to eight weeks of job search per year for recipients. Within this framework, states were allowed to develop their own policies regarding what activities to assign recipients. States' practices varied widely, with some states encouraging participants to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered in order to improve their employment prospects, while other states focused on immediate job search and placement in the components that most resemble work. Changes in these policies did not require a waiver of federal regulations; in general, they did not even require an amendment to the state plan.
Individuals who were assigned to JOBS activities could be sanctioned for failure to participate. The sanction was the elimination of the participant's needs from the grant amount. This sanction was applied according to the following schedule: for the first failure to participate, the sanction lasted until compliance; for the second instance, the sanction lasted until compliance or for three months, whichever was longer, and for any subsequent instances, the sanction lasted until compliance, or for six months, whichever was longer.
States were not required to serve all non-exempt individuals. In FY 95, states were expected to achieve a participation rate of 20 percent of JOBS mandatory individuals, for an average of 20 hours per week. By law, states could be penalized for failure to meet this participation rate by a reduction in the matching rate on JOBS dollars. However, in practice, although some states did not meet the participation standard, no state was ever penalized. The Secretary of HHS waived the penalty, as allowed by law if the state made a good faith effort to meet the standard and submitted a plan for improvement.
Waivers: As stated in their waiver requests, many states believed that the exemption criteria from JOBS were too broad. They therefore applied for waivers to make JOBS work activities mandatory for more AFDC recipients. The waivers granted that affected JOBS exemptions are summarized in Table I.A. The most commonly requested waivers required parents of young children -- in some cases children as young as 12 weeks -- to participate in JOBS. These waivers were motivated by the fear that parents would be excused from participation for long periods of time, and would find themselves with no labor market experience or skills when their children finally reached school age. In addition, some people argued that very few working parents have the opportunity to take a year off of work to care for their children, and that it is therefore unreasonable to expect that welfare recipients should be allowed to do so. A number of waivers also allowed states to require parents of pre-school age children to participate for more than 20 hours per week.
Other waivers reduced the exemptions for pregnant women to those with a medical reason not to participate and tightened the criteria for an exemption based on a disability. Some waivers allowed teen parents attending high school and people working 30 hours per week to be considered as JOBS participants. These waivers allowed the states to provide such individuals with supportive services, but also allowed them to impose JOBS sanctions for nonparticipation. A few states eliminated virtually all categorical exemptions, and left it to caseworker discretion as to whether individuals should be required to participate in JOBS.
A concern expressed by many states was that the sanctions for non-compliance were not strong enough to motivate unwilling individuals to participate, or were too difficult to impose. States therefore applied for waivers to increase the severity of their sanctions or to reduce the administrative burden associated with imposing sanctions. Table I.B summarizes the waivers that were granted which affected the sanctions for failure to meet JOBS participation requirements. As shown in this table, 23 states received waivers which allowed them to impose full-family sanctions (i.e. termination of the entire family's AFDC grant) after a continued period of non-compliance. States also received waivers which allowed them to impose sanctions for longer periods than under the standard AFDC program.
Relatively few waivers affected the services provided under JOBS since the AFDC regulations gave states substantial flexibility without requiring waivers. One of the most common waivers was one that lifted the limit on the number of weeks during which a recipient could be assigned to job search. A number of states received waivers from the Department of Agriculture allowing food stamps as well as AFDC grants to be diverted in order to subsidize employment of people receiving assistance under both programs.
TANF Provision: TANF removes most of the federal requirements regarding exemptions and required activities, and replaces them with a more stringent participation rate requirement (25 percent in FY 1997, rising to 50 percent by FY 2002). The only remaining federal provisions are: a) single parents of children under age 6 who cannot find child care can not be penalized for failure to meet work requirements; and b) states can exempt single parents of children under age 1 from the work requirement and can disregard these individuals in the calculation of participation rates for up to a total of 12 months.
In general, TANF encourages states to require work (unsubsidized or subsidized) and training that is closely linked to work, rather than to place recipients in long-term educational activities. Although no specific types of education or training are absolutely mandated or forbidden, the limitations on what may count towards the participation rate are likely to shape the work-related services that states offer to recipients. For example, under TANF, no more than four consecutive weeks of job search, and no more than six weeks overall, can be counted towards the participation rate. States are not forbidden to spend money on job search programs beyond these limitations, but this increases the risk of being unable to meet the participation rate goals. (Note, however, that caseload reductions can be counted towards the participation rate, so if a longer period of job search is effective in placing recipients in well-paid jobs, it still might help the state meet the participation rate goals.) Similarly, no more than 20 percent of individuals can be counted as participating based on participation in vocational education or secondary school for teen parents. States that do not meet the participation rate goals will be penalized by a reduction in the amount of their block grant.
Table I.A, Section 1115 Waivers Affecting JOBS Exemptions
State Part-time participation when child is at least age Full-time participation when child is at least age Other provisions
Alabama 6 months 6 years*
Arizona -- 1 year Under pilot Full Employment Demonstration Project only.
Arkansas 1 year* 6 years* Parents under the age of 16 are required to participate in JOBS, either through school attendance or another educational activity.
California 3 years 6 years* The JOBS exemption for having a child under age 3 will be limited to one child during a period of continuous AFDC eligibility (a period without a break of at least 6 consecutive months off AFDC). Upon the birth or adoption of a child while on AFDC, a 4-month JOBS exemption will be provided.
Connecticut 1 year* 6 years* Exemptions are available for: children under 18, unless the child is a minor parent not in school; individuals who are incapacitated or of advanced age; individuals needed to care for an incapacitated household member; pregnant or postpartum women, if a physician has said she is unable to work; and otherwise "unemployable" individuals. No exemption is provided for caring for a child under 1 if the child is subject to the family cap provisions.
Delaware 12 weeks 6 years* JOBS exemption for those working over 30 hours per week is eliminated. An assessment will be conducted to determine whether such employment is likely to lead to self-sufficiency within the time limit. Parents of children under 12 weeks may be required to attend part-time family planning and parenting classes.
Florida 6 months 6 years*
Hawaii 6 months 6 years* Limits JOBS exemptions to: a dependent child under age 16; a dependent child attending school full-time; a person who is ill or incapacitated for at least 30 days; a person who must provide in-home care to ill or incapacitated family member; a person over age 60, or a VISTA volunteer.
Idaho 12 weeks 6 years* Removes JOBS exemptions for: minor parents (assigned activity will be school attendance or an approved alternative educational activity); those working 30 hours or more per week, unless they are earning at least 30 times the federal hourly minimum wage; and for women who are pregnant, unless they are determined to be unable to participate for medical reasons.
Indiana 3 years, phased down to 12 weeks 6 years* Eliminates the JOBS exemptions for recipients living in rural or hard-to-access areas, and those employed 30 or more hours per week. For children conceived while family is on AFDC, exemptions will only be allowed for care of a child under 12 weeks.
Iowa 3 months 6 years* Only JOBS exemptions allowed are for care of child, for individuals already working 30 hours per week or more, and for disabled individuals.
Kansas 3 years* 3 years Exemptions related to illness, injury or incapacity will no longer refer to the individual's potential for education or training. A pregnancy in itself will no longer be grounds for an exemption. Persons residing in a licensed certified alcohol or drug treatment center will be exempt. A person with multiple or severe barriers which make it unlikely that participation in work-related activities would result in self-sufficiency will be exempt.
Maine 2 years* 6 years* Exemptions are limited to: caretakers for a child under 2; individuals who are unable to work due to a physical or mental condition (including pregnancy when a doctor certifies that the woman is unable to work without undue risk to herself or the fetus); caretakers of an impaired household member, individuals aged 60 or older; caretakers of a child with professionally documented needs related to physical or mental disabilities; children under 16, who are not heads of household, and in school; and full-time VISTA volunteers.
Maryland 12 weeks 1 year Eliminates JOBS exemption for having a medical disability of more than 12 months, unless recipient applies for SSI and application is pending or in appeal. Eliminates exemption for pregnancy, unless a doctor says it is medically required.
Michigan -- -- Eliminates all JOBS exemptions, except for VISTA volunteers and children under age 16. Participants who were not required to participate before the implementation of the waiver must now participate 20 hours per week under a Social Contract, which can include a wide range of self-sufficiency activities.
Minnesota 3 years* 6 years* Exemptions from work requirements are limited to recipients who are: under 20 and attending high school full time, age 60 or older, ill, injured or incapacitated, working at least 30 hours per week, caretakers of a child under age 3 of an ill or incapacitated family member, is expecting to give birth within six months, has difficulty obtaining and retaining a job due to lack of proficiency in English, or meet other hardship criteria.
Montana 1 year* 6 years* Eliminates exemption for teen parents under age 16. Minor parents of all ages are required to participate in education as their JOBS activity and are subject to JOBS sanctions.
Nebraska 12 weeks 6 months Exemptions from the time-limits and from participation requirements are limited to recipients with mental, emotional or physical barriers that preclude self-sufficiency, and to recipients who do not have parental responsibility for the children.
New Hampshire 1 year* 1 year Eliminates automatic exemption from JOBS for remoteness. Individuals who have significant employment-related barriers (as defined in State policy manuals) will be exempt from JOBS. The age of child exemption may be reduced to 13 weeks in the case of a child conceived while the parent was receiving AFDC, with certain restrictions.
New Jersey 2 years* 6 years* Parents with children under 2 will be non-exempt for the purposes of required participation in counseling and vocational assessment. Eliminates exemption for those employed 30 or more hours per week.
North Carolina 5 years 6 years* Under statewide Work First program, exemptions are limited to: disabled and incapacitated individuals; those needed as caretakers for disabled individuals in the home; parents of a child under 5 years old (unless the parent is working more than 30 hours per week); individuals under 16 or over 65; 16- and 17-year-olds who are attending school; and individuals who can not participate because the state can not provide child care and reasonable transportation.
North Dakota 3 years* 6 years* In 10 county pilot project, limits exemptions to full-time VISTA volunteers, dependent children under age 16, and parents or caretakers of a child under age 3. Recipients' health and commuting status will be taken into consideration in determining the activities to be included in the social contract.
Oregon 3 months 6 years* Eliminates all JOBS exemptions except for VISTA volunteers. Instead, case managers determine JOBS exemptions on an individual basis. Pregnant women are only exempt during the last month of pregnancy and for the first three months after birth.
South Carolina 1 year* 6 years* Exemption for care of child is not provided if custodial parent is under age 25 and has not completed high school. Exemptions are also provided for individuals at least 6 months pregnant, incapacitated individuals; those caring for an incapacitated person; and individuals unable to participate because child care or transportation was not provided. Other JOBS exemptions are eliminated.
Tennessee 16 weeks 6 years* Individuals working between 30 and 40 hours per week and pregnant women are not automatically exempt.
(will drop to 4 years in 9/97)
6 years* JOBS exemption based on age of youngest child may be used only once for each family.
Utah -- -- All current JOBS exemptions are eliminated, except that for children under age 16.
Vermont 16 weeks 6 years* Eliminates exemptions for recipients with temporary disabilities, or based on pregnancy.
Wisconsin 1 year* 1 year Under statewide Pay for Performance waiver, exemptions are limited to: one parent caring for a child under age 1; recipients subject to learnfare provisions; incapacitated individuals; individuals needed to care for incapacitated individuals; non-legally responsible relatives who are not in the budget group; pregnant women in their second or third trimester; those age 60 or over; full-time VISTA volunteers; those working 30 or more hours per week; and individuals residing in areas where the work program is not available. Similar provisions apply under the pilot Work Not Welfare waiver.
Wyoming 1 year* 1 year In three counties, able-bodied AFDC recipients must work or perform community service unless: full-time student, participating in approved training at least 40 hours per week; has child under age 1 (under 3 months if child is conceived while family is receiving assistance); or employed at least 35 hours per week.
* These age limits do not require waivers from AFDC requirements.
Table I.B, Changes to JOBS Sanctions under Section 1115 Waivers
State Provisions Scope Imp. Date
Arizona Increases the first sanction for noncompliance with JOBS program requirements to last for a period of at least one month, or until the participant complies. Statewide
Start: 10/95
End: 9/02
Colorado Once the work requirement takes effect, the sanction for a third instance of noncompliance with JOBS requirements without good cause is a JOBS sanction for the duration of the demonstration (i.e. the caretaker's needs are removed from the grant and the caretaker is ineligible for Medicaid). After six months, if the caretaker complies with JOBS requirements, she will regain Medicaid eligibility, although the fiscal sanction will remain. No sanction will be applied if the recipient is unemployed and no JOBS slot is available. Adams, El Paso, Jefferson, Logan and Mesa counties
Start: 4/94
End: 3/99
Connecticut The sanctions for failure, without good cause, to cooperate with the requirements of the JOBS, child support enforcement, or quality control programs, or for voluntarily quitting a job without good cause are: for the first instance, the AFDC benefit will be reduced by 20 percent for three months; for the second instance, the AFDC benefit will be reduced by 35 percent for six months; for the third and subsequent instances, no AFDC benefit will be issued for a three-month period. Individuals who fail to comply with a requirement by the end of a given penalty period will automatically progress to the penalty associated with the next higher offense. If while in sanction status, a recipient fails to comply with a different program requirement, the penalty associated with the next higher offense will begin on the first possible date following the required notice. Statewide
Start: 1/96
End: 12/03
Delaware The sanction for failure to cooperating in the development of the mutual responsibility contract, or for noncompliance with employment-related provisions of the contract are: 1/3 reduction in AFDC grant for first offense, 2/3 reduction for second, and AFDC loss for the whole family upon the third offense. The first two sanctions will be imposed until compliance. After each redetermination, if the caretaker does not comply at the time, the next higher sanction will be imposed. The third sanction will be imposed for the duration of the demonstration. Statewide, after a phased implementation
The sanction for a first refusal of a job offer or a voluntary quit is removal of the individual's needs from the grant for three months, or until the individual complies, whichever comes first. On subsequent incidences, the sanction shall last for six months, or until the individual complies, whichever comes first.
The sanction for nonparticipation in the mandatory work experience program is loss of that individual's portion of the AFDC grant for: one month for the first violation, three months for the second violation, and 24 months for the third violation. Benefits can be reinstated after six months of the third sanction period of the individual complies with program requirements. After the third violation, the individual's sanction history will be disregarded and the process will begin from the top.
10 pilot counties
Start: 1/94
End: 12/98
Start: between 11/95 and 10/96
Idaho The penalty for voluntary quits, firing for cause, or turning down a job offer is full-family ineligibility for 90 days or until compliance. For non-compliance with JOBS or work requirements, there is a progressive full-family sanction of the longer of one month or until compliance for the first instance, the longer of three months or until compliance for the second instance, and until the end of the demonstration in the third instance. These sanctions may not be imposed until an attempt at conciliation has been made. Statewide
Start: between 10/96 and 10/97
Illinois The sanction policy for the first three instances of non-cooperation will be in accordance with the JOBS policy. For the fourth and subsequent instances, the sanction will be loss of the entire AFDC cash benefit until the individual cooperations or for six months, whichever is longer. Failure to accept a job offer will result in a loss of the family's AFDC cash benefit for three months. The sanction will be removed if the individual becomes employed either full- or part-time. Statewide
End: 9/00
Indiana Imposes progressive sanctions for repeat occurrences of JOBS non-compliance as follows: For the first instance, a sanction will be applied against the individual for two months or until the failure to comply ceases, whichever is longer. Until the individual complies, the sanction will be a JOBS sanction, making the individual ineligible for Medicaid. Once the individual complies, the sanction will only be a fiscal sanction. For the second instance, the sanction will be applied until the individual complies or for 12 months, whichever is longer. Upon compliance or after six months, whichever is longer, the sanction will be reduced from a JOBS sanction to a fiscal sanction. For the third instance, the sanction will be applied until the individual complies or for 36 months, whichever is longer. Again, upon compliance or after six months, whichever is longer, the sanction will be reduced from a JOBS sanction to a fiscal sanction. JOBS volunteers are subject to the regular sanctions. The penalty for a voluntary quit or reduction in hours is the needs of the individual shall be disregarded, both in determining eligibility and benefit levels, for a period of six months from the date of the quit or reduction. Statewide
Start: 4/95
End: 6/02
Iowa Recipients who do not develop a self-sufficiency plan, or who do not demonstrate satisfactory performance under it will be assigned to the "limited benefit plan" (LBP). Their families will receive a grant based on only the needs of the children for 3 months. The family's grant will then be terminated and they cannot reapply for another 6 months. (Under original waiver, LBP began with 3 months of regular benefits before grant reduction was imposed.) Statewide
Start: 10/93
End: 9/98
Amended: 4/96
The JOBS sanction for a non-complying parent or spouse is: the needs of the adult will be excluded from the unit for two months; after that, the entire family will lose AFDC cash benefits for at least two months, or until the parent or spouse complies. If an adult other than a parent or spouse does not comply with JOBS requirements, the needs of that adult will be excluded until he or she complies.
For AFDC applicants and recipients, failure to attend a job interview if referred, failure to accept a bona fide job offer, and termination of employment without good cause will result in a fiscal sanction as follows: if the non-complying individual is a parent or spouse, the family will not receive AFDC cash benefits for three months, or until compliance; otherwise, the non-complying person's needs will be removed from the grant for three months, or until compliance.
Start: between 9/96 and 8/97
Duration: 7 yrs
Louisiana Applies a three-month full-family sanction where the parent has declined an opportunity for full-time employment without good cause. Statewide
Start: 1/97
End: 12/02
Maryland The sanction for non-cooperation with JOBS requirements will be case closure, but the sanction may not be imposed until 30 days after a conciliation letter has been sent. Family will be reinstated immediately upon compliance the first time this happens, but only after 10 days the second time, and after 30 days the third time. Families whose case has been closed because of this sanction may receive up to three months of transitional assistance through third-party payments. Statewide
Start: 10/96
End: 9/01
Massachusetts Initial failure to comply with the requirements of the Work Program or the Community Service Program will be sanctioned by a reduction in the grant by the portion attributed to the individual who is required to participate. The entire assistance unit will be sanctioned for continued non-participation. Full Employment Program participants who fail to maintain a position after three attempts will be reassessed, and may be reassigned to the Community Service Program. Failure to participate in a JOBS component other than the Work Program, the Full Employment Program or the Community Service Program will result in the issuance of a warning. If non-compliance continues, the individual will be required to participate in the Community Service Program. Statewide
End: 9/05
Michigan Changes sanction under JOBS to 25 percent of AFDC and food stamp benefits for the first 12 months of non-compliance and loss of family's AFDC benefits after 12 months of non-participation. Statewide
Start: 10/94
End: 9/99
Minnesota The sanction for failure to participate in orientation, or preliminary job search activities will be removal of the adult's needs in determining the level of AFDC benefits for a minimum of six months. The sanction for failure to engage in job search or for voluntarily quitting a job, after warning, is required participation in work experience (combined with job search) for a total of at least 32 hours per week, and as much as 40 hours per week, based on the grant amount. If a recipient fails to participate in work experience, or is terminated without good cause, the penalty will be a full-family fiscal sanction for a minimum of six months. This penalty may not be imposed until the recipient has failed to comply with a conciliation agreement. Recipients assigned to the Deferred Employment track who do not participate in required employability activities will be assigned to the Immediate Employment track after two warnings. Clay and Carver counties
Mississippi A Work First participant who refuses a placement, terminates a placement within the two-week trial period, or establishes a pattern of requesting early termination will be sanctioned by removal of the entire grant. This sanction will be cured immediately if the participant agrees to cooperate. JOBS sanctions may be imposed on exempt clients that volunteer for JOBS and then drop out without good cause. Eligibility for Medicaid will not be affected by this provision. Adams, Harrison, Jones, Lee, Hinds, and Washington counties
Missouri The sanction for failure to sign a self-sufficiency agreement or to participate in assigned job search or work experience is the standard JOBS sanction. Volunteers who enter an self-sufficiency agreement will be subject to the same sanction for non-participation. Statewide
End: 5/00
Montana Recipients who fail to comply with Pathways and Community Service Program requirements, without good cause, will be sanctioned by removal of their needs from the family grant according to the following schedule: 1 month for the first instance; 3 months for the second instance; 6 months for the third instance; and 12 months for the fourth and subsequent instances. Statewide
End: 12/04
Nebraska The sanctions for non-compliance with work requirements are as follows when the caretaker is the parent of the children: first instance, full-family sanction for at least one month, or until compliance; second instance, full-family sanction for at least 90 days, or until compliance; third instance, full-family sanction until the end of the 48-month period. If the caretaker is not a parent, only the caretaker's portion of the grant is sanctioned. Food stamp benefits do not increase when the family is sanctioned. Statewide, after phased implementation
New Hampshire The penalty for adult non-participation in JOBS, or for a voluntary quit is: the usual JOBS sanction (disqualification of the adult) will be imposed for half a month (one payment period) or until compliance, whichever is greater. After three months, the adjusted payment standard (excluding the needs of the sanctioned adult) will be reduced by one-third. After another three months, the adjusted payment standard will be reduced by two-thirds. After another three months of noncompliance, the case will be terminated. If a participant is sanctioned within 6 months of the end of the most recent sanction period, the payment reduction shall begin at the next highest level of payment reduction. Otherwise, the next sanction shall begin at the lowest level of sanction. The penalty for non-compliance by a dependent child is removal of the child's needs from consideration for both eligibility and determination of grant amount. Statewide
Start: between 7/96 and 7/97
New Jersey Eliminates the sanction conciliation process. Sanction of 20 percent of the payment standard for refusal to cooperate before signing a contract, to last for a minimum of 30 days or until compliance. For non-cooperation with program requirements, or activities specified in the contract, participant's needs will be removed from the grant for at least 90 days, or until compliance. Statewide
Start: 10/92
End: 9/97
Under Work First, the state will deny AFDC to a family if the parent refuses to sign the Personal Responsibility Contract. For the first instance of non-compliance with the contract, the penalty will be a $50 reduction in benefits for 3 months; for the second instance, a $75 reduction for 3 months; for the third instance, a $75 reduction for 6 months; and for the fourth instance, a $75 reduction for 12 months. No conciliation period will be required. Participants who do not meet with a case worker to review their contracts at the end of a sanction period will be moved up to the next level of sanctions.
Under Work Over Welfare, the sanctions for failure to comply with an Opportunity Agreement, without good cause, are as follows: for the first instance, a 40 percent reduction in the family's AFDC benefit until the failure to comply ceases; for the second instance, a 45 percent reduction for a minimum of four months, or until the failure to comply ceases; and for the third and subsequent instances, a 55 percent reduction for a minimum of eight months, or until the failure to comply ceases.
Start: between 3/96 and 3/97
Start: between 5/96 and 5/97
Duration: 2 yrs
North Dakota Failure of the caretaker relative to sign or cooperate in the development of the social contract, without good cause, within 2 months will result in case closure. The family may not receive additional assistance for 10 months unless the caretaker signs a contract. For failure to comply with self-sufficiency or child support enforcement provisions of the contract, the following sanctions will be imposed against the AFDC portion of the TEEM grant: For the first instance, the needs of the non-complying individual will be removed for a minimum of one month; if the individual fails to comply for six consecutive months, the penalty will be the loss of the entire AFDC portion of the grant. For the second instance, the needs of the non-complying individual will be removed for a minimum of two months; if the individual fails to comply for three consecutive months, the penalty will be loss of the entire AFDC portion of the grant. For the third and subsequent instances, the needs of the non-complying individual will be removed for a minimum of three months; if the individual fails to comply for three consecutive months, the penalty will be loss of the entire AFDC portion of the grant. The penalty for voluntary quits will be the loss of the earned income disregard for the benefit month, and the ineligibility of the individual for the benefit month. JOBS volunteers will be subject to the standard JOBS sanctions. 10 pilot counties: Adams, Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Traill, and Williams.
End: 3/02
Ohio Imposes progressive sanctions for noncompliance with JOBS requirements, including failure by pregnant recipients to cooperate with substance abuse assessment and or treatment, without good cause, as follows: for the first instance, removal of the needs of the noncomplying individual for at least one month, or until compliance; for the second instance, denial of AFDC cash benefits to the entire unit, for at least one month, or until compliance; for the third instance, denial of AFDC cash benefits to the entire unit, for at least two months, or until compliance; and for the fourth and subsequent instances, denial of AFDC cash benefits to the entire unit for six months, or until compliance. The sanction for a voluntary quit is ineligibility for the assistance group for a period of six months. Statewide
Start: between 6/96 and 12/96
Oklahoma Sanction for refusal to accept a workfare placement at the time limit is the JOBS sanction: the parent's needs will be removed from the grant, but the children will continue to receive AFDC. Creek, Grady, Jackson, McCurtain, Okmulgee, and Seminole
Start: 4/96
End: 3/01
Oregon The sanctions for failure, without good cause, to meet JOBS participation requirements or to participate in mental health or substance abuse screening and treatment are as follows: For a client who has not been previously sanctioned, or who has been sanctioned in only one previous month, the first two months of non-compliance will result in a $50 decrease in the grant. For a client who has been sanctioned in two or three previous months, the sanction will be removal from the grant. In the case of a work-eligible alien parent, who is not part of the case, the sanction will remain a $50 decrease in the grant. For a client who has been sanctioned in four or more previous months, the sanction will be the closure of the grant. The sanction will be removed, at any point in the sanction process, when a recipient complies. Individuals who are sanctioned at the time of implementation due to the pursuit of unapproved self-initiated education and training may continue under current sanctions for two years following implementation if they are making satisfactory progress. At the end of two years the sanction policy for this group will be reviewed. Statewide
Start: 7/95
South Carolina The sanctions for failure to comply with the requirements of an self-sufficiency plan or for failure to accept an offer of employment after completing training are as follows: For the first instance, removal of the caretaker's needs from the calculation of the AFDC grant for 30 days, curable by compliance. If at the end if 30 days the caretaker has not complied, she is notified that after another 30 days, the entire family will be removed from AFDC, curable after 30 days of compliance. For the second and subsequent instances, removal of the entire family from AFDC, curable after 30 days of compliance. In both cases, benefits will be paid retroactive to the date when compliance began. Statewide
Start: between 6/96 and 6/97
South Dakota Sanction for voluntary quits, without good cause, is denial of AFDC cash benefits to entire family for three months, or until the parent finds a job at least comparable to the one quit, whichever is less. For non-JOBS-exempt recipients, the sanction for failure to comply with assigned activities volunteer service requirements is a JOBS sanction. For JOBS-exempt recipients, there are no sanctions for refusal to cooperate with the track program. If JOBS-exempt recipients reach the time limit and are assigned to volunteer service, the sanction for non-compliance is removal of the adult's needs from the grant amount, but the adult will continue to be eligible for Medicaid. Statewide
Tennessee The penalty for a voluntarily quit is full-family ineligibility for three months. Sanction will be lifted if the sanctioned individual gets a comparable job, becomes exempt from work requirements, or leaves the assistance unit. The penalty for noncompliance with work requirements is: for the first instance, a full-family fiscal sanction until compliance; for a second and subsequent instances, a full-family fiscal sanction for three months or until compliance, whichever is longer. Statewide
Start: between 9/96 and 9/97
Duration: 11 yrs
Texas The sanction for noncompliance with JOBS program requirements or child support requirements is the removal of the needs of the parent from the AFDC grant until compliance. Statewide
Utah The penalty for nonparticipation in JOBS without good cause is a $100 reduction in the family's grant. Non-participation by a child between 16 and 18 will be sanctioned by removal of that child's needs from the grant calculation. Imposes a full-family sanction for non-participation in JOBS after two months of the previous sanction. Sanction may not be imposed until after a conciliation process has been undertaken. These penalties are immediately curable upon compliance. Parents removed from the grant due to non-cooperation or fraud remain eligible for JOBS services, including support services. Beaver, Cedar City, Kane, Kearns, Panguitch, St. George, and Roosevelt offices
Start: 1/93
End: 12/00
Vermont Under the pay-for-performance model, payments are based on actual number of hours worked and satisfactory performance of assigned activities. Statewide
Start: 7/94
End: 6/01
Virginia Changes first-time JOBS non-compliance sanction to at least 1 month, continuing until compliance and removes conciliation requirement. For cases subject to the time limits under VIEW, the sanction for refusal of the case head to sign an Agreement of Personal Responsibility is termination of cash benefits for the entire case. The sanctions for failure to participate in required VIEW activities are as follows: for the first offense, suspension of the entire AFDC cash benefit for one month, or until compliance, whichever is longer; for the second offense, suspension of the entire AFDC cash benefit for three months, or until compliance, whichever is longer; and for the third and subsequent offenses, the entire AFDC cash benefit will be suspended for six months, or until compliance, whichever is longer. All VIEW volunteers who sign an Agreement of Personal Responsibility will be subject to the same sanctions as mandatory participants. Statewide; VIEW will be phased in geographically over three years.
End: 6/03
Washington Once the grant reduction has been imposed, the unit is no longer subject to JOBS sanctions. Statewide
End: 12/05
West Virginia For the first failure to comply with JOIN, the adult's needs will be removed from the grant for at least three months, or until compliance. After the second instance of non-compliance, the entire family will lose AFDC cash benefits for at least six months, or until compliance. Statewide
Wisconsin AFDC benefits will be reduced by the federal minimum hourly wage for each hour of non-participation without good cause, with no adjustment in the food stamp allotment. If the AFDC grant is fully exhausted, the remaining sanction will be taken against the food stamp allotment. In any month where the hours of participation fall below 25 percent of assigned hours, the AFDC grant will be $0 and the food stamp allotment will be $10. Statewide (slightly different provisions apply in 2 counties where Work Not Welfare is being operated)
Wyoming Sanction for nonparticipation is reduction of family's grant by $100. Nonparticipating individual becomes ineligible for assistance (i.e. Medicaid). Campbell, Carbon and Natrona counties
Start: 7/93
End: 6/95