reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MN Stat § 256J.515 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.515 — Overview Of Employment And Training Services.

256J.515 OVERVIEW OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICES. During the first meeting with participants, job counselors must ensure that an overview of employment and training services is provided that: (1) stresses the necessity and opportunity of immediate employment; (2) outlines the job search resources offered; (3) outlines education or training opportunities available; (4) describes the range of work activities, including activities under section 256J.49, subdivision 13, paragraph (a), that are allowable under MFIP to meet the individual needs of participants; (5) explains the requirements to comply with an employment plan; (6) explains the consequences for failing to comply; (7) explains the services that are available to support job search and work and education; (8) provides referral information about shelters and programs for victims of family violence and the time limit exemption for family violence victims; and (9) explains the probationary employment periods new employees may serve after being hired and any assistance with job retention services that may be available. Failure to attend the overview of employment and training services without good cause results in the imposition of a sanction under section 256J.46. An applicant who requests and qualifies for a family violence waiver is exempt from attending a group overview. Information usually presented in an overview must be covered during the development of an employment plan under section 256J.521, subdivision 3. History:  1997 c 85 art 1 s 42; 1998 c 407 art 6 s 94; 1999 c 245 art 6 s 62; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 42; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 106; 2004 c 288 art 4 s 45; 1Sp2005 c 4 art 3 s 15; 2017 c 40 art 1 s 87
MN Stat § 256J.531 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.531 — Basic Education; English As A Second Language.

256J.531 BASIC EDUCATION; ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. Subdivision 1. Approval of adult basic education. A participant who lacks a high school diploma, commissioner of education-selected high school equivalency certification, or an adult high school diploma must be allowed to pursue these credentials as an approved work activity, provided that the participant is making satisfactory progress. Participants eligible to pursue a commissioner of education-selected high school equivalency certification or adult high school diploma under this subdivision must be informed of the opportunity to participate while in the Minnesota family investment program. Subd. 2. Approval of English as a second language. In order for English as a second language (ESL) classes to be an approved work activity in an employment plan, a participant must be below a spoken language proficiency level of SPL6 or its equivalent, as measured by a nationally recognized test. In approving ESL as a work activity, the job counselor must give preference to enrollment in a functional work literacy program, if one is available, over a regular ESL program. History:  1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 82; 2014 c 312 art 25 s 12; 1Sp2017 c 5 art 10 s 7
MN Stat § 256J.545 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.545 — Family Violence Waiver Criteria.

256J.545 FAMILY VIOLENCE WAIVER CRITERIA. (a) In order to qualify for a family violence waiver, an individual must provide documentation of past or current family violence which may prevent the individual from participating in certain employment activities. (b) The following items may be considered acceptable documentation or verification of family violence: (1) police, government agency, or court records; (2) a statement from a battered women's shelter staff with knowledge of the circumstances; (3) a statement from a sexual assault or domestic violence advocate with knowledge of the circumstances; or (4) a statement from professionals from whom the applicant or recipient has sought assistance for the abuse. (c) A claim of family violence may also be documented by a sworn statement from the applicant or participant and a sworn statement from any other person with knowledge of the circumstances or credible evidence that supports the client's statement. History:  1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 87; 2008 c 361 art 4 s 6; 2009 c 79 art 2 s 19
MN Stat § 256J.561 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.561 — Universal Participation Required.

256J.561 UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION REQUIRED. Subdivision 1.  [Repealed, 2007 c 147 art 11 s 27] Subd. 2. Participation requirements. (a) All MFIP caregivers, except caregivers who meet the criteria in subdivision 3, must develop an individualized employment plan that identifies the activities the participant is required to participate in and the required hours of participation. (b) Participants who meet the eligibility requirements in section 256J.575, subdivision 3, must develop a family stabilization services plan that meets the requirements in section 256J.575, subdivision 5. (c) Minor caregivers and caregivers who are less than age 20 who have not completed high school or obtained a commissioner of education-selected high school equivalency certification must develop an education plan that meets the requirements in section 256J.54. (d) Participants with a family violence waiver must develop an employment plan that meets the requirements in section 256J.521, which cover the provisions in section 256J.575, subdivision 5. (e) All other participants must develop an employment plan that meets the requirements of section 256J.521, subdivision 2, and contains allowable work activities, as defined in section 256J.49, subdivision 13. The employment plan must include, at a minimum, the number of participation hours required under section 256J.55, subdivision 1. Subd. 3. Child under 12 months of age. (a) A participant who has a natural born child who is less than 12 months of age who meets the criteria in this subdivision is not required to participate in employment services until the child reaches 12 months of age. To be eligible for this exemption, the assistance unit must not have already used a total of 12 months under the previously allowed "child under 12 weeks" or "child under age one" exemptions. The 12 months of exemption are available only once in a caregiver's lifetime. In a two-parent household, only one parent is allowed to claim this exemption in any one month. (b) The provision in paragraph (a) ends the first full month after the child reaches 12 months of age. The participant must meet with an employment services job counselor the month after the month the child reaches 12 months of age. History:  1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 91; 2005 c 98 art 1 s 14; 2009 c 79 art 2 s 20,21; 2010 c 301 art 1 s 12; 1Sp2017 c 5 art 10 s 7
MN Stat § 256J.61 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.61 — Reporting Requirements.

256J.61 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. The commissioner of human services, in cooperation with the commissioner of employment and economic development, shall develop reporting requirements for county agencies and employment and training service providers according to section 256.01, subdivision 2, paragraph (p). Reporting requirements must, to the extent possible, use existing client tracking systems and must be within the limits of funds available. The requirements must include summary information necessary for state agencies and the legislature to evaluate the effectiveness of the services. History:  1997 c 85 art 1 s 49; 2004 c 206 s 52; 2015 c 21 art 1 s 61
MN Stat § 256J.621 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.621 — Work Participation Cash Benefits.

256J.621 WORK PARTICIPATION CASH BENEFITS. Subdivision 1. Program characteristics. (a) Within 30 days of exiting the Minnesota family investment program with earnings, the county must assess eligibility for work participation cash benefits of $25 per month to assist in meeting the family's basic needs as the participant continues to move toward self-sufficiency. Payment begins effective the first of the month following exit or termination for MFIP and DWP participants. (b) To be eligible for work participation cash benefits, the participant shall not receive MFIP or diversionary work program assistance during the month and the participant or participants must meet the following work requirements: (1) if the participant is a single caregiver and has a child under six years of age, the participant must be employed at least 87 hours per month; (2) if the participant is a single caregiver and does not have a child under six years of age, the participant must be employed at least 130 hours per month; or (3) if the household is a two-parent family, at least one of the parents must be employed 130 hours per month. Whenever a participant exits the diversionary work program or is terminated from MFIP and meets the other criteria in this section, work participation cash benefits are available for up to 24 consecutive months. (c) Expenditures on the program are maintenance of effort state funds under a separate state program for participants under paragraph (b), clauses (1) and (2). Expenditures for participants under paragraph (b), clause (3), are nonmaintenance of effort funds. Months in which a participant receives work participation cash benefits under this section do not count toward the participant's MFIP 60-month time limit. Subd. 2. Program suspension. (a) Effective December 1, 2014, the work participation cash benefits program shall be suspended. (b) The commissioner of human services may reinstate the work participation cash benefits program if the United States Department of Human Services determines that the state of Minnesota did not meet the federal TANF work participation rate and sends a notice of penalty to reduce Minnesota's federal TANF block grant authorized under title I of Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and under Public Law 109-171, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. (c) The commissioner shall notify the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over human services policy and finance of the potential penalty and the commissioner's plans to reinstate the work participation cash benefit program within 30 days of the date the commissioner receives notification that the state failed to meet the federal work participation rate. History:  2007 c 147 art 2 s 38; 2008 c 363 art 16 s 5; 2009 c 79 art 2 s 27; 1Sp2010 c 1 art 18 s 5; 2012 c 216 art 8 s 4; 2013 c 108 art 3 s 30; 2014 c 291 art 11 s 23
MN Stat § 256J.645 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.645 — Indian Tribe Mfip Employment Services.

256J.645 INDIAN TRIBE MFIP EMPLOYMENT SERVICES. Subdivision 1. Authorization to enter into agreements. Effective July 1, 1997, the commissioner may enter into agreements with federally recognized Indian tribes with a reservation in the state to provide MFIP employment services to members of the Indian tribe and to other caregivers who are a part of the tribal member's MFIP assistance unit. For purposes of this section, "Indian tribe" means a tribe, band, nation, or other federally recognized group or community of Indians. The commissioner may also enter into an agreement with a consortium of Indian tribes providing the governing body of each Indian tribe in the consortium complies with the provisions of this section. Subd. 2. Tribal requirements. The Indian tribe must: (1) agree to fulfill the responsibilities provided under the employment services component of MFIP regarding operation of MFIP employment services, as designated by the commissioner; (2) operate its employment services program within a geographic service area not to exceed the counties within which a border of the reservation falls; (3) operate its program in conformity with section 13.46 and any applicable federal regulations in the use of data about MFIP recipients; (4) coordinate operation of its program with the county agency, Workforce Investment Act programs, and other support services or employment-related programs in the counties in which the tribal unit's program operates; (5) provide financial and program participant activity record keeping and reporting in the manner and using the forms and procedures specified by the commissioner and permit inspection of its program and records by representatives of the state; and (6) have the Indian tribe's employment service provider certified by the commissioner of employment and economic development, or approved by the county. Subd. 3. Funding. If the commissioner and an Indian tribe are parties to an agreement under this subdivision, the agreement shall annually provide to the Indian tribe the funding allocated in section 256J.626. Subd. 4. County agency requirement. Indian tribal members receiving MFIP benefits and residing in the service area of an Indian tribe operating employment services under an agreement with the commissioner must be referred by county agencies in the service area to the Indian tribe for employment services. History:  1997 c 85 art 1 s 51; 1998 c 407 art 6 s 105; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 53; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 95; 2004 c 206 s 52
MN Stat § 256J.66 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.66 — On-the-job Training.

256J.66 ON-THE-JOB TRAINING. Subdivision 1. Establishing the on-the-job training program. (a) County agencies may develop on-the-job training programs for MFIP caregivers who are participating in employment and training services. A county agency that chooses to provide on-the-job training may make payments to employers for on-the-job training costs that, during the period of the training, must not exceed 50 percent of the wages paid by the employer to the participant. The payments are deemed to be in compensation for the extraordinary costs associated with training participants under this section and in compensation for the costs associated with the lower productivity of the participants during training. (b) Employers must compensate participants in on-the-job training at the same rates, including periodic increases, as similarly situated employees or trainees and in accordance with applicable law, but in no event less than the federal or applicable state minimum wage, whichever is higher. Subd. 2. Training and placement. (a) County agencies shall limit the length of training based on the complexity of the job and the caregiver's previous experience and training. Placement in an on-the-job training position with an employer is for the purpose of training and employment with the same employer who has agreed to retain the person upon satisfactory completion of training. (b) Placement of any participant in an on-the-job training position must be compatible with the participant's assessment and employment plan under section 256J.521. History:  1997 c 85 art 1 s 53; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 66; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 96; 2009 c 78 art 2 s 38; 2010 c 301 art 1 s 13
MN Stat § 256J.69 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.69 — Grant Diversion.

256J.69 GRANT DIVERSION. Subdivision 1. Establishing the grant diversion program. (a) County agencies may develop grant diversion programs for MFIP participants participating in employment and training services. A county agency that chooses to provide grant diversion may divert to an employer part or all of the MFIP cash payment for the participant's assistance unit, in compliance with federal regulations and laws. Such payments to an employer are to subsidize employment for MFIP participants as an alternative to public assistance payments. (b) In addition to diverting the MFIP grant to the employer, employment and training funds may be used to subsidize the grant diversion placement. (c) Participants in grant diversion shall be compensated by the employer at the same rates, including periodic increases, as similarly situated employees or trainees and in accordance with applicable law, but in no event less than the federal or applicable state minimum wage, whichever is higher. Subd. 2. Training and placement. (a) County agencies shall limit the length of training to nine months. Placement in a grant diversion training position with an employer is for the purpose of training and employment with the same employer who has agreed to retain the person upon satisfactory completion of training. (b) Placement of any participant in a grant diversion subsidized training position must be compatible with the assessment and employment plan or employability development plan established for the recipient under section 256J.521. History:  1997 c 85 art 1 s 56; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 66; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 97
MN Stat § 256J.74 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.74 — Relationship To Other Programs.

256J.74 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PROGRAMS. Subdivision 1. Social services. The county agency shall refer a participant for social services that are offered in the county of financial responsibility according to the criteria established by that county agency. A payment issued from federal funds under title XX of the Social Security Act, state funds under the Vulnerable Children and Adults Act, federal or state child welfare funds, or county funds in a payment month must not restrict MFIP eligibility or reduce the monthly assistance payment for that participant. Subd. 2. Concurrent eligibility, limitations. (a) An individual whose needs have been otherwise provided for in another state, in whole or in part by county, state, or federal dollars during a month, is ineligible to receive MFIP for the month. (b) A county agency must not count an applicant or participant as a member of more than one assistance unit in this state in a given payment month, except as provided in clauses (1) and (2). (1) A participant who is a member of an assistance unit is eligible to be included in a second assistance unit the month after the month the participant joins the second unit. (2) An applicant whose needs are met through federal, state, or local foster care payments for the first part of an application month is eligible to receive assistance for the remaining part of the month in which the applicant returns home. Foster care payments must be considered prorated payments rather than a duplication of MFIP need. Subd. 3.  [Repealed, 1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 107] Subd. 4.  [Repealed, 2013 c 107 art 4 s 22] Subd. 5. SNAP. For any month an individual receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the individual is not eligible for the MFIP food portion of assistance, except as provided under section 256J.28, subdivision 5. History:  1997 c 85 art 1 s 58; 1998 c 407 art 6 s 106,107; 1999 c 245 art 6 s 79; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 66; 2005 c 98 art 1 s 15; 1Sp2011 c 9 art 1 s 20; 1Sp2019 c 9 art 1 s 42
MN Stat § 256J.77 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.77 — Aging Of Cash Benefits.

256J.77 AGING OF CASH BENEFITS. Cash benefits under chapters 256D, 256J, and 256K, except Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits under chapter 256D, by warrants or electronic benefit transfer that have not been accessed within 90 days of issuance shall be canceled. Cash benefits may be replaced after they are canceled, for up to one year after the date of issuance, if failure to do so would place the client or family at risk. For purposes of this section, "accessed" means cashing a warrant or making at least one withdrawal from benefits deposited in an electronic benefit account. History:  1998 c 407 art 6 s 108; 2007 c 147 art 19 s 18; 1Sp2019 c 9 art 1 s 42
MN Stat § 256J.78 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.78 — Tanf Demonstration Projects Or Waiver From Federal Rules And Regulations.

256J.78 TANF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS OR WAIVER FROM FEDERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS. Subdivision 1. Duties of the commissioner. The commissioner of human services may pursue TANF demonstration projects or waivers of TANF requirements from the United States Department of Health and Human Services as needed to allow the state to build a more results-oriented Minnesota Family Investment Program to better meet the needs of Minnesota families. Subd. 2. Purpose. The purpose of the TANF demonstration projects or waivers is to: (1) replace the federal TANF process measure and its complex administrative requirements with state-developed outcomes measures that track adult employment and exits from MFIP cash assistance; (2) simplify programmatic and administrative requirements; and (3) make other policy or programmatic changes that improve the performance of the program and the outcomes for participants. Subd. 3. Report to legislature. The commissioner shall report to the members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over human services issues by March 1, 2014, regarding the progress of this waiver or demonstration project. History:   2013 c 108 art 3 s 32
MN Stat § 256J.88 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256J — Minnesota Family Investment Program|Section 256J.88 — Child-only Tanf Program.

256J.88 CHILD-ONLY TANF PROGRAM. Children who receive assistance under this chapter, in which the assistance unit does not include a caregiver, but only includes a minor child, shall become part of the program established under this chapter. History:  2000 c 488 art 10 s 24; 2006 c 212 art 3 s 22
MN Stat § 256K.451 (2021)
2021 Minnesota Statutes|Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities|Chapter 256K — Services For Homeless Families And Youth|Section 256K.451 — Minor Consent To Homeless And Sexually Exploited Youth Services.

256K.451 MINOR CONSENT TO HOMELESS AND SEXUALLY EXPLOITED YOUTH SERVICES. A minor living separately from the minor's parent or legal guardian may give consent to receive homeless youth services and services for sexually exploited youth. A minor's consent to receive services does not affect a parent or legal guardian's custody of the minor. History:   1Sp2020 c 2 art 5 s 59