New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 10 - HUMAN SERVICES › Chapter 90 - WORK FIRST NEW JERSEY PROGRAM › Subchapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 10:90-1.1 - Purpose, philosophy and scope of the WFNJ program

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The Work First
				New Jersey (WFNJ) program has been established to transform the design and
				purpose of the welfare system in New Jersey. For the first time, one
				comprehensive program has been created by the Legislature and the Governor to
				uniformly both inspire and require all able-bodied families with dependent
				children, single adults and couples without dependent children to WORK rather
				than receive welfare. WFNJ builds and expands upon the foundation of the basic
				principles set forth in the Federal Personal Responsibility and Work
				Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996,
				Public Law
				104-193. The Act established the Temporary
				Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program which ended the Aid to
				Families with Dependent Children program and established the WFNJ Program
				pursuant to the Work First New Jersey Act, Public Law 1997 c.13, c.14, c.37 and
				c.38.
(b) WFNJ, building upon the
				base of our former State and Federally funded Aid to Families with Dependent
				Children (AFDC) program and our State funded General Assistance (GA) program,
				creates one WFNJ program. However, due to certain necessary differences in the
				requirements and the responsibilities entailed in being a single adult, a
				couple without dependent children or a single adult or couple with dependent
				children, the WFNJ program recognizes two segments which, for ease of reference
				and clarity throughout this manual are referred to as either the WFNJ/TANF
				component, which encompasses families with children whether headed by a single
				adult or a couple, and the WFNJ/GA component, which encompasses single adults
				and couples without dependent children.
(c) The WFNJ Program is designed specifically
				to emphasize personal responsibility, instill dignity, promote self-sufficiency
				and pride through work and strongly reinforce all parents' responsibility for
				their child(ren) through strict enforcement of child support requirements. WFNJ
				clearly recognizes that both parents of a child(ren), whether or not they are
				the custodial caretakers of these children share fully and equally in the
				responsibility for the financial support of the child(ren), as well as all the
				positive developmental aspects which occur throughout childhood. All adults
				have primary responsibility for supporting both themselves and their
				families.
(d) Assistance benefits
				provided under WFNJ are time-limited and considered a temporary cash subsidy to
				bridge the gap while individuals seek and obtain self-sufficiency through bona
				fide unsubsidized employment. Applicants shall be informed that receipt of WFNJ
				assistance benefits is limited to a lifetime maximum of 60 cumulative months
				and that seeking and accepting employment are the primary requirements for
				receipt of continuing cash assistance.
(e) The applicant(s) and/or his or her
				designee shall be assisted by the WFNJ worker in completing the Application and
				Affidavit for WFNJ and the Agreement to Repay pursuant to
				44:10-64. The applicant shall be
				given the WFNJ Participant Handbook, an information card concerning the "Fair
				Hearings in the Work First New Jersey Program (WFNJ)", and written notification
				of his or her rights and responsibilities under the WFNJ program.
(f) In line with protecting its most
				vulnerable citizens, it should be emphasized that the WFNJ Program has availed
				itself of the PRWORA option regarding protections for victims of Family
				Violence. PRWORA and WFNJ provide the flexibility to uniquely address the
				specific problems of victims of family violence, as well as victims of rape and
				incest (see N.J.A.C. 10:90-20 regarding family violence provisions).
(g) The purpose of this chapter is to
				establish the policies necessary for the orderly and equitable provision of
				WFNJ Program benefits to single adults, couples without dependent children and
				families with dependent children on a Statewide basis. The policies and
				procedures are binding on the county or municipal agency charged with the
				responsibility for administering the WFNJ Program and are enforceable by the
				Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Family Development (DFD). The
				DHS shall oversee the actions of the county or municipal agency as they relate
				to program administration and shall coordinate with other departments within
				the State of New Jersey in an effort to establish the necessary linkages to
				assist recipients of WFNJ to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency.
				Questions of interpretation shall be resolved by the Division of Family
				Development. If any rules herein contradict or conflict with rules or policies
				established at N.J.A.C. 10:81, 10:82 or 10:86 such material is superseded by
				this chapter.