Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 218 - Department of Human Services › Chapter 20 - Individual and Family Support Programs › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 2 - Rhode Island Works Program Rules and Regulations › Section 218-RICR-20-00-2.11 - Work Policy and Procedures

Current through June 14, 2024
Due to the COVID-19 virus and the national State of
					 Emergency, the Department of Human Services has temporarily suspended the
					 compliancy requirements within this section (§
										2.11   of this Part Work
					 Policy and Procedures) of plan participation as a condition of eligibility. The
					 requirement of compliance may continue based on the individual's ability to
					 participate from home. If participation is not possible, sanctions may be
					 imposed during the COVID-19 crisis.
2.11.1
Required Participation in Work
				  Activities and Opportunities
All parents, and caretaker relatives
				  (including those who are acting in
loco parentis
, if they are
				  included in the cash assistance grant), who request and receive assistance are
				  required to enter into an employment plan and participate, unless temporarily
				  exempt (§2.11.2(E)
				  of this Part), in DHS-approved activities and/or opportunities.
2.11.2
One Parent Family
A. Single parents shall participate for a
				  minimum of twenty (20) hours per week for parents whose youngest child in the
				  home is under the age of six (6), and for a minimum of thirty (30) hours per
				  week for parents whose youngest child in the home is six (6) years of age or
				  older, in one (1) or more of the following work activities (as defined in
				  §2.11.6 of this Part), as
				  appropriate, in order to help the parent obtain stable full-time paid
				  employment. For teen parents, the first (1st) activity must be secondary
				  education or completion of a GED program, if either certificate has not yet
				  been obtained.
B. Core Activities:
1. Unsubsidized employment;
2. Subsidized private sector
				  employment;
3. Subsidized public
				  sector employment;
4. Work
				  experience. A parent participating in a work experience or community service
				  program for the maximum number of hours per week allowable by the Fair Labor
				  Standards Act (FLSA) (29
				  U.S.C. §§
													201 - 219  will be
				  considered to have met their required twenty (20) core hours if actual
				  participation falls short of the required minimum hours per week (RI has a
				  mini-simplified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program waiver).
a. For parents whose youngest child is six
				  (6) or more years old and whose required minimum hours per week are thirty
				  (30), any hours permissible by FLSA that are short of thirty (30) hours must be
				  satisfied in some other TANF work activity;
5. On-the-job training;
6. Job search and job readiness. Except in
				  the context of rehabilitation employment plans, job search and job readiness
				  activities are limited for Work Participation Rate (WPR), to no more than four
				  (4) consecutive weeks and six (6) weeks within a twelve (12) month period; or
				  twelve (12) weeks within a twelve (12) month period if unemployment rate is at
				  least fifty percent (50%) greater than US total unemployment rate or the State
				  is declared a "needy State";
7.
				  Community Service;
8. Vocational
				  educational training(s), participation in which may not exceed twelve (12)
				  months if funded with TANF funds. Effective July 1st, 2022, a participant who
				  successfully completes their first (1st) year of
				  education at the Community College of Rhode Island, may participate in
				  vocational education training for an additional twelve (12) months.
				  Participation in a two-year degree program, a vocational certificate program,
				  or a BA degree or advanced degree program may count as vocational educational
				  training.
9. All supervised
				  homework plus up to one (1) hour of unsupervised homework per each hour of
				  class time may count as meeting part of the total hours required for compliance
				  with the RI Works employment plan. However, total homework time cannot exceed
				  the hours required or advised in writing by the educational program;
10. Adult education in an intensive work
				  readiness program up to thirty (30) hours per week, regardless of the age of
				  the youngest child; and
11.
				  Providing child care services to another participant parent who is
				  participating in an approved community service program.
C. Non-core Activities:
1. Job skills training directly related to
				  employment;
2. Education directly
				  related to employment; and
3.
				  Satisfactory attendance at a secondary school or in a course of study leading
				  to a certificate of general equivalence (GED) if the participant is a teen
				  parent under the age of twenty (20), who is without a high school diploma or
				  GED.
D. Other Required
				  Work Activities:
1. Up to ten (10) hours of
				  activities as defined in a DCYF service plan may substitute for meeting an
				  equivalent number of hours toward the twenty (20) hour requirement for parents
				  with a child under age six (6), or for an equivalent number of hours toward the
				  thirty (30) hour requirement for parents whose youngest child is age six (6) or
				  older.
E. Temporary
				  Exemption for Single Parents
1. Work
				  opportunities outlined above shall not apply to a single parent if (and for so
				  long as) the Department finds that s/he is:
a.
				  Caring for a child below the age of one (1), provided that a parent may opt for
				  deferral for a maximum of twelve (12) months during their sixty (60) month
				  period of eligibility for cash assistance, but noting that a minor parent
				  without a high school diploma or the equivalent, shall not be exempt for more
				  than twelve (12) weeks from the birth of the child;
b. Caring for a child or family member with a
				  significant documented disability who resides in the home and requires
				  full-time care;
c. A recipient of
				  SSI or RSDI/SSDI or other disability benefit that has the same standards of
				  disability as defined by the Social Security Administration or is determined
				  likely to be eligible for SSI or SSDI benefits by a DHS approved provider or
				  DHS designated staff;
d. An
				  individual receiving assistance who is a victim of domestic violence;
				  and
e. A pregnant woman who is a
				  recipient of assistance and who has medical documentation that she cannot
				  work.