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STATE OF ARKANSAS TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES REVISED 2023 Page 34 of 46 In addition, the family will continue to be ineligible for TEA assistance until the resulting overpayment (e.g., the total amount of assistance received to which the family was not entitled) has been repaid to the State with interest. The Director of the Division of County Operations or their designee may waive this requirement. Section 11 WORK PAYS Arkansas Act 1705 of 2005 established the Work Pays Program. Work Pays is an incentive program designed to encourage working TEA participants to remain employed after closure of the TEA case while increasing their hours of work and/or hourly wage. Work Pays may be limited to 3,000 families. 11.1 Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for Work Pays, an individual must meet the following requirements: 1. Be employed at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the Work Pays application; 2. Have care and custody of a related minor child, including family cap child (TEA Policy 2150.1) and child receiving SSI; 3. Be a resident of the State of Arkansas; 4. Meet the citizenship or alienage requirement (Refer to TEA. 2220); 5. Apply for Work Pays within six (6) months of TEA case closure; 6. Received TEA cash assistance for at least three (3) months, including months of deferral. These months do not have to be consecutive. Months from other states do not count; 7. Have not received more than twenty-four (24) months of Arkansas Work Pays Program benefits; 8. Meet Work Hours Requirement; ¾ For initial eligibility — was engaged in paid work activities for a minimum of twenty-four hours per week for the past month and met the federal participation rate for the past month; ¾ For on-going eligibility — must be in paid work activities for a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours per week and meet the federal participation requirement for one (I) of the past three (3) months and for at least three (3) of the past six (6) months. 9. Have income below 150% of the federal poverty level for the family size, including family cap and SSI children - who are counted in the household size when determining FPL even if they are not included in the budget unit; 10. Comply with the Work Pays Personal Responsibility Agreement; 11. Comply with the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)