42-721 NONCOMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

(a) agree to a compliance plan; or

(b) comply with a compliance plan agreed to by the CWD and the participant.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.22 Failing or refusing to comply with program requirements means failing or refusing to:

.221 sign a welfare-to-work plan; participate in any assigned program activity, including a self-initiated program; provide required proof of satisfactory progress in any assigned program activity, including a self-initiated program; or accept employment;

.222 continue employment; or

.223 continue employment at the same level of earnings.

.23 Upon determination that an individual has failed or refused to comply with program requirements, the CWD shall send the individual a notice of action effective no earlier than 30 calendar days from the date of issuance.

.231 The notice of action shall inform the individual that a sanction will be imposed if the individual fails to either attend an appointment scheduled by the CWD within 20 calendar days of the notice or contact the CWD by telephone within 20 calendar days of the notice, and fails to do one of the following:

(a) Provide information to the CWD that leads to a finding of good cause for refusing or failing to comply with program requirements, or

(b) Agree to a compliance plan to correct the failure or refusal to comply.

.232 The written notice of action shall contain the following additional information:

(a) The date, time, and location of the scheduled appointment.

(b) A description of the specific act or acts that have caused the individual to be out of compliance with participation requirements.

(c) A statement that the individual has the right to explain why he or she failed or refused to comply with program requirements and to demonstrate that he or she had good cause for his or her refusal or failure to comply.

(d) A general definition of good cause and examples of reasons that constitute good cause for not participating in the program.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

(f) The right of the individual to reschedule the appointment once within a period of 20 calendar days.

(g) A description of the transportation and child care services available to the individual in order to attend the appointment.

(h) A statement that if good cause is not found, a compliance plan will be developed and the individual will be expected to agree to the plan or face a sanction.

(i) The name, telephone number, and address of state and local legal aid and welfare rights organizations that may assist the individual with the good cause and compliance plan process.

(j) The steps the individual must take to have aid restored.

.24 Cause Determination

.241 The CWD shall schedule a cause determination appointment time within 20 calendar days of the notice of action during which each individual who has failed or refused to comply with program requirements has an opportunity to demonstrate that he or she has good cause for the refusal or failure.

.242 The individual shall be allowed to reschedule the cause determination appointment once within the 20-calendar-day period.

.25 If the individual fails to attend the appointment, the CWD shall attempt to contact the individual by telephone at the time of, or after, the appointment to establish a finding of good cause or no good cause. If a finding of no good cause is made, the CWD shall develop a compliance plan to correct the instance of nonparticipation.

.26 If the CWD is not able to contact the individual as described in Section 42-721.25, and the individual fails to contact the CWD within the 20-calendar-day period, the CWD shall impose a sanction.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.27 The CWD shall rescind the notice of action if the individual attends the appointment or contacts the CWD by telephone within the 20-calendar-day period and the CWD makes either of the following two determinations:

.271 The individual had good cause for refusing or failing to comply, or

.272 The individual agrees to a compliance plan to correct the noncompliance.

(a) If the individual agrees to a compliance plan at the appointment, the individual shall be provided a copy of the plan. If the individual agrees to a compliance plan over the telephone, a copy of the plan shall be mailed to the client.

.28 An instance of noncompliance shall not be considered to have occurred if either of the following occurs:

.281 The CWD determines that the individual had good cause for failing or refusing to comply.

.282 The individual did not have good cause for failing or refusing to comply, but agrees to a compliance plan and subsequently fulfills the terms of the compliance plan.

.29 If the individual does not fulfill the terms of a written compliance plan agreed upon with the CWD and the CWD determines, based on available information, that the individual did not have good cause for failure to meet the terms of the plan, the CWD shall send a notice of action to impose a sanction. If a sanction is imposed under the terms of this paragraph, no further compliance procedures are applicable.

.3 Good Cause for Failure or Refusal to Comply with Program Requirements

.31 No sanctions shall be applied for failure or refusal to comply with program requirements for reasons related to employment, an offer of employment, an activity, or other training for employment including, but not limited to, the following reasons:

.311 The employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment discriminates in terms of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, or physical or mental disability.

.312 The employment or offer of employment exceeds the daily or weekly hours of work customary to the occupation.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.313 The employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment is remote from the individual's home because either:

(a) The round-trip travel time required exceeds a total of two hours, exclusive of the time necessary to transport family members to a school or place providing care, or

(b) Walking is the only available means of transportation and the round-trip is more than two miles, exclusive of the mileage necessary to accompany family members to a school or a place providing care.

(c) An individual who fails or refuses to comply with the program requirements based on the remoteness of the employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment shall be required to participate in community service activities as defined in Section 42-701.2(c)(5), and in accordance with Section 42-716.1(j)(2).

.314 The employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment involves conditions that are in violation of applicable health and safety standards.

.315 The employment, offer of employment, or work activity does not provide for worker's compensation insurance.

.316 Accepting the employment or work activity would cause an interruption to an approved education or job training program in progress. For purposes of this section, an education or job training program includes all welfare-to-work activities described in Section 42-716, except work experience or community service assignment.

(a) The approved education or job training program in progress must lead to employment and sufficient income to be self-supporting.

(b) If the hours of participation in the approved education or job training program in progress are less than the hours required as a condition of eligibility for aid, the CWD may require the individual to engage in welfare-to-work activities to the extent necessary to meet the required hours of participation.

.317 Accepting the employment, offer of employment, or work activity would cause the individual to violate the terms of his or her union membership.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.32 In determining whether good cause exists for a refusal or failure to comply with program requirements, the CWD shall take into consideration whether the participant has a mental disability that caused or substantially contributed to the refusal or failure to comply with program requirements. This determination shall be made, where appropriate, in consultation with the county mental health department.

.33 An individual shall have good cause for not participating in welfare-to-work activities if he or she meets the criteria described in Section 42-713.

.4 Sanctions

.41 Financial sanctions shall be applied when a non-exempt welfare-to-work participant has failed or refused to comply with program requirements without good cause and compliance efforts have failed.

.411 Any month in which an individual is under sanction and removed from the assistance unit shall not be counted as a month of receipt of aid in determining the 48-month time limit in accordance with Section 42-302.115.

(SAR) .412 A financial sanction is a county-initiated mid-period change pursuant to Section 44316.331(b)(SAR).

.42 The sanctions must not apply in the following circumstances:

.421 To an individual who is exempt from the welfare-to-work requirements and is voluntarily participating in the Welfare-to-Work Program. If an exempt volunteer engages in conduct that would bring about the sanction procedures described in Sections 42-721.43 through .45, but for their status as a volunteer, the individual shall not be given priority over other participants actively seeking to participate.

.422 Except as specified in paragraph (a), an individual who chooses to include more participation hours in their welfare-to-work plan than is required pursuant to Section 42-711.4, must not be subject to a sanction if the number of hours they complete in a week is at least the number of hours required in Section 42-711.4.

(a) Section 42-721.422 does not apply to individuals who fail to continue employment, or continue employment at the same level of earnings, pursuant to Sections 42-721.222 and .223 respectively without good cause.

.423 During the month in which the assistance unit experienced the death of a child that was part of the assistance unit, or the following month. The county must provide information to the adult(s) about mental health services, including but not limited to, information about, and a referral to, services provided by the county human services agency, if appropriate. The county must also review the family’s eligibility for the Family Stabilization Program.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

HANDBOOK BEGINS HERE

Example A: Jennifer is the mother of a four year old son and lives with her husband, John, who is unaided due to his citizenship status. Jennifer is only required to participate for 20 hours each week to meet the minimum welfare-to-work participation hours as she has months remaining on her Welfare-to-Work 24-Month Time Clock. However, Jennifer wants to meet CalWORKs federal standards so that months are not counted toward her Welfare-to-Work 24-Month Time Clock. Therefore, Jennifer’s welfare-to-work plan includes 20 hours of employment and 10 hours of job skills training directly related to employment.

In the week of April 14, Jennifer does not attend her job skills training directly related to employment activity, but she completes her employment hours. In this situation, Jennifer is not subject to a noncompliance process, regardless of the reason she did not attend her job skills training activity, because she met the minimum number of hours (20) that she is required to participate.

Example B: Robert is the father in a one-parent assistance unit made up of three children ages 8, 10 and 11 years old. Robert’s welfare-to-work plan states he needs to work an average at least 30 hours per week, which he consistently performs in an unsubsidized employment job and he has months remaining on his Welfare-to-Work 24-Month Time Clock.

In the week of April 13th, Robert voluntarily decreases his hours worked to 25 hours per week without developing a new welfare-to-work plan and as a result is noncompliant and if he does not increase his number of hours worked to the amount required by his welfare-to-work plan, he will be subject to sanction.

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NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.43 Financial sanctions for failing or refusing to comply with program requirements without good cause shall result in a reduction in the family's grant by removing the noncomplying family member from the assistance unit until the noncomplying individual performs the activity(ies) he or she previously refused to perform; or if the activity that the noncomplying individual originally failed to perform is no longer available or appropriate, the county must specify another appropriate activity for the individual to perform.

.44 The discontinuance from aid shall become effective on the first day of the first payment month that the sanctioned individual's needs are removed from aid following the CWD's timely and adequate notification (see Section 22-072.1), except as specified in Section 42-721.441.

.441 If the recipient appeals the sanction through the state hearing process within the period of timely notification, no sanction shall be imposed until the hearing decision is reached.

(a) If the CWD's action is sustained, the discontinuance shall be effective at the end of the payment month in which the state hearing decision is received.

(1) If the CWD is unable to discontinue aid at the end of such month, aid shall be discontinued at the end of the following payment month.

.45 In a two-parent assistance unit whose basis for deprivation is unemployment, the sanctioned parent shall be removed from the assistance unit.

.451 If the sanctioned parent's spouse or the assistance unit's second parent is not participating in the program, except as provided in Section 42-721.453, both the sanctioned parent and the spouse or second parent shall be removed from the assistance unit.

.452 The CWD shall notify the spouse of the noncomplying participant or second parent in writing at the commencement of the compliance procedures of his or her own opportunity to participate and the impact on sanctions of that participation.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.453 For purposes of this section, if a spouse or second parent is participating to avoid the sanction of the noncomplying parent, the exemption criteria for care of an ill or incapacitated member of the household pursuant to Section 42712.46, or the care of a young child pursuant to Section 42-712.47 do not apply. Any other exemption or good cause criteria, as described in Sections 42-712 and 42-713 and compliance procedures described in Section 42-721, shall apply to the sanctioned parent's spouse or the family's second parent.

.454 A spouse or second parent who chooses to participate to avoid the noncomplying parent's sanction, and subsequently ceases participation without good cause and fails or refuses to agree to or fulfill the terms of a compliance plan without good cause, shall be removed from the assistance unit in accordance with Section 42-721.43.

.455 If the sanctioned parent's spouse or the second parent is under his or her own sanction at the time of the first parent's sanction, the spouse or second parent shall not be provided the opportunity to avoid the first parent's sanction until the spouse or second parent's sanction is completed.

.46 For families that qualify due to the absence or incapacity of a parent, only the noncomplying parent shall be removed from the assistance unit, and aid shall be continued to the remainder of the family.

.461 The CWD shall arrange for a protective payee in accordance with Section 44-309.

.47 If the noncomplying individual is a dependent child, his or her needs shall not be taken into account in determining the family's need for assistance and the amount of the assistance payment.

.48 The CWD shall restore aid:

.481 On the first day of the month following the date that the individual contacted the county to indicate his or her desire to end the sanction after all of the following conditions are met:

(a) The activities in accordance with Section 42-721.43 have been successfully completed.

(b) The individual is determined to be in compliance with program requirements, and is otherwise eligible.

If the individual completes the activity after the first of the month following the date of the request to end the sanction, the county shall issue a supplemental payment, retroactive to the first of the month following the date of the request to end the sanction; or

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.482 If the sanction is rescinded as a result of the outcome of a state hearing or the formal grievance procedure established in accordance with Section 42-721.5.

(SAR) .483 Restoration of aid due to the noncomplying participant performing the activities he or she previously refused to perform, in accordance with Sections 42-721.43 and 44318.13(SAR), is a county-initiated mid-period change pursuant to Section 44316.331(c)(SAR).

HANDBOOK BEGINS HERE

(a) Example: An individual who was sanctioned for failing to attend orientation contacts the CWD on July 14 and indicates he wishes to end his sanction. The individual signs his curing plan on July 17, attends orientation on July 23 as required by his curing plan, and cures his sanction. On August 1, if the individual is otherwise eligible, his cash aid is restored.

(b) Example: An individual contacts the CWD on July 14 and indicates she wishes to end her sanction. The individual signs her curing plan on July 17, which specifies that she must participate in two weeks of job search/job club beginning on July 23. She successfully completes job search/job club on August 5, and ends her sanction. If the individual is otherwise eligible, her cash aid is restored back to August 1.

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.49 The CWD shall grant aid:

.491 On the first day of the month following the date that the individual contacted the county to indicate his or her desire to end the sanction, once the activities in accordance with Section 42-721.43 have been successfully completed, if the individual applies for aid, is determined to be in compliance with program requirements, and is otherwise eligible.

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(SAR) (a) Example: An individual who was sanctioned and left aid with his family after failing to participate in vocational education contacts the CWD on July 1 to reapply for aid. His family is determined eligible for aid on July 5 and aid is granted to the family as of July 5; before aid can be granted for the sanctioned individual he must cure his sanction. The individual signs his curing plan on July 5, participates in a vocational education program for 30 days, and successfully cures his sanction on August 3. If the individual is otherwise eligible, his cash aid is granted back to August 1 as a county-initiated mid-period change pursuant to Section 44-316.331(c)(SAR).

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Regulations WELFARE-TO-WORK 42-721(Cont.)

.5 State Hearing and Formal Grievance

.51 Except as specified in Section 42-721.512(b), .512(c), or .512(d), when a participant believes that any program requirement or assignment is in violation of, or inconsistent with, state law and regulations governing the Welfare-to-Work Program, the CWD shall inform him/her of the right either to request a state hearing or to file a formal grievance based on the procedures established by the county board of supervisors.

.511 State Hearing

(a) The CWD shall inform the individual of his/her right to file an appeal through the state hearing process as an alternative to the formal grievance procedures.

(b) Procedures for a state hearing are specified in MPP Division 22.

(c) With the exception of welfare-to-work supportive services (see Section 42-750.213), aid will continue if the individual appeals through the state hearing process within the period of timely notification (see Section 42-721.441).

(d) If a welfare-to-work participant or other affected party is dissatisfied with a state hearing decision involving on-the-job working conditions or workers’ compensation coverage, the party may appeal the decision to the appropriate state regulating agency.

(1) A copy of the written decision shall be issued to all affected parties and shall identify the right to appeal. The decision shall also provide the address and instructions for filing an appeal.

(A) The instructions shall include the requirement that the appeal be filed within 20 calendar days following receipt of the written decision.

(e) The participant shall be permitted to request a state hearing to appeal the outcome of a formal grievance.

NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY

.512 Formal Grievance Procedures

(a) The procedures for a formal grievance established by the county board of supervisors and the duration of these procedures shall be specified in the county plan.

(b) The sole issue for resolution through a formal grievance shall be whether a program requirement or assignment is in violation of the welfare-to-work plan or inconsistent with Chapter 42-700.

(c) The participant shall not be permitted to use the formal grievance to appeal the outcome of a state hearing or the results of an assessment made according to Section 42-711.55.

(d) The formal grievance shall not be available to a noncomplying individual who has already failed to successfully conciliate in accordance with Section 42-721.2. Under those circumstances, the applicant or recipient may request a state hearing to appeal a program requirement or assignment.

(e) The individual shall be subject to sanction pending the outcome of the formal grievance or any subsequent appeal only if he/she fails to participate during the period the grievance procedure

(1) This information shall be provided to an individual when he or she requests information about the procedure for filing a formal grievance.

.513 The CWD shall address any complaints of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, marital status, sex, age, or handicap which may arise through an applicant's/recipient's participation in Welfare-to-Work in accordance with the provisions of MPP Division 21 - Nondiscrimination in State and Federally Assisted Programs.

NOTE: Authority cited: Sections 10553, 10554, and 10604, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: Sections 11203, 11265.2, 11320, 11320.3, 11320.31, 11321(a) and (b)(2), 11322.85, 11322.9, 11324.8(d), 11327.4, 11327.5(a) through (e), 11327.6, 11327.8, 11327.9, 11328.2, 11333.7, 11454, 11454.2, and 16501.1(d), (e), (f), and (g), Welfare and Institutions Code.

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NONLINKING FACTORS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY