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STATE OF CONNECTICUT TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) STATE PLAN 2021-2023

EFFECTIVE DATE 10/1/20 – 9/30/23  Initial Submission 12/29/20  Revision Page 30 WORK ACTIVITIES - SECTION A –PART III Sec. 402(a)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (iii) – The Work Activities part describes how the state intends to ensure that parents and caretakers receiving assistance under the program engage in work activities in accordance with section 407 of the Social Security Act. Please review Part I, Section D – Department of Labor - D. 5. – Employment Services for further description of CT work requirement expectations. Connecticut cash assistance recipients are required to engage in work activities as prescribed by their employability plans. Failure to participate without good cause results in a penalty being imposed on the entire family. During the 21-month time limit, the penalty for not participating becomes progressively more severe. For the first instance of failure to participate, the penalty is a 25% reduction in the family’s TFA payment for three months. For the second instance of non- compliance, the penalty is a 35% reduction in the TFA payment for three months. For all subsequent instances of non-compliance during the 21-month time limit, the penalty is ineligibility for TFA payments for three months. Also, when the adult who fails to comply is the only recipient of TFA, the assistance unit of one is ineligible for benefits for three consecutive months for the first, second, and third offense. The three months that the family does not receive TFA payments do not count in determining twenty-one months of time limited eligibility. If the family is penalized more than one time during the 21-month time limit, they are given the opportunity to participate in an Individual Performance Contract (IPC). If the IPC is successfully completed an extension may be granted. If the IPC is unsuccessful no future extension is allowed unless the family experiences special circumstances such as domestic violence or it becomes exempt from work requirements. If a family fails to participate without good cause during an extension, the penalty is ineligibility for the remainder of the extension period. No future extension is allowed unless the family experiences special circumstances such as domestic violence. The following are the categories and state definitions of the Work Activities for Connecticut’s program: Work Activity Categories: 1. Unsubsidized Employment 2. Subsidized Private Sector Employment 3. Subsidized Public Sector Employment 4. On-the-Job Training 5. Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance 6. Work Experience