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BEM 230C 1 of 18 EMPLOYMENT AND/OR SELF-SUFFICIENCY RELATED ACTIVITIES: RCA BPB 2024-027 10-1-2024

BRIDGES ELIGIBILITY MANUAL STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

DEPARTMENT POLICY The Refugee Cash Assistance program (RCA) is temporary cash assistance to support an individual's or a family’s movement to self- sufficiency. The recipients of RCA engage in employment and self- sufficiency related activities so they can become self-supporting. Federal and state laws require each mandatory participant in the RCA group to participate in the employment-related activities provided through a refugee contractor unless temporarily deferred. RCA recipients must participate in employment and/or self- sufficiency related activities to increase their employability and obtain employment. The refugee contractor must document these activities in the Refugee Family Self-Sufficiency Plan (RFSSP). The refugee contractor and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) should ensure that the RFSSP assesses each individual member of the household that can benefit from refugee social services in order to facilitate economic self-sufficiency, family stability, and community integration for the household. MDHHS must also monitor these activities and maintain a record of the recipient’s participation, as supplied by the refugee contractor. The refugee employment program as implemented by the refugee contractor is administered by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), Office of Global Michigan Refugee Services. Temporarily deferred RCA recipients not referred to employment- related activities may volunteer to participate in other activities to overcome barriers so they may eventually be referred to the refugee contractor. The refugee contractor must document these activities in the RFSSP. MDHHS must also monitor these activities and maintain a record of the recipient’s participation, including the RFSSP, as supplied by the refugee contractor. A mandatory participant who refuses, without good cause, to participate in assigned employment and/or other self-sufficiency related activities is subject to penalties; see BEM 233C, Failure to Meet Employment Requirements: RCA. Do not delay approval of RCA benefits solely for employment and self-sufficiency activity requirements. Participation in self-sufficiency activities is not a condition of initial eligibility, however it is a condition of continued eligibility.