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COMBINED MANUAL

ISSUE DATE 04/2022

EMPLOYMENT PLAN (EP)

0028.15

● Any revisions to the plan are completed as part of a collaboration with the client (if possible), a person trained in domestic violence, and the job counselor.

● If the client fails to cooperate with the EP the 60-month time limit exemption ends and the client must be invited in to develop a new EP. See 0028.30 (Sanctions for Failure to Comply - Cash) and the MFIP/DWP Employment Services Manual 8.27 (Non- Compliance and Family Violence Waiver).

● Employment plans for clients with family violence waivers must be reviewed every 6 months.

SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Self-employment activities may be included in an Employment Plan (EP) contingent on the development of a business plan.

All participants should be encouraged to look for employment that will lead to their self sufficiency. Clients with an approved EP that includes self-employment must meet the participation requirements. Only the hours the client earns at the federal minimum wage count towards the participation requirements. The number of self-employment hours is determined by dividing the net self- employment income by the federal minimum wage. When the number of self-employment hours is less than the number of hours required for the client to be included in the numerator, the participant’s EP should be revised to include additional countable activities, such as job search, paid employment, or unpaid work experience. See TEMP Manual TE12.05 (Minimum Wage).

DWP: Follow MFIP. Before issuing DWP benefits to a family unit, the caregiver or caregivers must, in conjunction with a job counselor, develop and sign an EP. Also, activities in EPs must not cover a period of more than 4 months. The purpose of the EP is to identify the most direct path to unsubsidized employment for each participant within the 4-month DWP period. The EP must clearly outline the commitments on the part of both the county/Tribal Nation/Employment Services provider and the client.

The activities in the EP must focus on obtaining the necessary evaluation, medical assessment and/or documentation if a client believes they may meet 1 of the DWP unlikely to benefit categories. The job counselor or county/Tribal Nation must assist the client in gathering this information.

DEVELOPING AN EP AS PART OF THE DWP APPLICATION PROCESS

A DWP applicant must meet with an employment counselor to develop and sign an initial EP before issuing any DWP benefits to or on behalf of the family. The employment counselor and applicant have 10 working days from the date the applicant is referred to Employment Services to develop and sign the initial EP. The ES provider has 1 working day to notify the county/Tribal Nation that the the applicant's initial EP was signed. Once notified, the county/Tribal Nation has 1 working day to issue the DWP benefits. DWP benefits cannot be issued until the initial EP is signed.

When the EP is not signed within 30 days of the application date, the ES provider must notify the county/Tribal Nation. The applicant must submit a new application for DWP benefits and the time lines will start over. If the initial EP was not developed and signed within 30 days of the original application due to county/Tribal Nation or Employment Services agency error, issue DWP benefits based on the original application date. The requirement that the applicant signs the EP before benefits are issued still applies to these situations. In most cases, the EP should include 35 hours of work or work-related activities per week. If fewer hours are included in the EP, the reasons for reducing the hours should be noted.

A more limited initial EP can be developed to meet the 10-day requirement provided that a date at which the EP will be revised is included. Because DWP is limited to 4 months, the initial EP should be revised as soon as possible.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR 2-PARENT FAMILIES

In 2-parent families where only 1 caregiver meets a DWP exclusion category and the other caregiver does NOT meet a DWP exclusion category, BOTH parents must participate in DWP. However, the EP for the caregiver who would otherwise be excluded will be developed taking into account the applicant's special circumstances. This includes a caregiver in a 2-parent family who is: