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Minnesota Family Investment Program Minnesota House Research Department Page 24 pursues his or her education. A teen caregiver who does not attend school faces the possibility of a sanction (see page 26), unless one of a limited number of exemptions applies:  transportation to attend school is unavailable  appropriate child care is unavailable  the teen caregiver is ill or incapacitated seriously enough to prevent attending school  the teen caregiver is needed to care for an ill or incapacitated household member (including a child under six weeks of age) Employment and Training When Education Is Not Appropriate The individual assessment may indicate that an MFIP teen caregiver does not have an appropriate educational option, even though the teen lacks a high school diploma. If the teen is age 18 or 19, the general MFIP employment and training services requirements apply, and the job counselor and teen must develop an employment plan. If the teen is under age 18, the teen must be referred to the county’s social services agency, where a plan for the teen parent and child must be developed.46 If an MFIP caregiver is a custodial parent who is under age 20 and has a high school diploma or its equivalent, the general MFIP employment and training services requirements apply. However, a county may opt to have a social services agency conduct the required initial assessment and complete the job search support or employment plan. What Counts as Work In MFIP, a work activity is “any activity in a participant’s approved employment plan that leads to employment” (Minn. Stat. § 142G.50, subd. 11). The statute also specifies that this includes activities that meet the definition of work activity under the participation requirements of TANF. (See page 20 for a discussion of the federal work requirements.) Job search activities, and all of the activities in a person’s employment plan, count as work activities for the purpose of meeting the MFIP hourly work requirements. The MFIP definition of work activity includes, but is not limited to, any of the following nine activities: 1) Unsubsidized employment, including work study and paid apprenticeships or internships 2) Subsidized private or public sector employment, including grant diversion, on-the- job training, paid work experience, and supported work 3) Uncompensated work experience, including the community work experience program, community service, uncompensated apprenticeships or internships, and supported work

46 An 18- or 19-year-old custodial parent who has been receiving services from a social services agency, and who does not yet have a high school diploma, may choose whether to continue to receive services from the social services agency or to instead use an employment and training services provider (Minn. Stat. § 142G.57, subd. 2).