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11 North Carolina

• Domestic Violence Agency • Local Management Entity – Manage Care Organization • Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities.

Local policy for the following services (guidelines specified, payment limits, etc.) • Emergency Assistance • Exemption from the work requirement for single parents of children under age one • Services for low-income families at or below 200% or 150% of the Federal Poverty Level • Services for non-custodial parents (service optional) • Transportation

Electing Counties and Standard Counties have the same level of flexibility in designing their employment services programs to meet the federal participation rates and statewide Work First goals while addressing local circumstances. However, Electing Counties also have the opportunity to establish their own eligibility criteria and benefit levels.

In February 2025, seven (7) counties notified the Department of their desire to be designated as Electing Counties. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, recommends that the following counties be designated as Electing Counties for the next three-year cycle: Beaufort, Caldwell, Catawba, Lenoir, Lincoln, Macon, and Wilson.

The Department has the responsibility to ensure that the Work First program in all counties complies with Federal and State law and the Work First goals. Under State Law, Electing Counties’ caseloads combined cannot exceed 15.5% of the Work First caseload on September 1 of each year.

Since the caseloads of the counties requesting Electing status, in aggregate, are well below the 15.5% minimum, it was not necessary to rank the plans. The plans for Beaufort, Caldwell, Catawba, Lenoir, Lincoln, Macon, and Wilson counties will comply with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. All counties will be recommended to the General Assembly to be approved as an Electing County.

State law (NCGS 108A-27(e)) requires a county that desires to be re-designated to submit a request in writing to the Department at least six months prior to the effective date of the next State Plan. Funding for all counties is specified in State law. For Electing Counties, block grants are based on the percentage of each county’s total AFDC and JOBS expenditures to statewide actual expenditures in 1995-96. For Work First Cash Assistance, the resulting percentage is applied to the total budgeted funds for Work First Cash Assistance for each year. Electing Counties’ eligibility criteria and processes are described In Appendix A. Many Electing Counties chose to follow some of the Standard County rules. When and if Electing County rules change to be the same as those of Standard Counties, no State Plan amendment will be submitted. If changes other than to conform to Standard County rules are made, an amended State Plan will be submitted. The responsibilities of the participant and the county are outlined in a