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member may receive an exemption if sound documentation can be provided to substantiate the exemption. Participants requesting such exemptions will continue to receive Employment Services to assist the family with becoming self-sufficient.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) was instructed by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to provide states with specific definitions of federally countable work activities. In February 2008, the Final Rules were issued with the following work activities:

1. Unsubsidized employment 2. Subsidized employment 3. Job Search 4. Job Readiness 5. On-the-Job Training 6. Work Experience 7. Community Service 8. Vocational Educational Training 9. GED/HS Completion for Teen Heads of Households 10. Job Skills Training 11. Education Directly Related to Employment 12. Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a GED

Optional items and information specific to North Carolina are discussed below.

1. Custom Work Activities - Additional work activities that do not meet the federal definitions are also supported. A case manager and the family will use the results of the employability assessment to create the most likely and timely path to self- sufficiency.

2. Post-Secondary Education - Up to 20% of Work First participants may be enrolled, at least part-time, in a post-secondary education program. In Standard Counties, participants who are enrolled at least part time and who maintain a 2.5 grade point average (or its equivalent) shall have their two-year time limit suspended for up to three years.

WORK VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

In compliance with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and the subsequent Final Rule, the state of North Carolina’s Work Verification Plan was submitted and approved by ACF in September 2008 which includes the following:

1. Describes the services or programs the state includes under each work activity. (Services and programs must conform to the Federal definition of these activities.) 2. Describes how the State determines the number of countable hours of participation for each activity.