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North Carolina

23 and/or accommodations may be necessary to assist individuals with registration and with access to employment services.

Work Responsibilities

Work Eligible individuals are assessed for employability at application for Work First Cash Assistance and within three months of receiving assistance. Single parents of children less than 12 months of age are excluded from the participation rate calculation, if they do not complete enough countable hours to be deemed engaged in work. This exclusion is for a cumulative total period of 12 months (lifetime exemption).

In all counties, single parents with children under age six who demonstrate that necessary child care is not available are not sanctioned. (See Child Care Section for required definitions.)

MRA Plans of Action/Outcome Plan are individualized based on an employability assessment. The MRA Plan of Action/Outcome Plan must be completed within 5 days of the Work First application date. Often, a Plan of Action will reflect fewer hours per week of activities that are required to meet the Work Participation Rate. This may be due to a shortage of appropriate activities, a shortage of necessary support services, or other personal limitations of the participant. County Work First staff is responsible for balancing these limitations against the expectation of full time participation and the requirement to meet the participation rates. All work eligible individuals are expected to strive and make progress toward full time participation. County Work First plans require frequent review because some plans may be short-term. The MRA Plan of Action/Outcome Plan may be updated or re-negotiated as often as appropriate.

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 and Job Readiness 4. On-the-Job Training 5. Work Experience 6. Community Service 7. Vocational Educational Training 8. GED/HS Completion for Teen Heads of Households 9. Job Skills Training 10. Education Directly Related to Employment

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

1. State Work Activities - Additional work activities that do not meet the federal definitions are also supported. A worker 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 recipients may be enrolled, at least part-time, in a post-secondary education program. In Standard Counties, recipients who are