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North Carolina

42 application process. If the applicant fails or refuses to be assessed, deny the application for WFFA and evaluate for Medicaid. 5. All Work First applicants and recipients referred to Vocational Rehabilitation must complete the application and comply with all recommendations. Failure or refusal to comply without good cause will result in the case being denied or terminated. Future eligibility is contingent upon completing application and cooperating with Vocational Rehabilitation.

LENOIR COUNTY

1. Applicants, excluding intact families, must cooperate with the Child Support Program before applying for WFFA. 2. Benefit levels may be adjusted at the Director’s discretion based on the availability of funding. 3. A child may be temporarily absent from the home up to 6 months when placed with a safety resource by Child Welfare, provided that the permanent plan is to return the child to the parent/caretaker within that timeframe and the parent is compliant with the Child Welfare family plan.

4. All unemployed or under-employed adult applicants/participants must register for work at the Lenoir Community College (LCC), NCWorks Career Center and local temporary payment agencies within 2 weeks of their application for WFFA benefits. Work First Eligible participants must complete the Work Keys testing and Key Train on-line classes to obtain necessary skills for their desired field of work. 5. The family is not eligible for WFFA benefits for 3 months after voluntarily quitting a job, or a WFE work experience placement, voluntarily reducing work hours or abandoning a job without a good cause reason. The family is not eligible for WFFA for up to 3 months if the parent is fired from a paid job or WFE work experience placement without good cause. WFFA benefits will terminate if the WFE participant is non-compliant with the MRA for 3 consecutive months. Quitting a job or reducing work hours in order to attend college, training, or other post-secondary education does not meet the definition of “good cause.” Job abandonment is defined as failing to go to work and failure to notify the employer. For applicants, the 3 months of ineligibility begin the month the parent stops work or the work experience or reduces work hours or rate of pay. For recipients, the 3 months of ineligibility begin the month following expiration of an advance notice. The participant may cure this sanction by returning to work at an equivalent rate of pay and number of work hours compared to the last job. The family is not eligible for WFFA for up to 3 months if the parent is fired from a paid job or work experience placement unless there is good cause. 6. WFFA recipients who are terminated because of non-compliance with their MRA/Outcome Plan requirements are not eligible for WFFA benefits for one month following termination. (Example: If the client is terminated in August for failure to meet their MRA/Outcome Plan requirements, they will be ineligible for the month of September.) 7. 1st level hearings will be heard by Agency Supervisors not involved with WFFA or WFE. 2nd level hearings will be heard by the Lenoir County DSS Board. The appellant may petition the Lenoir County Superior Court if dissatisfied with the result of the Level 2 hearing. The Lenoir County DSS Board will serve as hearing officer for Hardship Extensions to the 24 and 60 month time limits. 8. Transportation reimbursement is limited to $8 per day for in county travel and $11 per day for out-of- county travel when the participant provides his/her own transportation. Transportation services for non-custodial parents of a WFFA child and non-WFFA families