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North Carolina

3 Standard counties maintain required protocols and policies for services on file at the local county department of social services/agencies for State Fiscal Year monitoring. All counties are monitored to ensure compliance with program requirements.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Social Services has a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the North Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Division of Workforce Solutions (services include access to Workforce Innovative Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. These agreements outline the services that will be provided by each agency to ensure that the needs of Work First participants’ are met.

The Division requires the local county department of social services/agencies to collaborate and coordinate services with the local Division of Employment Security, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the (the Local Management Entity offices), Department of Public Instruction and Head Start State Collaboration Office to provide services to assist Work First participants in obtaining employment and moving towards self-sufficiency. The Department encourages counties to partner with local resources and community agencies to assist Work First participants.

WORK FIRST ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA (UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

Receipt of Work First is based on both non-financial and financial criteria, which are described in Appendix C. Cabarrus County operates a Work Over Welfare program under State law. Their program criteria are described in Appendix E. Electing Counties’ criteria are described in Appendix D.

The responsibilities of the recipient and the county are outlined in a MRA/Outcome Plan that describes steps the family will take to become self-sufficient and supportive services the county will provide. (See Appendix B)

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE (ALL COUNTIES)

Counties must use their Work First block grant funds to provide emergency assistance to families. Counties must define the eligibility criteria including who is eligible and the types of emergencies that will be covered. This assistance is designed to assist with families’ sporadic emergency needs, such as a utility cut-off or an eviction notice. Emergency assistance is not designed specifically to help families move to self-sufficiency, although, use of this assistance could help a family’s progress.

Counties will comply with federal requirements. Emergency assistance does not trigger the 24 or 60-month time limit, nor will families receiving emergency assistance be required to participate in the Work First program. In addition, families who have exhausted their 24 or 60- month time limit are eligible for Emergency Assistance, provided all other eligibility criteria are met. These families are not included in calculating the State’s participation rates.

Counties are allowed to define and describe in their plans local eligibility criteria that include, at a minimum, the following guidelines: