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North Carolina

14 assistance in North Carolina and/or TANF assistance from another state for 60 cumulative months. The five-year lifetime time limit began in North Carolina on January 1, 1997.

A family may request a hardship exemption if the 60-month time limit has been exhausted. The county social services governing board, or its designee, will determine if an exemption will be granted based on guidelines established by the department. The board or its designee must determine that:

• Both the family and the agency have made good faith efforts to resolve the problems causing the hardship during the 60 months of receipt of Work First cash assistance. • Whether the participant is experiencing hardship as defined in the Work First Manual. Such hardships include, but are not limited to, situations where a family member has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty, where the family is dealing with a severe illness of children or parents, or where there is a combination of factors that together constitute a hardship. • Whether the hardship condition is severe enough to prevent the parent from working on a regular basis.

Adults included in cases that have been granted hardship exemptions are expected to have an MRA-B Plan of Action/Outcome Plan in place that addresses each identified hardship criterion. Families are expected to work toward resolution of the problems as appropriate. Counties are expected to continue to provide necessary services to enable the family to work towards resolution of these issues. Exemptions can be granted for one to six months. At the end of the exemption period, the family may request another exemption.

Good cause considerations include, but are not limited to:

• A significant family crisis or change. • Illness of the caretaker or child, including participation in substance abuse treatment or medical appointment. • Civil leave, including jury duty, or a required court appearance. • A significant change in the participant’s work schedule by the employer. • Disruption in child care arrangements. • Loss of transportation.

14. There is a state 60-month lifetime limit of assistance in North Carolina, for custodial parents who receive Work First Family Assistance for their children. Parents who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are excluded from this policy.

15. In addition to the five-year federal lifetime limit, families who are active in North Carolina’s Work First Employment Services are limited to 24 cumulative months of cash assistance, unless an extension as described below is granted. Families may re-apply for Work First after being off assistance for 36 months. All counties are required to review all Work First cases no later than three months prior to the end of the 24-month time limit.

The review is to: