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North Carolina 66 8. When a Work First case is transferred to Catawba County, an appointment will be made for a client to come to the office within ten business days to sign a new MRA and be evaluated for any needed documentation. Failure to keep the appointment will result in the WF case being closed at the end of the current month (unless there is good cause). 9. If a Work First case is closed for any reason (without good cause), the case will not be eligible for re-open. The applicant/recipient may reapply for Work First. 10. All adults in an Employment case must have a High School Degree or equivalent OR be enrolled in a GED or Adult High School classes unless there is good cause. 11. A Child Enhancement fund will be created to work with families in providing financial assistance to enhance the quality of life for the child. Examples: band fees, uniform fees, dues for Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts, etc. 12. Retention Services: Catawba County provides a one-time lump sum Employment Retention Bonus of $400 to Work First participants whose Work First check terminates due to earned income and who remain employed: • With the same employer (unless the change is an improvement), and • Employed full time (30+ hours per week) for four consecutive months following termination of their Work First Cash benefit, and • Income eligible based on the 200% level of poverty worksheet LENOIR COUNTY 1. Applicants, excluding intact families, must cooperate with the Child Support Program before applying for Work First cash assistance. 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 Work First cash assistance benefits. Work First Eligible (WFE) 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 Work First cash assistance 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 Work First cash assistance for up to 3 months if the parent is fired from a paid job or WFE work experience placement without good cause. Work First cash assistance benefits will terminate if the WFE participant is non-compliant with the MRA for 3 consecutive months. Quitting a job or reducing work hours 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