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Page 229 of 233 § 10:90-5.15 Mental Health Initiative

(d) Participants may be enrolled in the MHI if they meet either of the following criteria below: 1. They are mandatory TANF recipients required to participate in a work activity or employable GA recipients, and have a mental health problem that prevents them from achieving self-sufficiency, as determined by the Mental Health Case Manager, based on the results of the mental health assessment, pursuant to (c)1 above; or 2. They have an open CP&P case, and have a mental health problem, as determined by the Mental Health Case Manager, based on the results of the mental health assessment, pursuant to (c)1 above. These cases may include deferred TANF and unemployable GA cases. (e) Referral to and participation in the MHI shall be either voluntary or mandatory based on the following criteria: 1. Non-sanctioned WFNJ recipients who are required to participate in a work activity shall be offered a referral based on the results of the MHI-1. Acceptance of such referral is voluntary. Individuals that choose not to accept the referral are to be assigned an appropriate work-related activity. i. For those individuals that accept the referral and agree to attend a meeting with a Mental Health Case Manager, the referral is to be noted on the IRP. If the meeting with the recipient and the Mental Health Case Manager is held and it is determined that a mental health problem exists and an appropriate mental health activity is assigned, then the recipient has the option of attending that activity or participating in another WFNJ work-related activity. Refusal to attend the mental health activity is not sanctionable in this situation. ii. If the recipient agrees to attend this activity, it becomes his or her WFNJ work- related activity, with non-compliance triggering the start of the sanction process. (1) Before starting the sanction process for a recipient enrolled in MHI, the WFNJ worker shall contact that recipient's Mental Health Case Manager for a determination of whether the client's non-compliance was due to his or her mental health problems. If the Mental Health Case Manager concludes that the recipient's non-cooperation may have been a result of his or her mental health barriers, that recipient shall not be sanctioned and shall be offered the opportunity either to continue participating in the MHI or to be assigned an alternate activity. 2. WFNJ recipients who are required to participate in a work activity, and who have been sanctioned for non-compliance with a work activity in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:90-4.13, may be advised that they shall be required to complete the MHI-1 and, if applicable, participate in the MHI in order to remove the sanction, unless the agency worker determines that the reason for the non-compliance is other than a mental health problem. A referral to meet with a Mental Health Case Manager for a mental health assessment shall be provided to the sanctioned individual. Acceptance of such referral is mandatory. The MHI referral is to be noted on the recipient's IRP.