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assistance to service providers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, medical practitioners and mental health professionals to reduce sexual abuse and sexual violence for any individual including men.

13. FAMILY VIOLENCE OPTION

Family Violence Option: The Department recognizes that the safety of those impacted by domestic violence is of paramount importance and that domestic violence must be prevented and reduced. The NMHCA adopted the FVO under PROWRA of 1996 to establish and enforce standards and procedures regarding the screening for and identification of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. If the applicant discloses information at any time, NMHCA provides the applicant with a list of resources to housing, childcare, transportation services, domestic violence services, and other options available in the community. The NMHCA provides annual training to caseworkers as well as any other staff, such as contractors, regarding relevant state standards and procedures.

Consistent with the purposes of TANF, as well as the purposes and provisions of the New Mexico Works Act, and subject to the availability of funds, NMHCA intends to provide domestic violence services to TANF eligible whose income falls below one hundred percent of federal poverty limits. The TANF applicant receives a list of resources by the NMHCA or NMW contractor, available in the community, the NMW contractor makes a referral to a trained domestic violence counselor and starts the process of assessing the work capacity of the customer and completes paperwork as needed for a possible waiver of the work requirements. Definition of Domestic Violence

The NMHCA uses the definition of domestic or family violence as it is found in the New Mexico State Statutes under the Family Violence Protection Act (Chapter 40, Article 13 NMSA 1978).

Domestic Violence (domestic abuse) means any incident by a household member against another household member resulting in: • Physical harm • Severe emotional distress • Bodily Injury or assault • A threat causing imminent fear of bodily injury by any household member • Criminal trespass • Criminal damage to property • Repeatedly driving by a residence or workplace • Telephone harassment • Stalking • harassment • Harm or threatened harm to children Domestic violence also means: