Page 206

TANF POLICY MANUAL

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 206

employment will generally be limited to six to twelve months, unless a longer period is identified in a needs assessment as beneficial.

An example of subsidized public sector employment is supported work for individuals with disabilities in an integrated setting, sponsored by Vocational Rehabilitation.

Contact with employers will be made to determine if they are receiving monies from other public programs in order to determine if they meet the description of subsidized employment.

A. Countable Hours When calculating countable hours toward the TANF participation rate, the State will determine hours based on recent representative pay stubs, or when a new job is reported based on what hours the employer expects the recipient to work.

To determine countable hours, we will use recent representative pay stubs. Pay stubs not considered representative include pay dates in which the recipient received income that is significantly higher or lower than usual. Such a break or difference in hours might be due to illness, a death, vacation, emergency, overtime, etc.

If the pay or non-receipt of pay for one or more of these weeks is not representative, that week’s pay stub will be counted as actual hours. In lieu of pay stubs, a wage form signed by the work supervisor will be accepted.

We will add the weeks of representative hours and divide the total hours by the number of representative pay dates to obtain the average number of hours per pay week.

B. Verification of Hours Recipient’s pay stubs will be the primary source of verification of hours. Verification of hours is determined as follows: Use available representative pay stubs or contact the employer to verify the number of hours the recipient is expected to work each week. Acceptable forms of documentation will be: 1. Request for Wage Information (DSS Form 1245) 2. Wages Stubs 3. Employment/Employer Records(e.g. time sheets) 4. Copy of check, money order, or other payment Once verification is determined, documented hours may continue to be counted for up to six (6) months. Changes in hours will be recalculated based on TANF budgeting policy. C. Method of Supervision Subsidized employment will be supervised according to the requirements of the employer.

4. Work Experience Work Experience is a work activity, performed in return for benefit payments, that provides an individual with an opportunity to acquire the general skills, training, knowledge and work habits necessary to obtain employment.