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The federally countable work activities being utilized in Tennessee are:

• Unsubsidized employment; • Subsidized employment in the public or private sector when funding is available; • Job Search and job readiness assistance; • Community Service; • Work Experience; • Vocational Education Training; • Job skills training directly related to employment; • Adult Education (education directly related to employment); and • Vocational Rehabilitation

Families First/TANF uses the federal definitions for the countable work activities. AUs with a work requirement will receive cash assistance as long as they comply with program requirements or meet the sixty (60)-month time limit. All provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will apply to Work Experience and Community Service activities, including a maximum number of hours and displacement safeguards. Work Experience is limited to six (6) months and Community Services is limited to three (3) months in a calendar year, with some exceptions. Effective July 1, 2019, the State aligned the workforce services and support areas with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development into nine (9) regional areas that cover all ninety-five (95) counties across the State. Effective July 1, 2023, the State no longer utilizes a contracted partner to provide workforce services, but instead utilized TDHS TANF Case Managers (TCM). After Eligibility is determined by the TDHS Eligibility Counselor, a referral is sent to the TCMS to complete an orientation with the customer. The TCM explains the work requirements and develops a Personal Responsibility Plan (PRP) with the customer. The TCM completes an assessment and works with the customer to develop an Individual Opportunity Plan (IOP). The IOP outlines the individuals’ specific work activities according to federally countable work activities and identifies supportive services, if needed. Although the work activities are now being managed by TDHS staff, TDHS continues to utilize an approved contractor to disperse supportive services to eligible customers. Families First/TANF customers determined to be ready to engage in part or full-time employment will be immediately placed in work or work-related activities for up to thirty (30) hours per week. Families First customers are required to engage in work activities after twenty-four (24) months of cash assistance, if they are not already engaged. This excludes a single custodial parent caring for a child under the age of six (6) who refuses to engage in work requirements and is able to demonstrate an inability to obtain needed child care. Certain AUs will be exempt from the work requirement based on the following criteria:

• The caretaker is sixty-five (65) years old or older; • The caretaker is disabled; • The caretaker is temporarily incapacitated; • The caretaker is caring for an in-home disabled relative; • The single parent caretaker is caring for an infant less than one (1) year of age; or • The two (2)-parent household is caring for an infant less than sixteen (16) weeks of age.