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1000.8 TANF MANUAL 12/22 PAGE 23

the ESW will send a Communication form to advise the EW to close the case. If the recipient subsequently requests that the TANF case be reopened prior to the effective date of the case closure, she must complete the initial assessment appointment and sign the Agreement of Personal Responsibility before the TANF case will be reopened. The VIEW worker will make every effort to schedule this appointment prior to the effective date of the TANF case closure. The recipient will be advised that if she fails to attend the appointment, the TANF case will be closed based on her original request.

1. If the participant does not appear for the interview, the ESW must attempt to contact the client verbally. If the ESW determines from the contact that the participant did not have good cause for missing the appointment, or if the ESW is unable to contact the client verbally, the ESW must take action to begin the termination process. Based on agency procedures, the ESW will either send the client the VIEW Notice of Sanction/Termination (032-02-0307) or the Advance Notice of Proposed Action within 3 business days of the missed appointment. Alternately, the ESW will immediately notify the EW who will send the ANPA within 3 business days of receipt of the notification.

2. The ANPA notifies the client that she must contact the ESW within 10 days from the date of the notice with documented good cause or the agency will take action to terminate the TANF case.

3. If the client decides to be interviewed by the ESW and to sign the APR, and does both prior to the effective date of case closure as specified on the ANPA, the case will not be closed.

D. Client Failure to Attend the Initial Assessment Interview After Having Signed the APR as a Condition of TANF Eligibility.

If a client’s TANF case is closed because she refused to sign the APR, she must sign the APR as a condition of eligibility if she reapplies for TANF. If her TANF case is approved and she is referred to VIEW, and if she then fails to keep the appointment for the initial assessment interview, her case will be sanctioned, not terminated.

E. The VIEW Assessment Interview

The ESW will conduct an interview with the client either face-to-face, by telephone, or virtually, to determine her prior education, training, work experience, service needs and current job readiness. The interview will be strength-based and will focus on the client’s strengths in all areas of life and work rather than on deficits or barriers.

The interview will include:

1. An identification and evaluation of the participant’s job readiness skills, occupational skills and interests, education, work history, and family/life circumstances. The assessment will focus on the skills and abilities the participant already possesses that would allow her to progress to living wage employment. The VDSS Employment Services Program Assessment form (032-22- 1090), or other assessment instrument approved by the agency’s TANF/VIEW Regional Consultant, will be used to record the information obtained in the interview.

2. A determination of the participant’s functional literacy. If the participant does not have a GED, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree, her functional literacy will be determined through use of the Information Sheet (032-03-0311-02-eng) or other literacy assessment tool such as the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) or the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) instrument. Prior test scores from the TABE or CASAS,

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