7.4.2.1 General W-2 T Participant Circumstances

Participants placed in a W-2 T W-2 Transition must have a formal assessment, as described below, scheduled and documented in WWP Wisconsin Work Programs within 30 calendar days of the W-2 T placement. (See 5.5.1 )

The FEP Financial and Employment Planner must not assume that a participant with a disability is unable to participate in unsubsidized employment or other W-2 paid employment positions.

The FEP may place a participant in a W-2 T when the participant cannot perform a CSJ Community Service Job , as determined by the W-2 agency, for reasons which may include:

Participant Disability or Incapacitation

An independent assessment by a medical professional or other similar qualified source must verify that the participant is, or is expected to be, incapacitated for a period of at least 60 days. Examples of incapacitation that would warrant an assessment may include:

Physical limitations;

Mental health limitations;

Cognitive limitations;

Learning disabilities;

Victim of domestic violence; and

Substance use disorder.

See 5.5.4 for how and what information must be gathered through a formal assessment.

Caring for an Incapacitated W-2 Group Member

The participant is needed in the home to care for a member of the W-2 Group who is ill or incapacitated. The following steps must be taken to determine the need for a W-2 adult to remain in the home to care for a family member:

Verify, through third-party sources, the incapacity or disability of the affected family member and the appropriateness of day care or child care outside of the home using the Need to Care for Disabled Family Member form (10786) or an agency-developed form that, at a minimum, has the same elements. Acceptable third-party sources include:

Medical professionals:

Social Security Administration;

Family Support program;

Birth to Three Early Intervention program;

Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs program;

Exceptional Educational Needs program;

Supportive adult programs under the 51.42 service board; and

Independent Living Centers for a physical disability or mental health issues.

Determine whether day care or child care outside the home is available for the disabled/ or incapacitated family member so that the participant can engage in work training activities outside the home.

When a reasonable accommodation cannot be made or the care is not available, lack of adequate day care or child care is a good cause reason for not participating in W-2 requirements outside the home. Written documentation from one or more local day care or child care providers is sufficient verification that appropriate care is not available.

EX AMPLE 1 : Briella, a single parent with two children, worked as a waitress until her rheumatoid arthritis became so severe that she had to quit her job. Briella applied for W-2 and was placed in a W-2 T position and referred for a vocational assessment.

The results of the assessment showed that with accommodations and rehabilitation, Briella will be able to perform a sedentary job.

Briella and her FEP revised her Employability Plan, emphasizing activities that will allow her to work towards a job in customer service. Her participation requirement is 27 hours per week in a physical rehabilitation program, which involves physical therapy and independent mobility, plus three hours of work training.

After completing three months of rehabilitation, Briella is moved to a CSJ, where she is able to participate a full 40 hours per week in a combination of work training and education activities. Five months after her CSJ placement, Briella secures employment taking calls at a credit union in the customer service department.

E XAMPLE 2 : Anita applies for W-2. Her daughter Kathy, age 8, can no longer be exposed to other children in a school or day care setting due to an advanced autoimmune disease and an extremely fragile immune system. The FEP places Anita in a W-2 T employment position and opens the "CD-Caring for Disabled Child" participation status to care for her child with a disability. Anita tells her FEP that her mother stays with Kathy for two hours per week so she can attend grief mental health counseling sessions, which is added to her EP.