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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 13

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 43 Chapter 13 Determining Disability, Incapacity, and Blindness

• A client who does not meet the definition of disability should be evaluated for fitness for employment. If it is clearly obvious to the worker that the client is unfit for employment, the worker must seek supervisory approval prior to providing the unfit exemption. The supervisor or senior worker must provide the approval. If approved by a supervisor or senior worker, no further verification is needed, but thorough case comments from the supervisor or senior worker must be entered explaining why the client is obviously unfit for employment.

• A client who does not meet the definition of disability and is not obviously unfit for employment will be requested to provide written verification from a licensed medical professional that the client is unfit for employment.

Unfit for Employment Example 1: During the interview with the client, the worker notices that the client has few or no teeth and a lack of access to regular personal hygiene, which would prevent the individual from being able to find employment. The worker could exempt the client due to being unfit for employment, if the supervisor or senior worker agrees an unfit designation is necessary.

Unfit for Employment Example 2: During the interview with the client, the worker notices that the client’s thoughts and attention seem to be very scattered and the individual is unable to focus or complete basic fundamental tasks or answer questions. The worker could exempt the client due to being unfit for employment, if the supervisor or senior worker agrees an unfit designation is necessary. .