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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 18

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 88 Chapter 18 WV WORKS Activities/Requirements

All work-eligible parents or caretakers whose households are receiving WV WORKS cash assistance are required to participate in a work activity when the participant is ready to engage in work, or when the participant has received program benefits for 24 months, whichever is earlier. When a participant has received 24 months of WV WORKS benefits, being engaged in work is an eligibility requirement. The months of WV WORKS benefits do not have to be consecutive. Work, for the purpose of meeting the 24-month limit, is defined as participation in one or more activities for a minimum of five hours per week (averaged). The activities in which the parent or caretaker may participate and be considered engaged in work include, but are not limited to, the following: • Unsubsidized employment; • Subsidized public or private sector employment; • Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance; • On-The-Job Training (OJT) programs, such as Employer Incentive Program (EIP) contracts, may be utilized as long as the participant is assigned a number of hours that will meet his participation requirements; • Community Work Experience, such as Joint Opportunities for Independence Program (JOIN), CWEP, or other work experience programs available in the community; • Community Service programs are those structured programs in which WV WORKS participants perform work that provides a direct benefit for the community and are supervised directly by a community agency; • Provision of child care for another TANF recipient engaged in a Community Service activity; or • Enrollment in any educational activity including high school, high school equivalency training, college, technical or vocational school, or job skills training. NOTE: The five-hour requirement that applies to 24-month limit cases does not apply to applicants who have received less than 24 months of WV WORKS benefits. If a participant demonstrates good cause for not meeting his work requirement, the situation must be re- evaluated monthly. If he does not continue to have good cause for not meeting his participation hours, he must be assigned to an activity and meet his required participation hours or the sanction process begins.