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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 18

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 105 Chapter 18 WV WORKS Activities/Requirements

18.12 JOB SEARCH AND JOB READINESS ASSISTANCE (JR) Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance (JR) means the act of seeking or obtaining employment and preparation to seek or obtain employment. Strategic Planning in Occupational Knowledge for Employment and Success (SPOKES) are the primary programs for this work activity. Programs are designed to improve work attitudes and behavior, center on general workplace expectations to help participants prepare for work, and to help participants to successfully compete in the labor market. This activity must be supervised no less frequently than daily. Daily supervision does not necessarily mean daily in person. The Case Manager or other responsible party provides oversight, knows what the participant is supposed to be doing, and is responsible for ensuring that the participant is actually performing these tasks. Contact may be by phone or electronic where available. Programs offered by other agencies must be submitted to the Division of Family Support (DFS) Policy Unit to ensure they meet the statutory definition of JR as outlined in the Federal Register. Questions or clarifications regarding JR programs must also be submitted to the DFS Family Support Policy Unit. Once the participant has met their allowable hours and time is still needed for completion, the participant may remain in this component. As long as the participant meets the required participation hours, a participation bonus must still be paid even though his hours will no longer count towards Federal participation requirements. Participants may remain in this component beyond allowable Federal limits when this will lead to employment or overcome barriers to employment.

There is a limit on the number of weeks that JR may be used to meet the individual’s work requirement. • The limit is six weeks for the last 12-month period; no more than four weeks may be consecutive. • The six week limit is 120 completed hours for an individual with 20 hours per week work requirement or 180 completed hours for an individual with 30 hours per week work requirement. • Completed hours are not converted or prorated. Actual hours are used. • Any hours of participation in job search and job readiness during the course of a 7-day period triggers a week of the 4-week limit.