1003-2 Work Activities

Work Services Procedure Manual

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1003-2 WORK ACTIVITIES

All activities defined and described for Work Services must promote self-sufficiency. Activities assigned during the FSSPFamily Self Sufficiency Plan process must be linked to employment goals or other goals determined essential to helping the family prepare for work or to otherwise reach the highest possible degree of self-sufficiency.

Core work activities that lead a client to self-sufficiency include: employment, subsidized employment, unpaid work experience, job search, job readiness workshops, application for other social service programs, vocational training, counseling, substance abuse treatment, and subsistence activities.

Clients should be assigned 40 hours a week of work activities. This allows for maximum participation and increases the likelihood that each family will meet the minimum participation requirements to the extent possible. Where 40 hours is not possible or appropriate, activities should be assigned based on the client's situation and the availability of activities in their community. Activities should be chosen to assist the client towards self-sufficiency and closing their ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program case as soon as possible. The reason for assignment of less than 40 hours of work activities should be documented in the CLNOClient Notes.

Work Services activities are assigned and scheduled so that clients can exit Temporary Assistance as quickly as possible. Each FSSPFamily Self Sufficiency Plan identified identifies one or more activities the client is expected to engage in during the duration of that plan, see WSPMWork Services Procedure Manual MS 1002. Clients are required to engage in a single or combination of concurrent activities and may be penalized if they fail to do so and do not have good cause, see WSPMWork Services Procedure Manual MS 1006 and WSPMWork Services Procedure Manual MS 1007.

There are three categories of work activities that are assigned to clients and coded in the Case Management System (CMSCase Management System). These activities assist the client in moving towards self-sufficiency.

Core activities always count towards the federal participation rate though some of the activities have an annual or life-time limit of months that count towards the participation rate.

Work support activities count towards the participation rate if the client is also engaged in at least 20 hours per week of core week activities.

Non-countable activities do not count towards federal or state participation rates, but the activities may be in the best interest of the client to build stability and prepare them for work support or core activities.

Please see the following work activity desk reference tool.

Work Services Activity Codes
Core Work Activities These activities always count towards the federal participation rate.
Holiday	Excused Absences	Activity Code	Activity Title	Activity Description
		WK	Paid Employment	Paid employment excluding self-employment
		SE	Self-Employment	For Profit Business venture where participant is owner
		SW	Seasonal Work	Paid employment in an industry that operates for only part of the year
WH	WA	WX	Business Work Experience	Unpaid work with a private sector for profit employer
CH	CA	CW	Community Work Experience	Unpaid work that achieves a useful public purpose and contributes to the common good of the community
		C2	Subsistence	Traditional gathering of food and basic resources for heat and water
		WS	Job Start	Federally Defined Subsidized Employment
		OJ	On-the-Job-Training	Paid employment where skills are learned by performing at a work site under the supervision of the employer who is reimbursed for their associated costs
VH	VA	VE	Vocational Education	Educational program that prepares the individual for employment in current or emerging occupations that require training (may include college level education that is linked to a current or emerging occupation) Only a total of 12 months of vocational education are allowed over the 60 month lifetime limit of the program.
The following seven activities are federally defined as Work Readiness activities.
JH	JA	J3	Structured Work Search	Case manager guides client through employer contacts, resume writing, assessments, and interviewing skills (includes Job Club)
		X1	Contractual Work Search	Work Search Contractor guides client through employer contacts, resume writing, assessments, and interviewing skills
		VC	Vocational Counseling	Employment counselor helps participants understand themselves in relation to a vocational situation
		B1	Substance Abuse	Receiving assessment and/or treatment for substance abuse
		B4	DVDomestic Violence Counseling	Receiving domestic violence counseling
		B5	Mental Health	Receiving mental health assessment and/or treatment
		B6	Medical	Receiving medical (physical health) assessment and/or treatment
Work Support Activities Work support activity hours count towards the federal performance rate only after the client has completed 20 hours per week of core work activities.
Holiday	Excused Absences	Activity Code	Activity Title	Activity Description
PH	PA	P3	Job Skills Training	Short term Job Skills training
RH	RA	F3	English as a Second Language	English instruction to participants who lack the ability to speak English (if not appropriate to code as VE or P3)
RH	RA	I1	Education Directly Related to Employment	Education necessary to gain and retain employment
EA	EH	E6	GEDGeneral Education Diploma Preparation and Basic Education, Adult	GEDGeneral Education Diploma program or a program to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills
		E5	GEDGeneral Education Diploma Preparation, Minor or Teen Parent	A minor (under 18) or teen (18 or 19) parent in program that leads to a GEDGeneral Education Diploma
		HS	High School Completion	A program that leads to a high school diploma. Minor parents must be enrolled in and making adequate program in High School
Non-Countable Activities These activities address meeting family needs to ensure that their transition to employment and self-sufficiency will be successful.
Holiday	Excused Absences	Activity Code	Activity Title	Activity Description
		B3	Remediation of Other Barriers	Remediation of other barriers (not B1, B4, B5, B6, or B7)
		B7	SSISupplemental Security Income / SSDISocial Security Disability Insurance	Application or appeal for SSISupplemental Security Income / SSDISocial Security Disability Insurance benefits
		P1	Post-Secondary Education	College level education (if not appropriate as codes VE or P3)
		NR	New Referral	New referral to Work Services: start date when DPADivision of Public Assistance refers client to a Work Services Provider. End date, when a case manager engages the client or takes action to penalize the case.
		NP	Not Participating	This code is typically associated with failure to develop an FSSPFamily Self Sufficiency Plan or complete assigned activities and a penalty in pending or is in place
		S2	Gap in Participation	Approved temporary break in work activity typically associated with circumstances outside the family's control that cannot be represented by another code.

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