Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, March 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
7
C.F.R. 273.7,
273.24,
7 U.S.C.
2015(d)
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: The Cabinet for Health and
Family Services is required by
7
C.F.R. 273.7 to administer a Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Program.
KRS
194A.050(1) requires the
secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate
administrative regulations necessary to implement programs mandated by federal
law or to qualify for the receipt of federal funds and necessary to cooperate
with other state and federal agencies for the proper administration of the
cabinet and its programs. This administrative regulation establishes technical
eligibility requirements used by the cabinet in the administration of the SNAP
Employment and Training (E&T) Program.
Section
1. Definitions.
(1) "Basic
education" means an activity necessary to attain a high school diploma or
equivalent and may include:
(a) Adult basic
skills;
(b) English as a Second
Language; and
(c) Foundational
skills instruction.
(2)
"Employment readiness training" means an intensive program focusing on skill
assessment and educational remediation services that prepare an individual for
the workforce.
(3) "Integrated
education and training" means a program that provides adult education and
literacy activities alongside training for a specific occupation for the goal
of obtaining self-sufficiency.
(4)
"Job retention services" means continuous ongoing case management for a period
of thirty (30) to ninety (90) days while the participant is transitioning into
employment.
(5) "Vocational
training" means a component that improves the employability of participants by
providing training in a skill or trade to meet the needs of current or emerging
industries and occupations.
(6)
"Work experience" means a program in which a participant receives occupational
experience and may include:
(a) Job
training;
(b) An
internship;
(c) An apprenticeship;
and
(d) Job shadowing.
(7) "Workfare" means an unpaid
activity that provides an individual with an opportunity to gain work
experience and useful workplace skills at a supervised worksite.
Section 2. E&T Participation.
(1)
(a) An
individual may volunteer to participate in the E&T Program.
(b) A voluntary participant in the E&T
shall not be penalized by a discontinuance or reduction of SNAP
benefits.
(2) An E&T
participant shall:
(a) Complete an initial
assessment interview;
(b) Be placed
in an approved SNAP E&T component; and
(c)
1.
Complete and return to the cabinet a SNET-145 Employment and Training
Participation Report, in order to verify participation; or
2. Enter participation information in the
case management system to be verified by a SNAP E&T provider.
(3) Payment for
transportation, up to twenty-five (25) dollars per month, shall be provided to
an individual participating in the E&T program if the individual:
(a) Incurs or plans to incur a transportation
expense in order to participate; and
(b) Completes and returns to the cabinet
verification of the job search in accordance with Section 3(3)(b) and (c) of
this administrative regulation or reports participation in accordance with
subsection (2)(c) of this section stating the anticipated need.
(4) The ongoing transportation
payment shall be requested by the individual by submitting the completed
SNET-145 form and indicating the amount of the request. If the participant does
not request the transportation payment, the payment shall not be
issued.
(5) Case management shall
be provided by an E&T provider or partner.
Section 3. Components.
(1) The E&T program shall contain
components from the following federally-approved services and activities:
(a) Employment readiness training;
(b) Work experience;
(c) Vocational training;
(d) Basic education;
(e) Integrated education and
training;
(f) Job retention
services; or
(g)
Workfare.
(2) An
individual participating in the E&T program shall actively participate in a
component weekly. All components shall be built for twenty (20) hours per week
or eighty (80) hours per month.
(3)
An individual participating in workfare shall:
(a) Complete an initial assessment and
develop an employability plan;
(b)
Participate in the initial thirty (30) days of job search, including twelve
(12) contacts with prospective employers;
(c) Complete and file with the cabinet
verification of the job search in accordance with paragraph (b) of this
subsection;
(d) Provide written
verification by the workfare provider of E&T Program activities to the
cabinet; and
(e) Satisfy the work
requirement, in accordance with 921 KAR 3:027, Section 3(8), by:
1. Accepting the offer of a work site
placement; and
2. Working at the
assigned work site placement for the minimum monthly number of hours required
by subsection (4) or (5) of this section.
(4) The minimum number of hours that a
workfare participant shall perform each month to satisfy the work requirement
of 921 KAR 3:027, Section 3(8), shall be determined by the participant's
monthly SNAP allotment divided by the current federal minimum wage.
(5) If the SNAP household's active members
include more than one (1) individual who wants to satisfy the work requirement
of 921 KAR 3:027, Section 3(8), through workfare, the minimum monthly number of
work hours that each individual is required to perform shall be determined by
dividing the:
(a) SNAP allotment by the number
of individuals who are subject to the work requirement; and
(b) Individual pro rata share of the SNAP
allotment by the current federal minimum wage.
Section 4. Hearing Process. If aggrieved by
an action or inaction that affects participation, a SNAP participant may
request a hearing in accordance with
921 KAR
3:070.
Section
5. Reimbursement. An individual shall complete and file with the
cabinet a written request to have a reimbursement check for employment or
training replaced after loss or theft.
Section
6. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) "SNET-145, Employment and Training
Participation Report", 9/20, is incorporated by reference.
(2) This material may be inspected, copied,
or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Department for
Community Based Services, 275 East Main Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40621,
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
194A.050(1),
7
C.F.R. 273.7
