Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) An applicant/recipient, as a condition of
eligibility for WFNJ TANF/GA benefits, shall, subject to good cause exceptions, be required to do the
following:
1. Cooperate with child support by identifying his or her
child(ren), providing specific information regarding the noncustodial or custodial parent(s), such as, name,
address, date of birth and Social Security number and take certain actions as requested by the appropriate
child support agency to help establish paternity, or establish, modify or enforce a child support order (see
10:90-16.2(a)
and 16.3(d));
2. Cooperate
with work requirements, including interviewing for and accepting employment, if offered;
3. Make application within 30 days for any other assistance for which
members of the assistance unit may be eligible when the agency refers the individual, and cooperate with all
requirements to establish eligibility for other programs, which includes, but is not limited to,
participating in the appeals process, as appropriate. In addition, the individual shall be informed that he
or she shall inform the WFNJ agency of all eligibility decisions for other programs within 10 days of
receiving notification of the decision. This requirement shall in no way prevent, or delay, an agency from
accepting and processing an application for WFNJ assistance;
4.
Be income and resource eligible, including the deeming of income and resources as appropriate;
5. Provide all necessary documentation (which shall include contact
information);
6. Sign an Agreement to Repay benefits (pursuant to
44:10-64), if not already incorporated into the application, in
the event of receipt of income or resources. (See
10:90-3.18 for treatment of lump sum income as well as
10:90-7.8 for settlement of suits and claims);
7. Satisfy any sanction or repayment obligation incurred pursuant to any
Federal or State law governing public assistance;
8. Supply the
county/municipal agency with the Social Security number of each member of the assistance unit or apply for a
Social Security number for any such person who does not already have one. If an applicant refuses to provide
or apply for the appropriate Social Security number(s), the county/municipal agency shall declare the entire
assistance unit ineligible for WFNJ benefits.
i. Effective no later than
July 1, 1998, the Federal Social Security number shall be used as the common identifier of individuals for
any record, license, certificate or other document identifying a person by name which is used by an agency of
State government in accordance with requirements of Federal law.
ii. The Federal Social Security number must be provided for all assistance
unit members, except for an eligible alien who cannot be assigned a Social Security number due to his or her
status;
9. Comply with personal identification
requirements as a condition of receiving benefits, which shall employ the use of high technology processes
for the detection of fraud.
i. Each adult WFNJ/TANF applicant/recipient and
each WFNJ/GA applicant/recipient (except nursing facility applicants/recipients) shall, as a condition of
receiving WFNJ benefits, be issued a photo-identification card by the county agency until implementation of
the electronic benefit distribution system is begun in that county agency. Once a county begins to implement
the electronic benefit distribution system, the county agency shall no longer be required to issue a
photo-identification card to each adult recipient but may continue the issuance of photo-identification cards
separate from the benefit cards.
ii. WFNJ/GA
applicants/recipients (except nursing facility applicants/recipients) are required to participate in the high
technology process at the time of application and at other times when the county/municipal agency deems it
necessary to deter duplication of assistance; and
10.
Participate in an intensive case management program after receiving 48 months of cash assistance if the
recipient does not appear to be exempt from the 60-month time limit or if the recipient is "chronically
unemployable" as defined at 10:90-2.4(a)4.
(b) An applicant/recipient who is a minor parent must, as a condition of
eligibility, comply with all of (a) above and must also cooperate with the minor parent provisions at
10:90-2.17.
1. Failure of the
minor parent to cooperate with the requirements listed at (a) above renders the minor parent and the minor
parent's child ineligible for WFNJ/TANF cash assistance but does not render the entire assistance unit with
whom the minor parent resides ineligible for WFNJ/TANF cash assistance.
(c) All adult applicants and recipients, minor parents and 16- through
18-year-old individuals not attending school on a full-time basis, as a condition of eligibility, shall
complete the EPDT (Part A) and sign an individual responsibility plan (IRP), which shall be developed jointly
with the county or municipal agency in accordance with the provisions at
10:90-1.2(f)10
and 4.8.
(d) Any WFNJ
applicant/recipient who fails at any time to cooperate with any of the WFNJ program eligibility requirements
without good cause shall render some or all assistance unit members ineligible for WFNJ benefits. (See
10:90-11.11 regarding intentional program violation
disqualification penalties.)
1. An applicant/recipient who cooperates fully
with the conditions of eligibility listed in (a) above, but who has a non-cooperating 16 through 18 year old
dependent child as a member of the assistance unit, shall not become ineligible for WFNJ/TANF assistance, nor
shall other members of the assistance unit become ineligible for WFNJ/TANF assistance. The non-cooperating 16
through 18 year old dependent child does, however, become ineligible for WFNJ/TANF assistance until such time
as he or she complies.
(e) Any WFNJ recipient who
fails at any time to participate in work activities without good cause shall lose cash assistance benefits in
accordance with the sanction provisions at
10:90-4.13. The individual may re-apply for WFNJ benefits;
however, the individual must satisfactorily complete any outstanding sanction obligations and demonstrate
compliance with a work activity, in accordance with
10:90-4.11 and 4.18, in order to qualify for cash
assistance.
