Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) All recipients, unless otherwise deferred,
shall continuously and actively seek work and engage in job search. Recipients who are assessed to be job
ready shall be placed in job search immediately. If no employment is found, they shall be reassessed, if
appropriate and placed in a work activity as indicated by their individual assessments. Other recipients
shall be placed in an appropriate work activity as indicated by the assessment results; however, they shall
be encouraged to continuously seek employment.
1. Participation in job
search may be counted for up to six weeks, of which no more than four weeks may be consecutive.
2. When an adult WFNJ/TANF recipient is placed in a CWEP or AWEP activity,
the number of hours of participation per week, based on the receipt of TANF and NJ SNAP benefits, shall be
determined by calculating the total of the recipient's monthly cash assistance grant, plus any Temporary
Rental Assistance (TRA), Emergency Assistance (EA), and the NJ SNAP allotment less child support collections
for the month, divided by the higher of the current Federal or State minimum hourly wage and further divided
by 4.333. Any resulting partial hour shall be rounded down to the next lower whole hour.
i. If the calculated number of hours does not equal the mandated number of
hours of participation for that recipient, the recipient shall continue to participate in the activity in
accordance with the prescribed hours of participation for compliance under the WFNJ program. The participant
shall be compensated for the total excess hours of participation required through the issuance of a
supplemental participant allowance payment that shall be calculated as follows:
(1) Excess hours of participation shall be determined by subtracting the
calculated hours of participation (determined using the grant, TRA, EA, and NJ SNAP allotment less child
support collections for the month as described above) from the mandated hours of participation for compliance
under WFNJ program and multiplying the excess participation hours by the higher of the current Federal or
State minimum hourly wage rate.
(b) An WFNJ/TANF adult recipient in a single parent family, unless
temporarily deferred, shall be required to participate in one or more work activities for up to 40 hours per
week.
1. WFNJ/GA single adults or couples without dependent children,
unless temporarily deferred, shall be required to participate in one or more work activities for up to 30
hours per week.
i. When a WFNJ/GA individual(s) is participating in a CWEP
activity, the maximum number of hours per week shall be determined by calculating the total of the
recipient's monthly cash assistance grant, plus any Temporary Rental Assistance (TRA), Emergency Assistance
(EA), and the NJ SNAP allotment divided by the higher of the Federal or state minimum hourly wage and further
divided by 4.333. Any resulting partial hour shall be rounded down to the next whole hour. The WFNJ/GA
individual(s) may be required to participate in another activity such as job search or remediation.
ii. In nonconsolidated municipalities, the NJOSCC shall be responsible for
calculating the number of hours a WFNJ/GA recipient is to participate in CWEP based on the information
reported by the municipal agency at the initial eligibility determination or when the municipal agency
reports a change to NJOSCC. If available, NJOSCC may access this information through the State's automated
information system.
iii. In consolidated municipalities, the
county agency shall be responsible for calculating the number of hours a WFNJ/GA recipient is to participate
in CWEP.
(c) A teen parent under the age of
18 shall be required, on a full time basis, to attend high school or an equivalent course of study unless:
1. It is determined that the teen parent is exempt from regularly attending
high school or its equivalent, based upon an assessment which indicates the person's inability and lack of
aptitude to successfully complete such academic requirements; then the teen parent shall be required to
participate full time in an approved alternative educational or training program, including special
educational programs for the learning and developmentally challenged (the hours of participation shall be in
accordance with the scheduled program); or
2. The teen parent has
completed secondary education; then he or she shall be required to participate in a work activity for a
minimum of 35 hours per week.
(d) A recipient who has
not completed high school and has not attained 20 years of age and is a single head of household, a single
adult or either of the adults of a couple without dependent children shall be required to maintain
satisfactory school attendance at secondary school or the equivalent during the month or participate in
education directly related to employment for at least 20 hours per week. If it is determined that, due to the
person's inability or lack of aptitude to successfully complete academic requirements, he or she shall be
required to participate in another appropriate work activity.
(e)
Each parent in a two-parent WFNJ/TANF family shall be required to participate in one or more activities for a
minimum of 35 hours per week up to a maximum hourly total of 40 hours per week, unless otherwise deferred in
accordance with 10:90-4.9.
1. For one parent,
30 hours of the required 35 hours of participation shall include participation in one or more of the
following federally recognized activities: unsubsidized employment; work experience (including work
associated with the refurbishing of publicly assisted housing); on-the-job training; job-search and job
readiness assistance; community service programs; vocational educational training (not to exceed 12 months
per individual) which may be combined with work experience; or the provision of child care services to an
individual who is participating in a community service program.
2. The second parent shall be required to satisfactorily participate in
work activities for 35 hours a week of which a minimum of 20 hours shall be in the following Federally
recognized activities: unsubsidized employment; work experience (including work associated with the
refurbishing of publicly assisted housing); on-the-job-training; or community service programs.
(f) Individuals 16 through 18 years of age who are attending
school on a full-time basis and are expected to complete the program of the school before reaching the age of
19 are required to satisfactorily attend the scheduled classes at a secondary school or a course of study
leading to a certificate of general equivalence.
1. Individuals, age 16
through 18, who are students and who drop out of school will be required to enroll and participate in another
appropriate work activity for a minimum of 35 hours per week. Failure to comply with the work activity will
result in the sanctions for such persons as stipulated at
10:90-4.11.
(g) A recipient who is a full-time post-secondary student in a course of
study related to employment, as defined at
10:90-4.3(j)1, shall be required to engage in
another work activity for 15 hours a week subject to the recipient making satisfactory progress toward the
completion of the post-secondary course of study.
