Work First Family Assistance

In Work First Family Assistance we work with two types of families.

Child Only Families

We work with Child Only Families in which the parent is not included in the case. In these cases the child/children live with parent/parents who receives SSI, an eligible relative or with someone who have court ordered legal custody or legal guardianship of the child/children. In these cases no adult can be include in the case.

Families & Parents

We work with Families where the parent/parents are included in the case. These families have a State time limit of 24 months and a Federal lifetime limit of 60 months. The Federal time limit follows the parent from state to state. Every month that a parent receives a Work First Check it counts toward their time clocks.

Once they receive 24 checks they have to go off our program for 3 years. During that time they can ask for an extension and if they are approved they can receive Work First for up to 6 months. They can request an extension more than one time.

Once they receive 60 checks they can not receive Work First again unless they request and are approved for a hardship extension.

Program Details

The parent/parents have to complete work related activities each month to receive a Work First check for that month unless they have good cause. Once the hours have been completed and verified by the Employment Worker the Work First Check for that month is released the following month. (The February check is released in March) If they have a child under the age of 6 they have to complete 20 hours a week. If their youngest child is 6 years old or older they have to complete 30 hours a week. If both parents are in the home they have to complete a total of 35 hours a week. These activities include job search, work experience, short term training, education and VR services.

Along with completing the required hours the parent/parents have to comply with all requirements on the Mutual Responsibility Agreement. They have to keep all scheduled appointment with their workers, comply with child support, they have to verify their child/children are up to date with their health checks and immunization. They also must report all changes in their situation within 10 calendar days.

Single parents with a child under the age of 1 can be exempted from the work activities for a limit of 12 months in their lifetime.

Child Support

If a parent is receiving child support once they are approved for Work First Family Assistance their child support starts going to the state to pay the state back for the Work First Family Assistance check.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for Work First Benefits if:

You are a citizen of the U.S. or a qualified immigrant
You are a resident of Scotland County
You are the parent or caretaker of a child under the age of 18 years old living in your home.
You meet the kinship rule (living with a parent, a relative who meets the kinship rule or if you have court ordered legal custody or legal guardianship of a child)
You meet the resource limit
You have not exhausted your State or Federal time limits (applies when parents are included in the case)
Total countable earned and unearned income must not exceed the Need Standard for your family unit.

Work First Family Assistance