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  CALDWELL COUNTY WORK FIRST

FACT SHEET

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2006

Caldwell County is an “electing” county.  This means that the State has allowed us to be different, thus giving us the authority to write our Work First policy to fit Caldwell County participants.  The following are some changes different from the state, which apply to Caldwell County only.  

• Benefit Diversion must be repaid if the recipient applies for and is approved for Work First within 12 months following the certification period.

• Applications will be denied if applicant does not comply with their signed MRA.

• Failure to complete a parent training class without good cause will result in deleting the client’s needs and appointing a protective payee.  Unless there is good cause, a client will be dropped from the class once they or the age appropriate children have missed their third class.  Once they have completed half of the next set of parenting classes their needs will be added back to the case and the protective payee dropped.

• Upon notification of non-cooperation with child support enforcement, pending applications will be denied, and ongoing cases will be terminated.  Future eligibility is contingent upon complying with child support enforcement.

• Failure to attend the Success for Families at Risk meeting will result in case termination, unless there is good cause.  A minimum of one month ineligibility will result.  Future eligibility is contingent upon attendance at the Success for Families at Risk staffing prior to case approval.

• All Work First applicants and recipients referred to Vocational Rehabilitation must complete the application and comply with all recommendations.  Failure to comply without good cause will result in the case being denied or terminated.  Future eligibility is contingent upon completing the application and cooperating with Vocational Rehabilitation.

• All applicants when approved and at each review will be referred to the Economic Literacy training.  Failure to successfully complete the training without good cause will result in the case being terminated.  Future eligibility is contingent upon the completion of the Economic Literacy training.

• After two “no-shows” for arranged transportation within a 3-month period, the case will be sanctioned unless there is good cause.  The “no-show” sanction starts over with each new application for Work First.

• Refusal of a job or quitting a job or work experience without good cause will result in termination.  There will be one month of ineligibility.

• If applicable, all two-parent able-bodied cases may be approved as a Benefit Diversion case once they register for first stop, file for UIB, meet with child support and attend Economic Literacy training. 

• Adult recipients must be enrolled in and satisfactorily attending appropriate education enhancement classes if they do not have a high school diploma or GED, unless they have good cause.  Clients must provide weekly documentation of attendance.  Non-compliance will result in a sanction.

• The caretaker must provide proof of school attendance for all school age children at application and review by providing a current report card.  Failure to comply with the North Carolina/Caldwell County School attendance policy will result in the Work First check being sanctioned, unless there is good cause.

• Single parents may claim their “s” exemption for 3 months at a time per child under the age of one.  Once the 12 month lifetime exemption has been exhausted, the parent will be required to participate in the employment program as soon as authorization is given from her doctor.  

Read the Caldwell County Work First Block Grant Plan (Adobe PDF format)

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