Since WFNJ is limited to 60 months, it is important to take the steps to gain training, skills, and work that’s right for you. In order to receive cash assistance, you also must meet this requirement. Specifically, that means TANF recipients must participate in a work activity or a job for 35 hours a week. GA recipients must participate in a work activity or a job for 30 hours a week.

While you do that, you are eligible to receive help with expenses, such as transportation, child care, or other costs necessary for participating, such as uniforms, books or supplies.

You and a case manager will develop a plan to meet your needs and the requirements of the Work First program.

What kind of services/programs can I participate in?

• Job search – This activity will prepare you to write a resume, search for employment and work on your interviewing skills.
• Work experience – This program is to help you get work experience or develop skills to help you get a job. You are not considered an employee and are not paid wages by the employer, but you receive your cash assistance during this activity.
• Vocational training or college – This activity helps you achieve the skills required to obtain employment in a field where jobs are available as defined by NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TANF Only).
• Paid Work.

Certain activities may only be allowed for a limited time. A case manager will give you more information as you develop your Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP).

If you are a TANF recipient, you may participate in the following to meet a portion of your work activity:

• Education, including college.
• Substance use treatment/behavioral health.
• High School Equivalency or adult basic education.
• Job skills training, which is directly related to employment, such as a computer skills class or training to become a certified nurse’s assistant.

Self Employment

If you work for yourself, but are earning less than you would if you had a minimum wage job, you may need to participate in another work activity – even if you are working full time. For example, say you are babysitting for your neighbor for 35 hours a week, earning $80 for the week. If you were working a minimum wage job paying $15.13 an hour, you would earn the same amount of money in just over 5 hours. In this case, you would need 30 hours of a work activity, in addition to babysitting.

WFNJ will “defer” or delay the requirement to work or participate in work activities for those who are unable to work due to age, health or disability.

For example, deferrals may be granted to:

• People age 62 or older
• Women who have reached the seventh month of pregnancy or have medical complication in your pregnancy
• Parents or relatives who are responsible for the care of a child under 12 weeks of age
• A sole caretaker of a severely disabled or seriously ill dependent child or family member
• People who are diagnosed by a medical practitioner to be temporarily or permanently physically or mentally impaired and are unable to work. (Your County Social Service Agnecy will give you a form for your doctor to fill out and sign.)
• Chronically unemployable
• Victims of family violence
• Participating in Community Work Experience Program (CWEP) activity and eligible for leave under State Family Leave Act and the family medical leave provisions allowed under federal law

Sanctioning is when you lose part or all of your cash assistance because you did not attend your work activity or did not cooperate with some other WFNJ requirement – and you cannot show a good reason for it. If you have two or more unexcused absences in a month from your work or work activity, you may be sanctioned.

If you are sanctioned, you will lose one person’s share of your family’s cash assistance for six months.

If you participate with the program requirements during this six-month period, your benefits will be reinstated.

If you do not participate in your required activity during the six-month period, your case will be closed in the eighth month.

Once your case is closed, there is no way to fix the sanction or to get any cash in the eighth month. If your case is closed, you can reapply, however, certain requirements must be met. A case manager will provide the details. If you are getting Emergency Assistance (EA), including Temporary Rental Assistance (TRA), it will continue for the first month that your case is closed and then it ends, too.

If you have been sanctioned for not complying with WFNJ work requirements and you are suspected of having a substance use problem, you will be required to be assessed by a Care Coordinator. If it is determined that you do have a problem with drugs or alcohol, you must enter a treatment program. This will be considered your work activity.

Here’s an easy way to understand the sanction process. The sanction period is six months. If you don’t do anything to fix the sanction by the end of the sixth month, in month seven, you will lose all cash assistance. In month eight, your case will close.

For example: Marie, who gets cash assistance of $466 for herself and two children, did not attend her work activity in September, and the reasons she has for not attending are not acceptable ones. Here’s what happens:

Even if your case was closed because of a sanction, you may still be eligible for NJ SNAP and New Jersey’s Medicaid program, NJ FamilyCare. Also, if you think that you should not have been sanctioned, you can request a Fair Hearing by calling 1-800-792-9774.

To continue receiving cash assistance, you will need to:

• Notifying your CSSA within 10 days of when you move, get a job, make more money, or if there’s a change in your family size. Employed recipients will be subject to a 6-month reporting cycle. A case manager will explain your new requirements once your report employment.
• Reporting to your CSSA any unexpected change in the amount of your income.
• Notifying your CSSA in advance if you will be out of state for more than 30 days.
• Repaying to your CSSA any financial assistance payment (including cash asistance and EA) that you received in excess of the amount for which you were eligible.

As a WFNJ participant, you and a case manager will develop an Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP) which will create specific employment goals and work activities for you.

The IRP will:

• Identify the support services that you may receive, such as child care, transportation assistance or assistance with other work-related expenses.
• Identify any problems you may have that might interfere with your ability to get a job, such as a drug or alcohol problem, language barrier, poor reading skills or a physical or mental disability.

SUPPORTIVE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES (SAIF)

Remember, WFNJ cash assistance is limited to 60 months during your lifetime. That means that if you receive cash assistance for 24 months, get a job and close your case, you would still have 36 months available, in case you have another emergency and need cash assistance again.

However, say you remain on cash assistance for an extended time – what happens then? If you reach a total of 48 months of benefits, you will be placed into the Supportive Assistance to Individuals and Families (SAIF) program. Working closely with you, a case manager – in addition to a WFNJ case manager – will help keep you on track to becoming employed and close your case as quickly as possible – since your time on WFNJ is reaching the end.

If you still have not left WFNJ for a job after you reach 60 months of benefits, you may be eligible to receive up to two six-month extensions. During this time, you would continue to receive cash assistance and support services such as child care, transportation assistance and health care. After the additional 12 months, you will lose all of your cash assistance because you have used up all of your WFNJ time.

SAIF gives you a last chance to extend your cash assistance while you receive additional individualized help to find a job.

You may not be required to participate in SAIF if the lifetime limit does not apply to you. That would include people who are permanently disabled, the only caretaker of a disabled family member, are over the age 60, a victim of family violence, or other reasons preventing you from getting a job.

If you do not comply with the requirements of SAIF, you will become ineligible for WFNJ, including cash assistance and Emergency Assistance.

Minor Parents

If you are a teen parent (under age 18), you must live at home with your parents, or with another responsible adult relative. Your cash assistance benefits will be paid to your parent or adult relative. If this living arrangement is not appropriate, a case manager will help you find another acceptable arrangement.

Emergency Assistance (EA) is temporary housing and shelter-related assistance for people who are eligible for WFNJ or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and meet the eligibility criteria below.

To be eligible for Emergency Assistance, you must:

• Be able to show that you are about to lose utility – heat, water, electric – services (shut off notice);
• Show proof that you are about to be evicted or are facing foreclosure; or
• Be homeless or about to become homeless through no fault of your own.

Emergency Assistance helps to:

• Prevent homelessness by paying for back rent or mortgage;
• Provide temporary support for ongoing housing costs, such as rent or emergency shelter for up to one year, with the possibility of two six-month extensions for families and one six-month extension for single people and couples without dependent children; and
• Set up a household, by paying for moving expenses, security deposits, furniture.

If you are receiving Emergency Assistance, you must contribute a portion of your cash assistance, or a combination of your cash assistance and household income toward your housing costs.

We make sure you are who you say you are. In New Jersey, we use electronic systems to monitor the information you put on your application for benefits. Some of the measures we use to identify and prevent fraud include:

• Matching SNAP and/or cash assistance information from other states;
• Verifying Social Security numbers for identity purposes;
• Matching wage information with employers;
• Matching with other state programs such as unemployment; and,
• Matching against prison and death records.

There are penalties for knowingly providing false or inaccurate information, including:

• Being ineligible for any future benefits;
• Having to pay back to the state any money you were not eligible to receive; and,
• Criminal charges.

If you disagree with a decision made by your County Social Sercive Agency (CSSA) about your case, you have a right to request a Fair Hearing to appeal the decision. You may request a Fair Hearing for any CSSA action which adversely affects you as an applicant or recipient of WFNJ, including, but not limited to, any action, inaction, or refusal of action with respect to WFNJ program eligibility. If your request does not fall into one of the reasons for a Fair Hearing, it may be denied.

For example, you might appeal a decision about:

• Eligibility for benefits.
• Reduced, suspended or stopped benefits.

You must request a Fair Hearing within 90 days of such action or lack of action.

If you were receiving WFNJ, and you make the request for a Fair Hearing within 15 calendar days from the date of the mailing of a notice of termination, suspension, or reduction, your benefits may be continued until the time of the hearing. However, if you lose your appeal, you will have to repay those benefits.

For more information about Fair Hearings, contact your County Social Service Agency or call the Fair Hearings Hotline toll-free: 1-800-792-9773.

Child Care

WFNJ provides child care services so you can work, participate in an approved work activity or look for a job. You will not be required to work or participate in a work activity until you have access to child care services; however, while you’re looking for child care services, you will use up time towards your 60-month limit.

Once you are employed, you will be required to pay part of the cost of child care (“co-pay”).

For more information about child care, call toll-free: 1-800-332-9227 or visit www.ChildCareNJ.gov.

Work Expenses

Some jobs require special clothing or equipment, such as uniforms, tools and driver’s licenses. WFNJ can provide up to $500 in vouchers during your 60 months on cash assistance for these items. Ask a case manager about assistance to cover these work-related expenses.

Health Care – NJ FamilyCare

You or your family may be eligible for health benefits –through the New Jersey Medicaid program called NJ FamilyCare – based on your income and family size. NJ FamilyCare is a separate program from WFNJ, but when you apply for WFNJ benefits, a case manager may also determine your NJ FamilyCare eligibility. As your income changes, so will your NJ FamilyCare eligibility.

For more information, call the Medicaid Hotline toll-free:  1-800-701-0710 or visit www.NJFamilyCare.org.

Transportation

You may also be able to get assistance with travel costs while you are looking for a job, engaged in an approved work activity or taking your child to and from a child care facility (in conjunction with work or work-related activities). You may receive a voucher for daily or weekly transportation costs. If you take public transportation, you may receive free or low-cost bus or train passes from your County Social Service Agency.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

As a WFNJ participant, you will also be eligible to receive NJ SNAP food assistance benefits to help pay for food for you and your family. NJ SNAP is separate from WFNJ, but your County Social Service Agency will help determine if you may be eligible for SNAP.

For more information, visit www.NJSNAP.gov, or visit your County Social Service Agency.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

If you need help to pay your heating bills, or if your heat is included in your rent, you may be eligible for LIHEAP.

You may also be eligible for assistance with medically necessary cooling costs.

Universal Service Fund (USF)

USF can help make energy bills more affordable to low-income New Jersey residents. If you are eligible, USF can lower the amount you have to pay for natural gas and electric bills.

Note: If you are receiving NJ SNAP benefits, you may be considered automatically eligible for the LIHEAP and USF programs. But if you are getting NJ SNAP benefits and are not receiving this energy assistance, call the LIHEAP and USF programs directly toll-free at 1-800-510-3102 or visit the website at energyassistance.nj.gov.