Welfare-to-Work

Welfare-to-Work (WTW)


	Persons applying for assistance on or after April 1, 1998 are eligible to receive GAIN services after signing a WTW plan. WTW activities include employment, job search, assessment, education and training, community service, substance abuse treatment, mental health services and domestic violence counseling. LA GAIN provides employment-related services to CalWORKs recipients to help them find employment, stay employed, and move on to higher paying jobs, which will ultimately lead them to self-sufficiency and independence. WTW activities must be a minimum of 32 hours per week for single parents. Two parent families must participate 35 hours per week. The following persons are exempt from work requirements:
		A child attending an elementary, secondary, or vocational school full-time
		A custodial parent who is 18 or 19 years of age and is a Cal-Learn participant
		Caretaker relatives who are not the parent and are not aided
		Individuals caring for ill or incapacitated household members
		Parents or caretakers age 60 and older
		Pregnant women whose condition prevents involvement in work activities
		Single parents caring for a child under one year of age
		Participants who are disabled or have a medical excuse
	Sanctions and Penalties When participants fail to meet the Welfare-to-Work requirements, they will face penalties and/or possible sanctions. Financial sanctions can be imposed if a participant fails or refuses to comply with a CalWORKs requirement, to agree to a welfare-to-work plan, show proof of satisfactory progress in an agreed upon activity, or quit or refuse a job without a good reason for doing so. If efforts at conciliation are unsuccessful, one or both parents can excluded from the assistance budget for a specified time.
		For the first instance, the sanction continues until the participant participates
		For the second instance, the sanction is for at least three months
		For the third and all subsequent instances, the sanction is for at least six months
		Exempt individuals who volunteer are not subject to financial sanctions, but are excluded from participating for six months
		Restoration of welfare-to-work participation is expedited when the participant agrees to cure the sanction and the sanction period has expired.
	Good Cause The following are considered good cause for a participant's failure or refusal to meet welfare-to-work program requirements:
		An individual needs supportive services that are not currently available.
		The participant is ill, or caring for a sick member of the family.
		Child care is not reasonably available for a child under 10 years of age during the participant's hours of training or employment, including travel time.
		A breakdown or interruption in child care occurs.
		The participant is a victim of domestic violence and participation is detrimental to or penalizes the participant or family.
		Discrimination exists in terms of age, sex, race, religion, national origin or physical or mental disability.
		The conditions involved are in violation of health and safety standards or does not provide worker's compensation.
		Round-trip travel time is in excess of two hours or two miles when walking is the only means of transportation.
		The activity would cause the individual to violate the terms of union membership.
		The hours of participation exceed the daily or weekly hours customary for that job.
		Accepting the job or work activity would interrupt the participant's approved job or training program already in progress
CalWORKs Home \| LA GAIN
Last Updated August 2004