2.9.2  Up-front Job Search Activities as a Condition of Eligibility

2.9.2.1 Allowable Up-Front Job Search Activities
2.9.2.2 Up-Front Job Search Time Frames
2.9.2.3 Up-Front Job Search Participation and Barriers
2.9.2.4 Employment During Up-Front Job Search

The goal of up-front job search activities is to rapidly connect the applicant to sustainable employment.

Not all applicants are appropriate for an up-front job search. When deciding whether to assign up-front job search activities as a condition of eligibility, the RSResource Specialist and the FEPFinancial and Employment Planner must use the best available information. This includes information gathered through:

• The informal assessment process;

• The educational needs assessment Educational needs assessments determine if the individual needs, or would benefit from, education or training activities, including a course of study for the granting of a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation. In making this determination, the FEP must consider the following: • The information gathered on the applicant/participant’s current educational levels; • The level of education and training necessary to obtain full-time employment in the local labor market; and • The applicant/participant’s personal employment goals.;

• The  career assessment A broad spectrum of assessment tools that W-2 agencies, applicants, and participants use to obtain greater awareness about how an individual’s work styles, skills, and interests can be used to define a career path, assign meaningful activities, highlight strengths, identify training needs, and match the individual to employment opportunities; and

• Any additional vocational evaluation/assessment Assessments which are conducted to help individuals living with a disability establish realistic vocational goals and a plan to achieve them. The vocational evaluation process is designed to assess the unique strengths, resources, and experiences of an individual in order to match that person’s abilities and preferences to appropriate work placements, jobs, or training programs. The process is interactive; the intent is for staff to learn about the participant and the participant to learn about themselvess or formal assessments obtained to date. (See Chapter 5)

Assignment of up-front job search activities must be made on a case-by-case basis. W-2 agencies must not assign up-front job search without regard to an individual’s circumstances.

In two-parent households (see 14.1), either or both parent(s) applying for W-2 assistance may be assigned to up-front job search activities, depending on their individual circumstances.

W-2 workers should use the following table as a starting point for determining whether to assign up-front job search.

2.9.2.1 Allowable Up-Front Job Search Activities

When assigning up-front job search activities, the W-2 agency must:

1.             Record the assignment of up-front job search activities on the W-2 Up-Front Requirements CWWCARES Worker Web  page;

2.             Develop an individualized EPEmployability Plan for all applicants assigned to up-front job search activities; and

3.             Assist the applicant in their up-front job search activities.

(See the Activity Codes Appendix for up-front job search activity codes and definitions)

Examples of W-2 agency support in the up-front job search, includes but is not limited to:

• Conducting career assessment and career exploration activities to help match applicants with appropriate job leads;

• Developing job opportunities by identifying job openings, marketing applicants to employers, and securing job interviews;

• Helping applicants create resumes and complete job applications;

• Structuring employment searches to meet applicants’ needs, including independent job search, job club activities for peer support, and job lead sharing;

• Providing job leads to businesses hiring individuals with the applicant’s skills; and

• Maintaining regular communication with the applicant throughout the job search to review progress and offer support.

2.9.2.2 Up-Front Job Search Time Frames

Individuals determined ready for unsubsidized employment may be assigned up-front job search and job readiness activities if they have:

1.             Filed a W-2 application with a W-2 agency and do not have an open W-2 case with that W-2 agency or any other W-2 agency;

2.             A pending W-2 case closure in CARES due to ineligibility, their W-2 placement has been end-dated, and they contact the same or a different W-2 agency to request assistance from W-2; or

3.             Relocated into a new W-2 geographical area.

The assignment of up-front job search activities may take place while the applicant is waiting to meet with the FEP and while the FEP is making the eligibility and placement decisions.

The FEP must not extend the application process past the 12 working days (five days to meet with the FEP and seven days for the FEP to make an eligibility determination and placement) to accommodate a lengthier job search. (See 1.4.4)

W-2 agencies must not assign up-front job search activities if any of the following conditions exist:

1.             A participant has continued ongoing W-2 eligibility in one agency. This includes circumstances where a participant’s CMC placement is ending, they are unemployed, and they meet eligibility criteria for a different cash assistance placement.

2.             A CMFCase Management Follow-Up or CMF+Case Management Follow-Up Plus participant contacts the FEP to request a paid W-2 placement because their employment has ended.

3.             An individual is pregnant and applying for a CMCCustodial Parent of an Infant placement or an ARPAt Risk Pregnancy placement.

4.             An individual is an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer.

5.             A participant moves from one W-2 geographical area to another and neither W-2 eligibility nor the W-2 placement has ended.

6.             A participant moves from one county to another county where both counties operate under one W-2 agency.

2.9.2.3 Up-Front Job Search Participation and Barriers

The FEP determines, on a case-by-case basis, whether an applicant has made a good faith effort to obtain employment by completing assigned up-front job search activities.

Throughout the application period, the FEP should check in with the applicant to determine how the up-front job search activities are going and offer support.

If the applicant is not completing the assigned activities, the FEP must:

1.             Discuss the situation with the applicant;

2.             Determine if any barriers exist; and

3.             End up-front job search activities if barriers are identified that make the applicant unable to find employment in the application timeframe.

If no barriers are identified and the applicant does not provide good cause for failing to meet the up-front job search requirements, the FEP may deny the application. (See 11.3.1)

2.9.2.4 Employment During Up-Front Job Search

If an applicant finds unsubsidized employment during up-front job search, the FEP must place the applicant in the CMF placement or the prorated CSJCommunity Service Job  placement. The FEP cannot place the applicant in CMF+ because only participants in a CSJ, W-2 T, or TMP placement may be placed in CMF+.

Applicants that find unsubsidized employment during up-front job search may be eligible for the following placements based on their weekly work hours:

Note: Case closure policies in Section 11.5.1 for failing to verify eligibility information do not apply to W-2 applicants. The case closure policies only apply to W-2 participants in open and ongoing W-2 cases.

History: Release 25-03; Release 19-02; Release 18-02; Release 17-01; Release 16-01; Release 13-01; Release 12-05.