7.2.4 Case Management for Job Ready Individuals (CMJ)

The Case Management for Job Ready Individuals (CMJ) placement is for unemployed individuals who are able to find and keep employment. The goal of the CMJ placement is to rapidly connect the individuals who are job ready to employment. CMJ is only available to W-2 applicants, and in limited situations, to case management follow-up (CMF) participants, case management follow-up plus (CMF+) participants, case management underemployed (CMU) participants, and Custodial Parent of an Infant (CMC) participants.

7.2.4.1 CMJ at Application

Prior to placing an unemployed W-2 applicant in CMJ, the FEP must conduct a thorough informal assessment and educational needs assessment. (See 5.1 - 5.3) In most instances, potential CMJ participants will be assigned to up-front job search activities. (See 2.9.2) Applicants who made a good faith effort to obtain employment by completing assigned up-front job search activities are appropriate for a CMJ.

There may be limited circumstances in which applicants who are not assigned to up-front job search are appropriate for the CMJ placement. For example, up-front job search may not be assigned because child care has not been authorized. In addition, up-front job search may not be assigned if the applicant has a family issue that needs to be resolved, for example homelessness. If these issues can be resolved quickly, but not necessarily within the 12 days prior to placement, then these individuals may not have been assigned up-front job search, but still may be appropriate for the CMJ placement.

In addition, not all applicants assigned to up-front job search are appropriate for a CMJ. For example, through the up-font job search, the W-2 agency may discover that the applicant has significant barriers that make it difficult for the applicant to obtain employment within the next 30 days. The W-2 agency may also discover that the applicant is not job-ready because there may not be jobs available that meet the applicant’s skill set. These individuals must be placed in a W-2 paid placement.

W-2 participants who move between balance of state geographical areas or in or out of Milwaukee County must re-apply at the W-2 agency providing services in the geographical area in which they live (new residence) and are considered applicants. An applicant who was recently in a paid placement is unlikely to be appropriate for a CMJ.

7.2.4.2 Moving from Other W-2 Placements to CMJ

CMJ is only available to W-2 applicants, and, in limited situations, to CMC and other case management participants. The chart below shows when a participant in a specific W-2 placement can and cannot move into the CMJ placement. In each instance in which a W-2 participant can move into the CMJ placement, the individual must meet CMJ eligibility requirements outlined in Section 7.2.4.3.

7.2.4.3 General CMJ Participant Description Characteristics

For the W-2 agency to determine that an individual is appropriate for a CMJ placement, all of the following must apply:

1. The individual is willing to work. Because W-2 is a work program, individuals who apply for the program are assumed to be willing to work.

2. The individual has no barriers to work that cannot be addressed with W-2 services so that the individual is ready for immediate employment within 30 days.

Below are examples of barriers that the W-2 agency can address through services:

· Housing assistance through Emergency Assistance, W-2 supportive services funds, and/or referrals to other local housing programs;

· Transportation assistance through W-2 supportive services funds, a Job Access Loan and/or referrals to other local transportation assistance programs;

· Help paying for work related expenses through W-2 supportive services funds, a Job Access Loan and/or referrals to other local assistance programs; and

· Help completing a resume, providing targeted job leads, job coaching, job development, etc.

Individuals who have more significant barriers, e.g., physical or mental impairments, family issues, legal problems, etc., that take longer than 30 days to resolve are not appropriate for CMJ.

If the FEP identifies barriers that can be addressed through W-2 services so that the individual is ready for immediate employment, the barriers and the services that will address those barriers must be documented on appropriate WWP pages including:

3. The individual has a recent or steady employment history. When considering recent or steady employment, the FEP must consider the types of work performed, the duration of any job, and the reasons for leaving the job. If the applicant’s employment history is solid with some long-term employment, a CMJ placement is appropriate. However, an employment history with many short-term jobs may be an indication that the applicant is capable of getting a job, but not keeping a job. Through the informal assessment process, the FEP must determine whether the barriers to maintaining employment can be addressed with W-2 services and resolved within 30 days.

EXAMPLE 1: Maria applied for W-2 and met with the Resource Specialist. She did not have child care available when she applied, so she was not assigned up-front activities. The FEP meets with her and determines that she is eligible for W-2. She reports during the interview that she now has child care in place for her two children, ages 3 and 4. Ongoing issues with relatives who provided child care in the past was a major reason that she lost her last job as a beginner pet groomer at a local pet supply store. She is now using a certified provider. An informal assessment indicates that she has a high school diploma, her recent work history gives her skills necessary for entry level employment in the local labor market, and she reports no barriers to employment. Based on the results of the informal assessment, the FEP places Maria in a CMJ placement.

EXAMPLE 2: Pat has applied for W-2. The informal assessment indicates that he is job ready. Up until a year ago, he worked for a machine company for 5 years. He has a high school diploma and a welding certificate from a local technical college. However, Pat tells his FEP that last year he injured both of his knees while working in a warehouse. The employer did cover some of the physical therapy he participated in, but that coverage has been exhausted and Pat says he “still feels it like an ice pick to the knees when the weather changes.” He expects that although he can walk around decently enough, he is not sure he can withstand the rigors of returning to a similar job that he left after the injury. He is willing to complete a formal vocational assessment. Based on the results of the informal assessment, the FEP places Pat in a W-2 Transition (W-2 T) placement and refers him for a vocational assessment.

7.2.4.4 CMJ Activities

Because the goal of the CMJ placement is to rapidly connect the individual to sustainable employment, the W-2 agency must immediately engage CMJs in individualized, targeted activities that will help the participant quickly gain employment. The agency must employ an intensive case management strategy in order to coach participants through the job search process and assist the participant with resolving personal and family challenges.

The activities assigned to CMJ participants are similar to those assigned during up-front job search. Because these participants are expected to be able to obtain full-time employment, FEPs may assign up to 40 hours per week of appropriate activities, but must assign no fewer than 30 hours per week of activities. Activities include:

A CMJ participant may be assigned to education and training activities if the attainment of further education would provide an applicant with better employment prospects. Education and training activities include:

7.2.4.5 Case Management Services in CMJ

Once the placement has been made, the W-2 agency and CMJ participant have equal share in the responsibility of finding employment. The FEP must maintain weekly, contact with CMJ participants. During these weekly contacts, the FEP must provide an array of structured employment services and supports including:

· Providing participants with job leads that match the individual’s skills (based on career assessment results) with specific jobs open in the local labor market;

· Creating and updating the participant's employability plan (EP) with appropriate activities based on feedback obtained from the participant and from employers that either did not offer the participant an interview or did not offer the participant a job. In the EP, the FEP will include the CMJ participant’s employment and personal goals;

· Offering career assessment services, providing guidance in career decision making skills and helping identify jobs that might match the participant’s skills, interests and abilities;

· Monitoring participants' job search efforts to find out what specific jobs the participant has applied for, what interviews the participant has had, the outcome of those interviews, and discussions about why the participant thinks they did not get the job. This requires the FEP to do more than solely collecting participant's job contact logs on a weekly basis;

· Discussing any nonparticipation with the participant and the reasons for the nonparticipation. Agencies must exercise due diligence in determining whether previously identified or unidentified barriers (such as personal and family challenges) are the underlying cause of the nonparticipation. The FEP must work quickly to re-engage in job search activities CMJ participants who are able to work or quickly reassess and place in a paid position CMJ participants who are found to have more severe barriers;

· Convening staffings with the CMJ participant and with agency staff who assist in developing job leads and employer contacts; and

· Discussing with the participant any barriers that may be preventing the participant from obtaining employment, including necessary supports, such as housing, transportation, and child care.

Participants with barriers that cannot be mitigated by W-2 services within a 30-day timeframe must be placed in a paid W-2 employment position while the barriers are being addressed. If these types of barriers are discovered after the FEP has placed the participant in a CMJ, the FEP must not wait for the 30-day review period to move a CMJ participant to a paid W-2 employment position. (See 7.2.4.2)

7.2.4.5.1 Supportive Services in CMJ

W-2 agencies must pay for supportive services that are needed for participation in the W-2 program, e.g., work uniforms, transportation, etc. Additionally, participants in a CMJ:

· May apply for a Job Access Loan to meet immediate employment related needs when they receive a bona fide offer of employment (see 17.2.1); and

· Must have a Supportive Service Plan that is developed during a meeting between the case manager and the participant.

7.2.4.6 Job Development in CMJ

The W-2 agency and agency staff who assist with developing job leads must actively work with local area employers in order to:

· Market participants to employers with jobs that match the participant's skills, abilities and interests;

· Provide bilingual support for job contacts and interviews for persons who are not proficient in English; and

· Follow up with employers to determine why a referred participant was not offered an interview or a job.

7.2.4.7 30-Day Review

Every 30 days, the W-2 agency must review the appropriateness of the CMJ placement.

Overall, the 30-day reassessment focuses on the level of effort required for CMJ participants to complete the requirements. When participants have exhibited the level of effort required to get a job, but remain unemployed, they must be placed in a W-2 paid placement at the 30-day review point. When participants have not exhibited the level of effort required to get a job, and they do not have any barriers to work, and the W-2 agency has provided appropriate case management services, or they request to continue in the CMJ placement, the W-2 agency may keep the participant in the CMJ placement for another 30-day period or end the CMJ placement depending upon the circumstances of the case. (See 7.2.4.8)

In determining the level of effort of the CMJ participant, the following must be considered during the CMJ 30-day reassessment:

1. Was the participant given multiple specific job leads in the local labor market that matched the participant’s skills, abilities, and interests?

2. Did the participant get any job offers in the local labor market compatible with the participant’s skills, abilities, and interests?

3. Did the participant refuse or fail to apply for any jobs in the local labor market compatible with the participant’s skills, abilities, and interests?

4. What were the reasons the participant did not get a job in the local labor market or did not apply for a job(s), e.g., poor interview skills, poor presentation, another individual was more qualified, criminal background, did not possess the minimum qualifications or education and training, or did not pass the examination?

5. Were W-2 participants with similar skills, abilities, and interests able to secure jobs in the local labor market?

6. Did the participant have previously identified barriers that could be addressed with W-2 services? If so, were the services effective? Did the participant have previously unidentified barriers preventing him or her from obtaining unsubsidized employment? If yes, please identify the barriers and what services the agency will provide to address the barrier(s).

The FEP does not have to wait for the 30-day review period to move a CMJ participant to a paid W-2 employment position. At the weekly meetings, the FEP must discuss with the participant any barriers that may be preventing the participant from obtaining employment, including housing, transportation, child care and other family matters.

The results of the 30-day review must be documented in PIN comments. FEPs must document the decision (retain an individual in the CMJ placement, move the individual to a paid placement or end the CMJ placement) and the reasons for the decision.

7.2.4.8 Ending CMJ Placements

CMJ participants who obtain employment must be offered employment retention and advancement services in the CMF placement. CMJ participants are required to comply with all financial and nonfinancial eligibility requirements. Participants in a CMF placement are only required to meet nonfinancial eligibility requirements. When in a CMJ placement, the FEP must close a participant’s case if a CMJ participant fails to cooperate with specific W-2 program requirements without good cause. (See 11.4) If a participant in a CMJ placement is not cooperating with ongoing job search activities, the FEP must address this at the weekly meetings.

Then, at the 30-day reassessment, if the participant has not exhibited the level of effort required to get a job by cooperating with ongoing job search activities throughout the 30-day period, and the W-2 agency has provided appropriate case management and job development services, the FEP may either keep the individual in the CMJ placement for another 30-day period or close the case. The FEP must determine whether:

a. The CMJ participant will be likely to obtain employment if he or she receives additional job search assistance by remaining in the CMJ placement; or

b. The CMJ participant has not cooperated with job search activities and the case must close.