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.

What work activities 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.
• Paid work.
• Mental health and/or substance use treatment – your CSSA worker will refer you for an assessment and possible treatment recommendations.
• High school equivalency or adult basic education.
• Vocational/job skills training, which is directly related to employment such as a computer skills class or training to become a certified nursing assistant.
• Education, including college: This activity helps you achieve the skills required to obtain employment in a field where jobs are available as defined by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TANF only).

Certain activities may only be allowed for a limited time. This is discussed as part of your IRP and your CSSA worker will identify time-limited activities.

Many people start in an entry-level job to get work experience. They also learn the skills necessary to get a better paying job.

As a participant in WFNJ, you may receive any combination of the following types of income:

• The paycheck from your job
• Your WFNJ cash assistance
• Child support: You may receive up to $100 of child support per month for one child or up to $200 per month for two or more children

If you are working at least 20 hours a week, you can keep all or some of your cash assistance along with your paycheck through a program called Paycheck Plus (earned income disregard).

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 62 years old or older
• Women who have reached the seventh month of pregnancy or have a medical complication in pregnancy
• Parents or relatives who are responsible for the care of a child under 12 weeks of age
• Individuals who provide full-time care for a dependent child with a disability or an adult family member with a disability (your CSSA worker will give you a form for your doctor to fill our and sign)
• People who are diagnosed by a medical practitioner to be temporarily or permanently physically or mentally impaired and are unable to work (your CSSA worker will give you a form for your doctor to fill out and sign)
• A person who is "chronically unemployable", as determined by your CSSA
• Someone experiencing family violence
• Someone 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

If you become employed and are working at least 20 hours per week for at least four months and still receive a partial benefit, you may be eligible to receive $200 per month for up to 24 months. To be eligible for this program, you must have been on WFNJ/TANF for at least six months and agree to voluntarily close your case.

If you are receiving Paycheck Plus and would like to get Supplemental Work Support, you must ask to close your case before Paycheck Plus ends, at which time your case would close automatically.

Households must complete the redetermination process at the end of the approval period (either 6 or 12 months) to continue receiving cash assistance.

You will receive a letter in the mail and an online notice in MyNJHelps from your CSSA with a scheduled interview appointment. If your cell number is listed in MyNJHelps, you will receive your interview appointment by text as well. After the interview, you will receive a packet of information including a redetermination application and a list of documents you will need to submit. You must return the information to your CSSA by the date provided on the letter in the packet. You can contact your CSSA if you need help completing your redetermination.

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

Once your case is closed, there is no way to fix the sanction or to get any cash in the next month. If your case is closed you can reapply, however, certain requirements must be met. A CSSA worker will provide the details. If you are getting Emergency Assistance, 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 drug or alcohol use, you will be required to be assessed by a Care Coordinator. If it is determined that you require drug or alcohol treatment, 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 December, 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 SNAP. Also, if you think that you should not have been sanctioned, you can request a Fair Hearing by calling 1-800-792-9774.

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

Once your case is closed, there is no way to fix the sanction or to get any cash in the following month. If your case is closed, you can reapply, however, certain requirements must be met. A CSSA worker 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 drug or alcohol use, you will be required to be assessed by a Care Coordinator. If it is determined that you drug or alcohol treatment, you must enter a treatment program. This will be considered your work activity.

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

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 cash assistance, you will be placed into the Supportive Assistance to Individuals and Families (SAIF) program. A SAIF case manager - in addition to your CSSA worker – will help you find employment 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.

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

If you remain on WFNJ after you reach 60 months of cash assistance, you may be eligible to receive up to two six-month extensions. During this time, you will continue to receive cash assistance and support services, such as child care and transportation assistance. After the additional 12 months, your case will close and you will lose all of your cash assistance because you have used up all of your WFNJ time.

You may not be required to participate in SAIF if the lifetime limit does not apply to you. That would include if:

• You have a permanent disability
• You are the sole caretaker of a family member with a disability
• You are an individual above the age 60
• You are a victim of family violence
• You have 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.

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

To be eligible for EA, you must:

• Be able to show a shut-off notice for loss of utility services (heat, water, electric);
• Show proof that you are about to be evicted or are facing foreclosure; or,
• Be experiencing homeless or about to experience homelessness through no fault of your own.

EA helps to:

• Prevent homelessness by paying for back rent, back mortgage or back utilities as well as shelters, motels or Temporary Rental Assistance (TRA);
  • TRA can be provided when someone is facing an eviction in order to maintain current permanent housing that was affordable, but is temporarily no longer affordable. TRA can also be provided if it is the most affordable way to keep a family together while searching for affordable housing.
• Provide temporary support for ongoing housing costs, such as rent, mortgage, utilities or emergency shelter for up to twelve months in the lifetime of a WFNJ case, with the possibility of two six-month extensions for TANF and one six-month extension for GA.
• Set up a household, by paying for moving expenses, security deposits, utility deposits and/or furniture.

If you are receiving EA, you must contribute 30% of your household income, including your cash assistance, 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. 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
• 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
• Criminal charges

If you disagree with a decision made by your 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 or inaction that negatively affects you as an applicant or recipient of WFNJ cash assistance. 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 WFNJ
• Reduced, suspended or stopped cash assistance

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

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 cash assistance may be continued until the time of the hearing. However, if you lose your appeal, you will have to repay that cash assistance.

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

If you feel that you cannot afford a lawyer, you may contact Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ) to see if you qualify for free legal services. Their telephone number is 1-888-576-5529 or you can visit their website at LSNJLaw.org.

Child Care (TANF Only)

While you are on WFNJ, you will receive 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 childcare; however, the time you spend looking for childcare will count towards your 60-month limit.

If you need childcare, let a CSSA worker know and they will refer your case to the Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agency in your county. A CCR&R representative will reach out to you and help you find child care that works for you.

WFNJ/TANF benefits include child care that can be used at any licensed child care center, registered family child care provider, approved home (in-home and family, friend and neighbor provider), school-based program or summer youth camp that is approved by the State and that accepts state payments. For more information on available child care options, visit www.ChildCareNJ.gov/Parents/Types.

Work Expenses

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

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 SNAP food assistance to help pay for food for you and your family. SNAP is separate from WFNJ, but your CSSA will help determine if you may be eligible for SNAP.

For more information, visit www.NJSNAP.gov or 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.

For more information call 1-800-510-3102 or visit www.energyassistance.nj.gov.

Universal Service Fund (USF)

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

For more information call 1-800-510-3102 or visit www.energyassistance.nj.gov.

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

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 assistance and EA) that you received in excess of the amount for which you were eligible.

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.