16 Del. Admin. Code § 10000-10004
In the following sections the procedures and policies for operation of the Food Stamp Employment and Training program are discussed, including Referral for the Food Stamps Program to the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program, Good Cause, Sanction Period and Penalty, Information Coordination, Coordination Timeframes, and Inter-Agency Coordination.
As part of their regular intake responsibilities, financial services staff also screen each Food Stamp applicant for work registration requirements. Those registrants determined appropriate for work are referred immediately upon their certification for Food Stamps.
This avoids unnecessary effort on applicants who are deemed ineligible. All Food Stamp Employment and Training referrals take place within 30 days of certification and are derived from the certification and recertification process.
When applicants who are determined appropriate for work are certified for Food Stamps, they are referred to Food Stamp Employment and Training. When Food Stamp Employment and Training Case Managers receive the work registrant referral, they immediately send the registrant an appointment letter for an interview. A detailed instruction sheet is also included with this appointment letter that informs each registrant about the program, the registrant's requirements under the program, of their rights and responsibilities, and of the consequences for failing to comply with work requirements. The appointment letter also includes instructions for each registrant to begin an Independent Job Search component, a job search log, and instructions for completing the log.
At the interview, work registrants are assessed for their employment and training needs. Case Managers review and audit the Independent Job Search logs and determine whether it is appropriate and necessary for the registrant to continue job search. Based upon the assessment of the Independent Job Search component, a determination is made as to whether the registrant needs further intensive assessment or placement in a basic skills component. For example, if a registrant has difficulty completing a job application, the registrant may be referred to a basic adult education component. Finally, registrants are informed of the requirements of the components, what is needed to comply with the component, and what happens if the registrant fails to comply.
Case Managers are responsible for monitoring registrant compliance with component requirements. For Independent Job Search, the Case Manager uses the job search log to note the number of job contacts and to make random calls to employers to verify actual job attempts. For other Food Stamp Employment and Training service providers, Case Managers use Food Stamp Employment and Training Weekly Enrollment Status Reports to check registrant compliance.
The weekly enrollment report provides information about registrants who either failed to appear for their initial provider appointment or who failed to meet and maintain service provider participation criteria. Food Stamp Employment and Training Service providers notify Case Managers of registrant non-compliance, using the weekly enrollment reports, within five working days of the date that such information becomes known to the provider. Service providers who do not adhere to the registrant non-compliance requirements have their contracts reduced by an amount equal to vendor cost per registrant times the number of participants not reporting, or not reporting within the required times frames.
Case Managers are responsible for determining good cause. If registrants fail to keep either their initial interview with their Case Manager or their service provider requirements, the Case Managers contact registrants to determine if they had good reason for doing so. Good cause includes circumstances beyond the registrant's control, such as, but not limited to:
Non-exempt Food Stamp recipients are registered for work at the time of application. The financial services eligibility worker completes the work registration indicator on the Delaware Client Information System (DCIS) input document for each registrant, utilizing a verification indicator.
The registration indicator on the input document to DCIS produces an automatic referral to the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program, which informs the Case Manager of a work registration referral. Work registrants are assigned to Case Managers, based on the registrant's address.
Case Managers assign those registrants who keep their assessment interview to an employment and training component, or they determine that the registrant is individually exempt. Case Managers can assign registrants to a continuation of the Independent Job Search component or a component provided by WIA or a contracted service provider.
Case Managers use the E & T MIS to refer registrants to contracted service provider programs. Case Managers also make a hard copy of the referral and send it to the contracted service provider. Case Managers also make referrals to WIA programs.
Contracted service providers use the weekly enrollment status report to notify Case Managers of any registrant concerns. This report informs Case Managers of registrants who fail to keep their initial contractor appointment or who fail to meet and maintain contractor criteria.
It is the responsibility of the service providers to notify Case Managers of any circumstances which may cause registrants to fall into exempt categories. This is particularly important where the situation of the registrant has changed since assignment to the component. The Case Managers review this information and determine if the participant is exempt. In turn, Case Managers notify service providers of significant interim changes, such as address, participation status, and so forth.
Time frames for the most part have been discussed previously. However to repeat in summary form: the time from the recipient application for Food Stamps, and the determination of eligibility by a financial services worker, to referral into the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program, should be immediate. In no event does the time frame take more than 30 days.
The Division jointly administers its Food Stamp Employment and Training Program with its FS E&T - TANF program. Food Stamp Employment and Training activities are fully coordinated with parallel FSE&T - TANF activities. The Division may utilize the services of providers already serving FSE&T - TANF participants, FS E&T - TANF and Food Stamp Employment and Training participants, or not serving our population at all.
Other than its Independent Job Search component, the Division does not directly deliver services in a component. Primarily, either non-financial inter-agency agreements or contracted services through community based programs are used to provide component services to registrants. Inter-agency agreements exist with the Delaware Private Industry Council, the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.
Referral mechanisms exist with WIA funded and other training programs. For the most part, registrants who are appropriate for these programs are referred through contractor arrangement. Wherever this occurs, the contractor is asked to monitor registrant participation and report information to Case Managers.
The Division, however, has increased its use of WIA funded programs and has therefore, increased the number of such referrals directly from Case Managers. The process used by Food Stamp Employment and Training Case Managers to make WIA referrals is the same process currently in use by our FSE&T - TANF Case Managers.
As noted above, non-financial inter-agency agreements are maintained with other State agencies to provide component services. In addition, the Division has financial contracts with a number of community based organizations to also provide component services. The Division is also committed to working closely with agencies that provide employment and training help to registrants. In this regard, Division representatives meet regularly with Private Industry Council staff members, the Division coordinates its employment and training plans with existing State resources, and makes use of informal referral mechanisms wherever appropriate.
16 Del. Admin. Code § 10000-10004