Section 17-656.2-55 - Job retention bonus requirements(a) An eligible household may receive a job retention bonus for remaining off assistance for three months, six months, twelve months or twenty-four months in a consecutive twenty-four month period beginning with the first month of closure for any reason, prior to receiving twenty-five months of TANF assistance.(b) The requirements specified in subsection (c) below shall be reviewed at each bonus period to determine eligibility for each bonus.(c) To be eligible for a job retention bonus, the household shall meet the requirements of the exit bonus as specified in section 17-656.2-54; provided that the reason for closure will not affect eligibility for the job retention bonus, except for closure of the Self-Sufficiency Program as specified in 17-656.2-54(3)(A).(d) Additional requirements include: (1) For the three month retention bonus, at least one adult must be employed for the three months from the date of closure, and the household has not received any financial assistance or non-assistance benefits during these three months;(2) For the six month retention bonus, at least one adult must be employed in the fourth through the sixth month from the date of closure and the household has not received any financial assistance or non-assistance benefits in the fourth through the sixth month;(3) For the twelve month retention bonus, at least one adult is employed in the seventh through twelfth month from date of closure, and the household has not received any financial assistance or non-assistance benefits in the seventh through twelfth month of the twenty-four month period;(4) For the twenty-four month retention bonus, at least one adult is employed in the thirteenth to the twenty-fourth month from the date of closure, and the household has not received any financial assistance or non-assistance benefits in the thirteenth through the twenty-fourth month; and(5) Breaks in employment may not exceed two weeks in any quarter and the break must be for good cause reasons as described in section 17-794.1-40.(e) The request for a job retention bonus shall be submitted in writing. (1) The request must be timely. (A) The request for the three month job retention bonus shall be submitted no earlier than the first day and not later than the last calendar day of the fourth consecutive month of the twenty-four month period.(B) The request for the six month job retention bonus shall be submitted no earlier than the first day and not later than the last calendar day of the seventh consecutive month of the twenty-four month period.(C) The request for the twelve month job retention bonus shall be submitted no earlier than the first day and not later than the last calendar day of the thirteenth consecutive month of the twenty-four month period.(D) The request for the twenty-four month job retention bonus shall be submitted no earlier than the first day and not later than the last calendar day of the twenty-fifth consecutive month after receipt of the exit bonus.(2) A determination of eligibility for a bonus period shall be denied if a request from the household is not submitted in a timely manner.(3) A determination of eligibility shall not be made if a request from the household is not submitted.(f) An adult who has more than one employment shall be allowed to use the hours of all employment to determine the number of hours employed.(g) If there is more than one employed adult, the total hours employed by both adults can be used to determine the job retention bonus amount the household is eligible to receive. Any adult whose employment hours are used to determine eligibility for a bonus period shall be considered to have received the bonus for that period.(h) A job retention bonus for each period shall be limited to once in the lifetime of a household in which the employed adult resides.(i) Any ineligibility for a bonus period shall be treated as if the household received the bonus for that period for the purpose of counting bonuses received.(j) A job retention bonus payment shall not be subject to overpayment and recovery provisions specified in chapter 17-683.(k) A job retention bonus may also be paid if at least one month of Grant Diversion payment was received from April 2005 through September 2008 and the requirements of this subchapter have been met.Haw. Code R. § 17-656.2-55
[Eff 9/18/0 6; am 1/17/08; am and comp] (Auth: HRS § 346-14) (Imp: HRS §§ 346-14, 346-29; 45 C.F.R. §§260.20, 260.31 )