AG 2006 10 30 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Cabarrus County Department of Social Services DATE: I 0-4-06 TO: John Day, County Manager FROM: James H. Polk, Program Administrator RE: Cabarrus County Work First Plan for FY 07-09 cc: Sandra Russell, Interim Director We are submitting our Work First Block Grant Plan for FY 07-09 to the Board of Commissioners for their approval. This plan has been developed by our staff, with input from our Planning Committee. It takes into consideration the intensive work that needs to be accomplished by the State and our county to avoid financial penalties that could be imposed by federal officials ifthe participation rate requirements are not met by North Carolina. Our state is presently not meeting the participation rate, which requires 50% participation for single parent families and 90% participation for two-parent families. Included in counting against us in this rate are not only the families that are required to work, but also those who are disabled, as well as those exempted by their physicians. There are several changes that we are requesting and one change from the State that we feel will have a positive effect on our participation rate. I. We had previously been exempting mothers with a new baby for only 3 months before requiring them to participate. The State allows up to 12 months exemption. This is due to a number of reasons, the most common being difficulty in locating child care for infants. We are planning on making the change to a 12 month exemption, but giving the mother the option of participating if she wishes, and reclaiming the exemption if it doesn't work out. We would like to include this in our FY07 -09 Plan. 2. We are also requesting Board approval to make an amendment to this effect in our current FY 05-07 Plan. Exempting this population could have a positive effect on our participation rate. 3. Effective October of this year, the State will exempt a person from the work requirement who has to stay at home to care for a sick or incapacitated individual. This could be a child, who because of a medical condition can not attend school, and the parent needs to stay home with them. These individuals had previously had been counting against us in the participation rate. 4. We are also pursuing funding from the State which should help us take strong measures to address participation, job retention, and accountability. This month, the NC Division of Social Services sent out a request for proposals for counties to develop programs to increase the participation rates. To enhance our likelihood of meeting the participation Cabarrus County DSS 1303 South Cannon Blvd Kannapolis, North Carolina 28083 Telephone Number: 704-920-1400 FAX Number: 704-920-1577 \= - \'\