OWF Work Participation Rates Take Top Priority
Over the past several months staff members from state and county agencies have been meeting to develop a corrective action plan to bring Ohio’s TANF Work Participation program into federal compliance. The group includes staff from the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS), the Ohio Job & Family Services Director’s Association, county directors and lead personnel from county agencies across the state with the largest Ohio Works First (OWF) caseloads.
Ohio has failed to meet the federal mandate for several years and now faces significant financial penalties for non-compliance. A recent appeal filed by ODJFS to the US Department of Health and Human Services was not accepted, and Ohio must now either pay the penalty (in excess of $32 million for federal fiscal year 2007) or enter into a corrective compliance plan by October 1, 2011. The corrective compliance plan is aimed at giving Ohio the best opportunity to achieve compliance and avoid a financial sanction.
To meet the federal OWF participation benchmarks, Ohio’s participation rates for “All Family” households must be 50–90% for “Two Parent” households. Eligible adults must participate in a work activity assignment each month in order to receive their OWF benefit. Allowable participation can be paid employment, work experience, job search/job readiness, community service and education and training. Monthly participation ranges from 86–129 hours for “All Family” households, and from 86–237 hours for “Two Parent” households.
Despite budget cuts, staff shortages, increased caseloads and an overall weak economy, Job & Family Services of Clark County is committed to achieving the required work participation rates in order to avoid financial sanctions. Recently, the Workforce Development staff has been involved in a process to close gaps in work assignments. An individual is typically engaged in a job search/job readiness activity within a day of their initial eligibility interview. Subsequent assignments are scheduled immediately following the initial assignment. Clark County has seen an increase in participation rates over the past two months and is confident that the required federal benchmarks will be met to avoid penalties.
