The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall
have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) Applicant--An adult, or teen head of household,
in a family who applies for TANF cash assistance, who previously did
not leave TANF in a sanctioned status.
(2) Choices-eligible individual--An individual eligible
to receive Choices services including an adult or teen head of household
who is an applicant, conditional applicant, recipient, nonrecipient
parent, former recipient, or sanctioned family as defined in this
chapter.
(3) Choices participant--A Choices-eligible individual
participating in or outreached for Choices services, including:
(A) Exempt Choices participant--A Choices-eligible
individual who is not required under Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter
31 or Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) rules (1 TAC,
Chapter 372, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Programs) to participate in Choices services,
but who may voluntarily participate in Choices services.
(B) Mandatory Choices participant--A Choices-eligible
individual who is required under Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter
31 or HHSC rules (1 TAC, Chapter 372) to participate in Choices services.
(4) Community service--A program that provides employment
and training activities to Choices participants through unsalaried,
work-based positions in the public or private nonprofit sectors. Community
service programs contain structured, supervised activities that are
a direct benefit to the community and are designed to improve the
employability of Choices participants who have been unable to find
employment.
(5) Conditional applicant--An adult or teen head of
household who left TANF in a sanctioned status, but who is reapplying
for TANF cash assistance and must demonstrate cooperation with Choices
program requirements for four consecutive weeks.
(6) Earned Income Deduction (EID)--A standard work-related
and income deduction, available for four months through HHSC.
(7) Employment Planning Session (EPS)--A meeting with
a TANF recipient to introduce Choices services.
(8) Extended TANF recipient--A recipient who receives
TANF cash assistance past the 60-month federal time limit because
of a hardship exemption as defined in Texas Human Resources Code,
Chapter 31 and HHSC rules (1 TAC, Chapter 372).
(9) Former recipient--An adult or teen head of household
who no longer receives TANF cash assistance because of employment.
(10) HHSC--Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
(11) Job readiness--Short-term structured activities
or a series of activities lasting less than six months designed to
prepare a job seeker for unsubsidized employment and increase the
job seeker's employability. Activities may include, but are not limited
to: interviewing skills, job retention skills, personal maintenance
skills, professional conduct skills, and introductory computer skills.
(12) Job search--Acts of seeking or obtaining employment,
or preparing to seek or obtain employment, including life skills training,
substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, or rehabilitation
activities. Activities may include: information on and referral to
available jobs; occupational exploration, including information on
local emerging and demand occupations; job fairs; applying or interviewing
for job vacancies; and contacting potential employers.
(13) Job skills training--Training or education for
job skills required by an employer to provide a Choices participant
with the ability to obtain employment or to advance or adapt to the
changing demands of the workplace.
(14) Nonrecipient parent--Adults or minor heads of
household not receiving TANF cash assistance, but living with their
own children who are receiving TANF cash assistance. Nonrecipient
parents include parents who are not eligible for TANF cash assistance:
(A) due to a disqualification by the Texas Health and
Human Services Commission. These disqualifications include parents
who:
(i) refuse to comply with Medicaid third-party resource
requirements;
(ii) do not comply with Social Security number requirements;
(iii) are found guilty of an intentional program violation;
(iv) fail to report the temporary absence of a certified
child;
(v) are fugitives fleeing to avoid prosecution of,
or confinement for, a felony criminal conviction, or are found by
a court to be violating federal or state probation or parole;
(vi) are convicted of a felony drug offense (not deferred
adjudication) committed on or after April 1, 2002; or
(vii) refuse to cooperate with the program integrity
assessment process;
(B) because they are receiving Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI); or
(C) because they have exhausted their TANF state time
limit.
(15) PRWORA--The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-193, 110 Stat. 2105, as
amended.
(16) Recipient--An adult or teen head of household
who receives TANF cash assistance.
(17) Sanctioned family--An adult or teen head of household
who must demonstrate cooperation for one month in order to reinstate
TANF cash assistance.
(18) Secondary school--Educational activities including
middle school, high school leading to a high school diploma, or classes
leading to the completion of a GED credential.
(19) TANF cash assistance--The cash grant provided
through HHSC to individuals who meet certain residency, income, and
resource criteria as provided under federal and state statutes and
regulations, including the PRWORA, the TANF block grant statutes,
the TANF State Plan, TANF cash assistance provided under Texas Human
Resources Code, Chapters 31 and 34, and other related regulations.
(20) The Workforce Information System of Texas (TWIST)--the
Agency's automated data processing and case management system for
the Texas workforce system.
(21) Vocational educational training--Organized educational
programs directly related to preparing Choices participants for employment
in current or emerging occupations.
(22) Work-based services--Includes those employment
programs defined in Texas Human Resources Code §31.0126.
(23) Work eligible individual--Work eligible individuals
are adults or minor heads of household receiving TANF cash assistance,
and nonrecipient parents--with the following exceptions:
(A) Noncitizens who are ineligible to receive cash
assistance because of their immigration status;
(B) Parents caring for a disabled family member who
lives in the home (provided the need for such care is supported by
medical documentation), on a case-by-case basis; and
(C) Recipients of SSI or SSDI, on a case-by-case basis.
(24) Work experience--Unpaid training in the public
or private sector designed to improve the employability of Choices
participants who have been unable to find employment.
(25) Work ready--A Choices-eligible individual is considered
work ready if he or she has the skills that are required by employers
in the local workforce development area. A Board must ensure immediate
access to the labor market to determine whether the Choices-eligible
individual has those necessary skills to obtain employment.
(26) Work requirement--For the purposes of 42 USC §607
and 45 CFR §261.10, a Choices participant is deemed to be engaged
in work by participating in:
(A) unsubsidized employment;
(B) subsidized employment;
(C) on-the-job training (OJT); or
(D) educational services for Choices participants who
have not completed secondary school or received a GED credential as
provided in §811.30.
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| Source Note: The provisions of this §811.2 adopted to be effective November 18, 2003, 28 TexReg 10261; amended to be effective February 26, 2007, 32 TexReg 906; amended to be effective September 29, 2008, 33 TexReg 8192; amended to be effective January 8, 2013, 38 TexReg 180; amended to be effective December 3, 2018, 43 TexReg 7801 |
