016.20.98 Ark. Code R. 014
For those families who become ineligible for continued TEA benefits due to employment, or who choose to no longer receive cash assistance due to employment, extended support services will be available as provided for by federal and state law. Such services will include one year of extended Medicaid coverage for those who meet the eligibility criteria under federal law for such coverage and one year of extended child care assistance at no cost with an additional two years of child care assistance based on a sliding fee scale.
For those families who become ineligible for continued TEA cash assistance benefits due to employment, or who choose to no longer receive cash assistance due to employment, an Employment Bonus cash payment will be made to such family provided a bonus payment has not already been made to the family in the preceding twelve (12) months. The purpose of such payment is to help the employed adult meet employment related expenses, such as transportation, clothing, and other miscellaneous work-related expenses, until he or she has received a full month's earnings. It is expected that this one-time bonus payment will help enable the aduh to maintain his or her employment.
The Employment Bonus will not count toward the adult's maximum twenty-four month limit.
For those families who become ineligible for continued TEA cash assistance benefits due to employment, or who choose to no longer receive cash assistance due to employment, two months of Extended Support Transportation assistance will be made to the family. These payments will assist the family in meeting transportation costs in the first two months following termination of TEA cash assistance.
The Extended Support Transportation payments will not count toward the adult's maximum tweiity-four month limit. This assistance will be funded by all state monies.
5140 EXTENDED SUPPORT SERVICES - TRANSPORTATION
TEA cases which close due to employment (by agency determination or at client request) will automatically be eligible to receive two months of Extended Support Transportation assistance. These payments will assist the family in meeting transportation costs in the first two months following termination of TEA cash assistance.
The Extended Support Transportation benefit will be in the amount of $200 each month. Because the ESS-Transportation assistance is funded by all State monies, it will not count toward the 24 month time limit.
When a case is closed due to earnings, the worker will use the close codes specific to allowing this Extended Support Service. Verification of earnings is not required. (See examples below). The system will automatically issue to the client's EBT account the Extended Transportation benefit beginning with the month following the month of case closure. There is no limit to the number of times an individual may receive Extended Support Service Transportation assistance.
Please refer to the DCO-Users Manual for specific codes and keying procedures.
The following are examples of situations in which ESS-Transportation assistance will be authorized.
Example 1: Ms. Manning reported that she found a job and requested her TEA case be closed. The client's statement that she is employed may be accepted without verification.
Example 2: An anonymous telephone call is received in the county office reporting that Ms. Smith is working. A 10-day notice is sent to Ms. Smith requesting that she contact the county office concerning the report. Ms. Smith calls the county office and states that she is working and no longer wants TEA benefits. Ms. Smith's case will be closed and Extended Support Transportation assistance will be authorized.
Examples: Ms. Davis reported that she was employed. Based on her earnings, she was no longer eligible for TEA cash assistance. The TEA case was closed and ESS Transportation benefits were authorized.
In the following example, ESS-Transportation assistance will not be authorized.
Example 4: A telephone call was received in the county office reporting that Mr. Jones was employed. A 10-day notice was sent to Mr. Jones to contact the county office concerning the report. Mr. Jones did not contact the county office. The TEA case was closed for failure to respond to the notice. Even though this was a report of employment, ESS-Transportation assistance will not be authorized because Mr. Jones did not confirm that he was employed.
016.20.98 Ark. Code R. 014