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State of Wisconsin |
Release 25-01 |
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) structures the SNAP employment and training program into activity components. All FSET component activities are classified as qualifying and non-qualifying activities.
To meet the FoodShare work requirement through FSET participation, ABAWDs must participate in qualifying activities for at least half of their total required hours. FSET agencies are required to provide qualifying activities so that all ABAWDs who enroll in FSET can meet the work requirement by participating in FSET, if they choose. FSET workers must not assign ABAWDs to non-qualifying activities for more than half of their total required hours.
Components with Qualifying Activities:
Components with Non-qualifying Activities:
Enrollment and Orientation do not fall within any of the components but are also non-qualifying activities. FSET workers assign participants to program activities that fall within one of the program components.
FSET agencies must offer a variety of activities to comprehensively address the unique needs of each participant (see Section 10.3 Appendix C: FSET Fundable Component Activities).
The Supervised Job Search is for participants interested in finding employment. Supervised Job Search:
*Supervised Job Search locations can vary by location and Supervised Job Search does not need to be physically supervised in-person if technology is available for the FSET agency to monitor the job search.
FSET workers must assist Supervised Job Search participants in applying job seeking skills with the goal of securing employment. This includes:
Before assigning Supervised Job Search, FSET workers must ensure the participant has the skills required to participate including necessary technological skills, websites, and other resources. If individuals do not meet the required criteria, FSET workers should assign the participant to a different activity to gain the required skills for Supervised Job Search.
FSET workers may only assign an ABAWD participant to Supervised Job Search and other non-qualifying activities for less than half of the total required hours, in total. However, job search is considered a qualifying activity when offered as a part of workfare or through an allowable work program (see Section 6.4 Co-Enrollment in FSET and Another Allowable Work Program and Section 10.5 Appendix E: Qualifying Work Programs for ABAWDs).
FSET workers must reassess assignment to activities within Supervised Job Search during regular employment plan reviews (see Section 8.1 Employment Plan Reviews). During employment plan reviews, FSET workers should discuss with participants whether participation in assessment, training, or education activities would help the participant better achieve employment goals.
Job Search Training is for participants who need general guidance with the job search process. FSET workers must assist Job Search Training participants in developing, practicing, and applying job seeking skills with the goal of becoming proficient in searching for employment. This includes providing assistance with:
Individuals need limited skills to participate in this component. FSET workers will evaluate whether forward momentum is being made through ongoing assessments. FSET workers may also assist participants with developing the computer literacy skills required to move into the Supervised Job Search component.
Job Search Training is a non-qualifying activity; therefore, FSET workers must not assign ABAWDs to Job Search Training for more than half of their total required hours.
Typically, FSET participants would be assigned Job Search Training before Supervised Job Search. It is allowable to a participant to be assigned both Job Search Training and Supervised Job Search in the same month.
| Example 1 | Dawn enrolls in the FSET program. The FSET worker collaborates with Dawn to create an Employment Plan (EP) that meets her employment goals. They agree that for the first month Dawn will participate in two weeks of Job Search Training to learn necessary computer skills for applying for jobs online. Dawn is then assigned two weeks of Supervised Job Search for that month. |
Self-Employment Training is a qualifying activity in which FSET participants receive technical assistance for designing and operating their own business. This includes a new business idea as well as an existing business.
Individualized technical assistance for self-employment is provided in the following areas:
To participate in this component, individuals must have a self-employment business idea or an existing business. FSET workers must independently evaluate the skills required to operate a self-employment business on a case-by-case basis. FSET workers should refer individuals to additional activities to build the skills required for the individual’s self-employment plan, if appropriate.
All activities within the Education Components are qualifying activities. All educational activities must have a direct link to employment. The Education Components include the following:
The following factors are critical in determining whether FSET funding may be used to fund an educational activity:
| Example 1 | Frida is an FSET participant. Frida is interested in fork lift training. The FSET worker determines Frida has the necessary skills to participate and helps Frida enroll in an upcoming fork lift training. The FSET worker adds the training to Frida’s Employment Plan (EP). There are no other funds available to pay for this training, Frida was not enrolled prior to participating in FSET and the charges for Frida are the same as for non-FSET students. FSET funds can be used to pay for the cost of this training. |
See SECTION 10.3 APPENDIX C: FSET FUNDABLE COMPONENT ACTIVITIES for a full description of the activities listed in the subsections below.
Basic/Foundational Skills Instruction activities include:
Criteria for participation will vary based on the assigned Basic/Foundational Skills Instruction activity. Often, there are not prerequisites for participation in these activities as they are programs to develop basic skills.
The Career/Technical Education Program component includes the Credential or Certificate Receiving Program activity. These activities are generally short-term and competency-based with hands-on experience and a quantifiable measurement of success. The measurements of success will vary depending on the career/technical education program. Criteria for participation in this component will vary on the assigned Career/Technical Education Program.
Classes taken for personal development outside of an established program curriculum do not qualify under the Career/Technical Education Program.
Courses taken to earn a traditional four-year or higher college degree do not qualify under the Career/Technical Education Program.
| Example 2 | Enrique is enrolled in FSET and is currently employed part-time at a local restaurant. Enrique is interested in becoming a manager at a restaurant. The FSET worker and Enrique agree that pursuing a credential in restaurant management will help Enrique reach his career goals. Enrique enrolls in a Restaurant Management Technical Diploma Program through Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). Credential or Certificate Receiving Program activity is added to Enrique’s EP. |
| Example 3 | Three months later, Enrique informs his FSET worker that in addition to his courses for the Restaurant Management Technical Diploma Program, he has signed up for a class for ballroom dancing. Enrique is taking ballroom dancing for personal development, and it is outside of an established program curriculum. The FSET worker does not add ballroom dancing to Enrique’s EP. |
The English Language Acquisition component includes the Language/Literacy activity. FSET workers should assign this activity to participants who need assistance learning English to expand their employment opportunities.
Integrated Training or Bridge Programs vary depending on the sector and population served. Bridge programs are offered to upper-level students in high school soon to be entering their first year of college. Bridge programs are also transitional programs for students who typically hold a two-year college degree and seek to obtain a four-year or graduate degree. The criteria for participation in this component will vary greatly by the Integrated Training or Bridge Program that is assigned. For example, if a nursing bridge program is offered, FSET workers must research the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to participate in the nursing bridge program. If a participant does not meet the standards for the program, the FSET case manager must work with the participant to assign other activities to gain the required skills for the nursing program.
The Work Readiness Training component includes the Career Planning activity and is intended for FSET participants exploring their career interests and advancement opportunities.
Workfare is a qualifying activity for ABAWDs who need to develop the basic skills, work history, or both necessary to enter the job market successfully. Non-ABAWDs and employed ABAWDs cannot be assigned to workfare.
Workfare provides participants the opportunity to learn new job skills and establish work references. The primary goal of workfare is to improve employability and encourage individuals to move into regular employment while returning something of value to the community. Workfare assignments may not replace or prevent regular employment and must provide the same benefits and working conditions provided to regular employees performing comparable work for comparable hours.
Workfare is a household-level component. Required hours of participation for a household are determined by dividing the household’s monthly FoodShare allotment by the state or federal minimum wage, whichever is higher. FSET agencies cannot allow participants to volunteer in workfare beyond that maximum (see SECTION 6.3.2.4 DETERMINING REQUIRED HOURS OF WORKFARE PARTICIPATION)).
In the first 30 days of a workfare placement, FSET participants may be assigned to Workfare Job Search. Workfare Job Search is a qualifying activity for ABAWDs. Workfare job search does not have to be supervised. Required hours of participation are calculated the same as for Workfare.
Prior to assigning a participant to a Workfare site, the FSET agency must establish a formal relationship with the employer. Workfare sites may be established with public or private non-profit employers, including work sites:
Workfare placements are unpaid opportunities for FSET participants. Subsidizing participant wages with FSET funds is not allowable under any circumstances.
Work Experience is designed to improve the employability of FSET participants through actual work experience, training, or both, and to enable individuals employed or trained under such programs to move promptly into regular public or private employment. Work Experience must be a planned, structured learning experience that occurs in the workplace for a limited time and may be arranged within the private for-profit sector, the non-profit sector, or the public sector. A Work Experience assignment is a qualifying activity and includes either Work Activity or Work-based Learning Activity.
FSET workers may assign Work Activity to individuals seeking an opportunity to acquire the general skills, knowledge, and work habits necessary to obtain employment. The purpose of Work Activity is to improve the employability of those who cannot find unsubsidized full-time employment.
Work Activity is specifically for working off the household benefit; therefore, it is not possible for an individual to volunteer for additional hours of work activity beyond the number of hours equal to the household's allotment for that month divided by the higher of the applicable federal or state minimum wage. Work Activity ends when the household benefit has been worked off for the month.
While Work Activity ends when the household benefit has been worked off, this would not be sufficient for an ABAWD to meet the FoodShare work requirement. The ABAWD must work hours in addition to the assigned Work Activity hours to meet the 80-hour work requirement.
| Example 1 | The FSET case manager assigns Sadie, an ABAWD, the equivalent of her monthly benefit divided by minimum wage. For Sadie, this equals 24 hours per month and is the maximum number of hours that she can participate in Work Activity each month. To meet the FoodShare work requirement, the case manager must assign Sadie an additional 56 hours per month in other activities. |
Another area of subcomponents under the Work Experience component are the Work-Based Learning Components. Work-based Learning emphasizes employer engagement, includes specific training objectives, and leads to regular employment.
Work-Based Learning components include:
FSET workers may assign FSET participants to Work-Based Learning Activities for a sustained interaction with industry or community professionals in real world settings to the extent practicable, or simulated environments at an educational institution that fosters in-depth, firsthand engagement aligned to curriculum and instruction. Work-based Learning emphasizes employer engagement, includes specific training objectives, and leads to regular employment.
If a participant chooses to participate in a work-based learning component for beyond the hours equal to the household allotment divided by minimum wage, including hours spent in a work activity assignment, then the FSET participant must receive the same compensation earned by non-FSET participants while performing comparable work for comparable hours and in compliance with minimum wage laws. FSET participants do not need to be paid for those additional hours if others participating in the work-related activity are also not paid while performing comparable work for comparable hours and the work does not fall under state or federal minimum wage requirements.
The Internship component should be assigned to participants seeking short-term work experience that provides entry-level exposure to a particular industry or field. It is as much of a learning experience as it is work. Ideally, interns spend their time working on relevant projects, learning about the field, making industry connections, and developing both hard and soft skills. Internships sometimes even lead to full-time job offers.
The criteria for participation will vary depending on the internship industry or field. For example, if a marketing internship is offered, FSET workers must research the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to participate in the marketing internship. If a participant does not currently meet the standards for the program, the FSET worker will assign the participant to other activities to gain the required skills for the marketing internship program.
The On-the-Job Training component is typically used to broaden an employee’s skill set and to increase productivity. FSET workers may assign On-the-Job Training when an FSET participant is performing tasks or processes related to their occupation. The FSET participant typically performs tasks that are essential to their job function with the supervision of a manager, coach, or mentor.
The criteria for the On-the-Job Training component will vary by employment sector. However, the FSET participant will generally have a base level of knowledge for the sector in which they are entering on-the-job-training. FSET Case Managers must use information provided by DWD and the specific employer to inform them of the skills necessary for a particular on-the-job training placement and work with participants to ensure they meet required criteria.
FSET workers may assign Pre-Apprenticeship/Apprenticeship for individuals interested in career paths that require apprenticeship training. Pre-Apprenticeship is an opportunity to help FSET participants gain the necessary skills for an apprenticeship. These programs can play a valuable role in preparing FSET participants for a career, while contributing to the development of a diverse and skilled workforce.
Apprenticeships offer numerous benefits to both employers and participants. Apprenticeship is post-secondary education like a college or university, but apprentices learn only a portion of their skills in a traditional classroom. They receive most of their training on-the-job while working for an employer who pays a good wage. The employment is the primary requirement for an apprenticeship – a job must exist for the apprentice to be trained.
The criteria for participating in a pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship will vary depending on the field of interest. If an FSET participant is interested in becoming an arborist or working in construction but doesn’t have the developed skills, a pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship (depending on skill level and requirements of the trade) can connect the participant with local employers and begin their training toward career goals.
Many apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs are offered through the Wisconsin Technical College System. FSET workers should reference criteria for participation that can be found online or by contacting the college directly. These criteria will vary based on program and are evaluated as a part of case management.
Transitional Jobs programs are government-sponsored employment programs where the state subsidizes short-term work opportunities – which can include placement and training as well as pay – to previously unemployed individuals in the public, private, or non-profit sectors.
Criteria for participating will depend on the employment sector. FSET workers must collaborate with their local workforce development board as well as employers to ensure FSET participants have the skills, knowledge, and experience required to fulfill the duties of their transitional employment placement.
Trial Employment Match Program (TEMP) is a W-2 employment position that provides subsidized work for applicants or ongoing W-2 participants. An individual working in a TEMP job earns at least minimum wage, and the W-2 agency subsidizes all or a portion of the hourly wages paid to the individual by the employer. A TEMP job can last for a maximum of six months with an opportunity for a three-month extension. A custodial parent may take part in more than one TEMP job but may not exceed a total of 24 months of participation in TEMP. A non-custodial parent (NCP) meeting eligibility for W-2 case management services may take part in only one TEMP job, provided that the NCP has not exceeded the 24-month TEMP time limit.
FSET participants must meet the requirements of the W-2 program to qualify.
The only activity under the job retention component is job retention. It is a qualifying activity that provides services for a minimum of 30 days and each job retention service assignment may be offered for no more than 90 days to participants who have secured employment while enrolled and participating in the FSET program.
A good faith effort must be made to provide at least 30 days of job retention services to FSET participants enrolled in the job retention component. Good faith efforts may include informing participants in the job retention component of the 30-day minimum and developing a job retention case management plan that extends at least 30 days. When offering job retention, workers must document in PIN comments that the job retention activity was explained, offered, and whether job retention was accepted or declined.
Both of the following must be true for an individual to participate in job retention:
The criteria above must be met each time the job retention component is assigned. The start date of the job retention activity assignment must be on the day that job retention is accepted by the participant or the start date of the employment, whichever is later. Individuals may accept job retention services while they maintain employment at any time prior to disenrollment.
| Example 1 | Sam participates in adult basic education and obtains their GED, gains full time employment, and declines job retention services. The following month, while still enrolled in FSET, Sam received feedback from their employer and needs to work on time management. Sam is again offered and accepts job retention services. |
| Example 2 | Mark participates in career planning, gains full time employment, declines job retention services, and requests to end services. Mark is disenrolled from FSET. Later that year, Mark re-enrolls in FSET and asks for job retention for the employment gained prior to re-enrollment in FSET. The FSET case manager denies job retention services. |
| Example 3 | Paco is enrolled in FoodShare. On November 9, Paco receives and accepts a job offer at a local bakery. On November 11, Paco enrolls in FSET. Paco is not eligible for job retention services for employment at the bakery since the employment was obtained prior to enrollment in FSET. |
An individual, who received job retention services for employment and then obtained new employment, may be eligible for additional job retention services if the individual participated in an FSET component in addition to job retention prior to gaining the new employment. If the individual is currently participating in an FSET component and obtains another job while receiving job retention services, the individual may be assigned a second period of job retention.
| Example 4 | Sheena participates in supervised job search, gains employment, and receives 90 days of job retention services. Sheena remains enrolled in FSET and later participates in supervised job search and job skills training to find a better job. Sheena obtains another job and qualifies for an additional 90 days of job retention services. |
| Example 5 | Juan participates in job skills training, gains part-time employment, and begins job retention services. Juan continues to participate in supervised job search while in job retention services, and after 70 days, they obtain a second part-time job. The FSET case manager may provide case management services to help Juan maintain both part-time jobs. The FSET case manager may assign a second period of job retention services once the first 90-day period ends because Juan was participating in an FSET activity in addition to job retention services at the time that he obtained the second employment. |
There is no limit on the number of times an individual may receive job retention services if the individual participated in FSET activities, other than job retention, prior to obtaining the new employment.
Job retention includes:
Individuals receiving job retention services sometimes will not continue to participate in other FSET components, but they have the option to choose to continue participation. In some cases, individuals may become FoodShare ineligible while enrolled in job retention services. Job retention services may continue after an individual becomes FoodShare ineligible as long as the individual became ineligible for a reason other than an intentional program violation (IPV) or failure to comply with FoodShare work requirements without good cause. If an individual obtains employment but continues to participate in other allowable FSET components, they are eligible to receive supportive services if reasonable, necessary, and directly related to participation in the FSET components (see CHAPTER 5 SUPPORTIVE SERVICES).
See SECTION 6.5.1 MONTHLY PARTICIPATION for more information on recording monthly participation in job retention.
Case Management must be on every Employment Plan for all FSET participants. The Case Management activity is a qualifying activity that must be used for all initial and ongoing case management appointments. FSET workers must also assign at least one activity in addition to case management for all FSET participants. For individuals who need to meet the FoodShare work requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD), this additional activity must be a qualifying activity.
FSET workers must track the actual time spent providing case management services while engaging directly with the participant. FSET worker tasks that do not involve direct contact with a participant are documented in PIN comments but are not tracked in the FSET tool. Direct contact may be face-to-face, via telephone, or virtual, which includes, but is not limited to, texting and emailing communication.
| Example 6 | Naiya, an FSET participant, calls the FSET worker after receiving three voicemails, multiple texts, and a letter encouraging agency contact. During the phone call with the worker, job retention was explained, offered, and accepted. Naiya's employment plan was also updated. The worker enters the actual time spent speaking directly with Naiya under case management. Attempts to reach Naiya by phone, text, and letter are entered in PIN comments but not tracked as time spent providing case management. |
This page last updated in Release Number: 23-01
Release Date: 08/14/2023
Effective Date: 08/14/2023
Notice: The content within this manual is the sole responsibility of the State of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS). This site will link to sites outside of DHS where appropriate. DHS is in no way responsible for the content of sites outside of DHS.
Publication Number: P-00419