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State of Wisconsin |
Release 25-01 |
Tracking FSET participation hours and indicating whether the monthly FSET participation requirement is met requires timely action by the FSET agency. Accuracy of FoodShare eligibility determinations for ABAWDs is dependent upon the FSET agency’s timely entry of monthly participation hours into the CWW FSET Tool. FSET agencies are responsible for:
It is critical that participation is entered timely so that ongoing FoodShare eligibility is determined correctly. If participation is not entered timely, the individual may exhaust their TLBs and no longer be eligible for FoodShare for the remainder of the current three-year time period (see Section 10.6 Appendix F: FSET Worker Time Frames for details on FSET worker time frames for taking action related to tracking and monitoring participation in the FSET Tool).
FSET agencies must collect and record participation hours in CWW for assigned activities for all participants, including ABAWD and non-ABAWD participants.
All participation documentation must be obtained from the FSET participant, work site or other education and training providers on a monthly basis, at minimum. The documentation must be maintained in the participant’s electronic case file (ECF). FSET agencies must provide participants with a variety of methods for submitting participation hours including, but not limited to, in-person, over the phone, email, 24-hour drop boxes, and fax.
A Track Participation page must be created for each month the individual is enrolled in FSET, including any months with zero participation hours.
FSET agencies are responsible for collecting group activity participation when multiple participants are engaged in the same activity at one location. It is the primary responsibility of the participant to return the paperwork to the agency verifying participation in activities that involve an activity log. The agency should make arrangements to get the paperwork directly from the service provider when possible. FSET agencies can encourage participants to turn in participation hours on a weekly basis, however, FSET agencies must notify participants that they should at a minimum submit documentation of participation hours by the end of the current month of participation.
Individuals assigned to job retention should be assigned a minimum of one hour per month of job retention. However, tracking hours of participation in job retention depends on the actual number of hours the person receives job retention services. Track the actual number of hours of job retention that is completed by the participant as you would track any other assigned activity.
| Example 1 | Veng participates in post-secondary education, gains employment, and agrees to participate in job retention. Veng’s FSET case manager updates his EP and assigns one hour of job retention for the current month. Veng participants in three hours of job retention services in March, so the FSET case manager tracks three hours of job retention. |
See Section 1.4.7 Job Retention for more information on this activity. Record the number of work hours under the employment activity code. Any additional activities should be recorded under that specific activity code.
For most types of assigned activities, countable hours of participation correspond directly to time spent engaged in the activity. However, for some education and training activities, a certain amount of study time can also count toward meeting the work requirement.
For education and training activities, count the number of hours the person is in the classroom and up to one hour of unsupervised study time for each hour of class time. Supervised study time may also be assigned under this activity and tracked for attendance purposes. A statement from the educational program indicating that an additional amount of study time may be required to successfully complete the course can be included in the assigned number of hours.
See Section 10.3 Appendix C: FSET Fundable Component Activities for details on the specific FSET component activities for which study time can be counted toward meeting the work requirement.
Although FoodShare benefits are determined prospectively at adverse action, knowledge of FSET participation compliance is retrospective. When an ABAWD has exhausted three months of TLBs, FoodShare eligibility will end unless they are meeting the work requirement or have an exemption. For individuals who have begun participating in FSET, the FSET worker must indicate whether it is reasonably anticipated that the ABAWD will meet the current month’s work requirement through FSET participation so that the individual can continue receiving FoodShare (see Section 6.5.4.3 Anticipated to Meet Work Requirement for time frames related to recording that an individual is anticipated to meet the work requirement by the end of the month).
Reasonable anticipation of FSET participation is based upon the FSET worker’s assessment of FSET participation since the beginning of the current month and whether participation is expected to continue in order to meet the work requirement by month’s end. The reasonable anticipation of FSET participation information entered into the CWW FSET Tool is used by CWW to determine FoodShare eligibility prospectively for the next month. Reasonable anticipation of FSET participation is designed to prevent FoodShare from being incorrectly terminated, should the ABAWD begin meeting the work requirement through FSET participation during the third TLB or second and third additional benefit months.
Reasonable anticipation of meeting the work requirement through FSET participation may only be applied when the FSET worker determines that one of the following conditions is met:
Once the FSET worker initiates reasonable anticipation of meeting the FoodShare work requirement through FSET participation during the current FSET participation period, the worker must continue to make this determination each month going forward if the individual is an ABAWD and remains enrolled in FSET.
| Note | FSET workers should evaluate whether a participant is reasonably anticipated to meet the requirement by the end of the month on a case-by-case basis. If the FSET worker indicates that an ABAWD is anticipated to meet the work requirement by the end of the month but the participant does not follow through, the participant may have erroneously received FoodShare benefits for that month. In these cases, the participant may be subject to an overpayment and may need to repay these benefits. |
| Example 1 | Tamika, an ABAWD, received a TLB for July and another for August. Tamika enrolled in and began participating in FSET on September 2. On September 13, the second Saturday of the month, Tamika’s FSET case manager determines that based on Tamika’s participation during the first two weeks of September, she can reasonably anticipate that Tamika will meet FSET participation requirements for the month of September. If Tamika failed to meet the work requirement for September and did not have good cause, the FSET worker would indicate in CWW that the work requirement was not met. Tamika would receive her third TLB in September. |
FSET agencies are responsible for tracking the following within the specified time frames (see Section 10.6 Appendix F: FSET Worker Time Frames for details on FSET worker time frames):
By the fifth of the current month, the FSET agency is responsible for recording all prior month participation hours in the CWW FSET Tool.
By the fifth of the current month, the FSET agency is responsible for recording whether the prior month’s work requirement was met. This determination should consider FSET participation hours and any good cause granted.
This action should be taken only for ABAWD participants who must meet the FoodShare work requirement. The FSET agency’s timely recording of this information is used by CWW to determine an ABAWD’s ongoing eligibility for FoodShare. If the agency does not indicate timely whether the work requirement was actually met, an individual’s eligibility for FoodShare may end incorrectly, resulting in FSET disenrollment and a lapse in FSET services.
By the second Saturday of the month, the FSET agency is responsible for recording whether a participant is anticipated to meet the FoodShare work requirement by the end of the current month.
This action should only be taken for all ABAWDs who are enrolled, fully participating in FSET, expected to meet the FoodShare work requirement through FSET participation by the end of the current month, and are either in their:
The FSET agency’s timely recording of this information tells CWW that FoodShare benefits may be issued prospectively for the next month. If the agency does not indicate timely whether it is anticipated that the FoodShare work requirement will be met by the end of the month, an individual’s eligibility for FoodShare may end incorrectly, resulting in FSET disenrollment and a lapse in FSET services.
| Note | Recording whether a participant in the third TLB month, third additional month, or any extended benefit month is anticipated to meet the FoodShare work requirement must be completed each month for the remainder of the individual’s FSET participation period. This keeps an individual from inaccurately being determined FoodShare ineligible and allows CWW to issue benefits prospectively for the following month by updating the FoodShare clock to ‘Active in FSET’ status. |
| Example 1 | Susie is an ABAWD. In March, her third TLB month, Susie enrolls and is participating in FSET in order to meet the FoodShare work requirement. The FSET worker determines that Susie is anticipated to meet the March FoodShare work requirement by the end of the month. The FSET worker updates the ‘Anticipated to Meet Work Requirement?’ indicator on the Track Participation and Good Cause page to ‘Yes’ prior to the second Saturday in March so that Susie can maintain FoodShare eligibility and continue participating in FSET. After this question has been answered, the FSET worker should continue to update this indicator each month based on Susie’s current and expected FSET participation until she is disenrolled from the program. |
If the FSET worker enters 'No' to the "Anticipated to Meet Work Requirement?" question and then the FSET participant completes the FoodShare work requirement for that month, the FSET worker must contact the IM agency as soon as they become aware or at least by the 5th of the following month so the IM worker can adjust the member's case to reflect this new information.
| Example 2 |
Mary’s third TLB month is in December. She enrolled in FSET on December 8 and completed 10 hours that week. This scenario does not meet the requirements to mark the “Anticipated to Meet Work Requirements?” question as 'Yes' so the FSET worker updates this question on the Track Participation page to 'No'; Mary’s FoodShare case will close on December 31. Mary turns in her participation logs on the last day of December and she participated 80 hours in the month of December. Since Mary met the FoodShare work requirement by the end of the month, Mary’s FoodShare clock should be updated to reflect this participation. The FSET agency must contact the IM agency as soon as they become aware the individual met the FoodShare work requirement and no later than the 5th of the following month. The FSET agency must enter the participation information and also add PIN comments. IM agency staff should update the FoodShare clock, issue an auxiliary payment for January, and case comment actions taken on Mary’s case. This process is only necessary for members who are in their third TLB month, the “Anticipated to Meet Work Requirements?” question is answered 'No,' and the individual meets the FoodShare work requirement in that month. |
This page last updated in Release Number: 23-02
Release Date: 12/18/2023
Section 6.5.3 Effective Date: 08/14/2023
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Publication Number: P-00419