State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services

HISTORY

The policy on this page is from a previous version of the handbook. 

21-02 Version of 1.4 FSET Component Activities

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) structures the SNAP employment and training program into components including supervised job search, job search training, workfare, work experience, education, self-employment, and job retention. Wisconsin’s FSET components also include formal assessment and on-the-job training. FSET workers assign participants to program activities that fall within one of the program components.

FSET activities are classified as qualifying and non-qualifying activities. In order to meet the ABAWD 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 are able to 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.

Employment search, which falls within the supervised job search component, is a non-qualifying activity. Enrollment and orientation do not fall within any of the components and are also non-qualifying activities. All other component activities are qualifying activities.

FSET agencies must offer a variety of activities in order to comprehensively address the unique needs of each participant. See FSET Handbook 10.3 Appendix C: FSET Fundable Component Activities for a complete list of FSET fundable activities.

1.4.1 Supervised Job Search and Job Search Training

The supervised job search and job search training components are for participants engaged in employment search and participants who need general guidance with the job search process. Agencies assist job search and job search training participants in developing, practicing, and applying job seeking skills with the goal of securing employment. This includes:

• Assistance with applications and resume development
• Interviewing skills, including mock interviewing
• Labor market information
• Employability assessments
• Job leads and job referrals
• Job development and job placement, as needed

Supervised job search:

• Occurs at State approved locations.
• Involves participant activities being supervised, and is tracked in accordance with guidelines issued by the State.
• The activities under the supervised job search component include supervised employment search and workfare job search.
• Supervised employment search is a non-qualifying activity.
• Workfare job search is a qualifying activity that may be assigned to workfare participants in the first 30-days of a workfare placement.
  • ABAWDs who are employed should not be assigned to workfare job search.
  • Non-ABAWDs should not be assigned to workfare job search.
  • See FSET Handbook 1.4.3 Workfare for more information on assigning participants to workfare.

Note:

Job Search activities that precede a workfare assignment are considered part of the workfare component and do not have to be supervised.

FSET workers may only assign an ABAWD participant to employment search and other non-qualifying activities for less than half of the total required hours, in total. However, supervised job search and job search training activities are considered qualifying activities when offered as a part of workfare or through an allowable work program. See FSET Handbook 6.4 Co-Enrollment in FSET and Another Allowable Work Program and 10.5 Appendix E: Qualifying Work Programs for ABAWDs for more information on qualifying work programs for ABAWDs.

FSET workers must reassess assignment to activities within supervised job search and job search training during regular employment plan reviews in accordance with FSET Handbook 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.

1.4.2 Education

All activities within the education component are qualifying activities. Educational activities must have a direct link to employment.

Allowable activities within the education component include:

• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• Driver’s Education
• Customized Skills Training
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• General Educational Development (GED)
• High School Equivalency Diploma
• Higher Education - Full-time Student
• Higher Education - Part-time Student
• Job Skills Training
• Job Readiness/Motivation
• Literacy Skills
• Post-secondary Education (2 years or less)
• Regular School (K-12)
• Vocational Adult Basic Education
• Vocational English as a Second Language
• Vocational Literacy

See FSET Handbook 10.3 Appendix C: FSET Fundable Component Activities for a full description of the activities listed above.

FSET agencies are encouraged to work with local employers to design customized job skills training programs based on the skill needs of employers in the local labor market. This includes partnering with technical colleges to offer certified qualifying training programs.

The following factors are critical in determining whether FSET funding may be used to fund an educational activity:

• The educational activity must be on the participant’s employment plan;
• FSET funding cannot be used to replace funds for existing services;
• Charges for FSET students cannot exceed the cost applied to non-FSET students for the same service; and
• A FoodShare member who is an eligible student already attending the institution (without benefit of FSET participation) is exempt from FoodShare work requirements. While the student may volunteer to participate in another FSET activity, his or her education costs are already being met, and it is not appropriate to use federal funds to subsidize those expenses.

1.4.3 Workfare

Workfare is the only activity within the workfare component. Workfare is a qualifying activity for ABAWDs who need to develop the basic skills and/or work history necessary to enter the job market successfully. Non-ABAWDs and employed ABAWDs should not 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 the FSET Handbook 6.3.2.4 Determining Required Hours of Participation for more information on determining required hours of participation 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 with easily expandable work crews. These types of positions typically require little training, are not greatly disrupted by unplanned absences, and have easily expanded or contracted functions depending upon the need for positions.
  • Examples include: housing authorities, parks and recreation, and sanitation departments.
• Work sites available through non-profit community organizations in the human services field.
  • Examples include: community non-profits, religious organizations, hospitals, schools, and government agencies.

Workfare placements are unpaid opportunities for FSET participants. Subsidizing participant wages with FSET funds is not allowable under any circumstances.

1.4.4 Work Experience

Allowable activities under the work experience component include: FSET work experience, community service, transitional employment (co-enrollment), W-2 (co-enrollment), and trial job (co-enrollment). These are qualifying activities that offer the opportunity for job shadowing or short-term placement in a work or training setting. The benefits of work experience include exposing participants to a variety of job options, improving employability, and helping ease the participant’s transition into regular employment.

ABAWDs participating in work experience must meet the 80-hour per month work requirement. ABAWDs enrolled in work experience may meet the work requirement by voluntarily participating in work experience for 80 hours per month, or by participating in work experience in combination with other qualifying activities for a combined total of 80 hours per month. The calculation used to determine workfare participation hours for ABAWDs cannot be used for work experience.

Prior to assigning a participant to a work experience site, the FSET agency must establish a formal relationship with the employer. Work experience sites can include placement with private, for-profit companies, public non-profit employers, and private non-profit employers. Work experience 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. FSET agencies must monitor the quality of work experience sites to ensure they provide participants with adequate experience and skills.

1.4.5 Self-Employment

The only activity within the self-employment component is self-employment. It is a qualifying activity in which FSET participants receive technical assistance for designing and operating their own business. This includes a new business as well as an existing business.

Individualized technical assistance is provided in the following areas:

• Creating a business plan to develop a small business
• Conducting feasibility studies to determine viability of the product or service
• Locating financial resources, including low cost loans and grants
• Developing successful marketing strategies to start a business or expand an existing business
• Resolving credit problems
• Navigating state and federal regulations

1.4.6 Job Retention

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 in order for an individual to participate in job retention:

• The individual was enrolled in FSET prior to obtaining employment; and
• The individual received FoodShare benefits the month of or the month prior to when job retention services would begin.

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:

Sam participates in adult basic education and obtains their GED, gains full time employment, and declines job retention services. The following month, Sam received feedback from their employer and needs to work on time management. Sam is again offered and accepts job retention services.

 

Example:

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.

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:

Sheena participates in supervised job search, gains employment, and receives 90 days of job retention services. Sheena 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:

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:

• Job retention reimbursement for reasonable and necessary expenses to assist individuals in maintaining employment; and
• Case management services that address workplace demands and employer expectations.

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, he or she is eligible to receive supportive services if reasonable, necessary, and directly related to participation in the FSET components. For more information on supportive services, see FSET Handbook Chapter 5.0 Supportive Services.

See FSET Handbook Section 6.5.1 for more information on recording monthly participation in job retention.

1.4.7 Formal Assessment

Formal assessment is intended for FSET participants exploring their career interests and advancement opportunities. Activities within the formal assessment component are qualifying activities. They include:

• Occupational testing
• Career planning
• Career advancement

1.4.8 On-the-Job Training

The only activity under the on-the-job training component is on-the-job training. It is a qualifying activity and may be assigned when a participant is in a paid job subsidized by a program other than Wisconsin Works (W-2) including:

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on-the-job training
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) work experience
• Economic Dislocation and Worker’s Adjustment Assistance Act (EDWAA) on-the-job training
• Adult Apprenticeship
• Employment subsidized by Green Thumb, Senior Aides Older Worker Program, the Wisconsin Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) workers.

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Publication Number: P-00419