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State of Wisconsin |
HISTORY |
The policy on this page is from a previous version of the handbook.
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. 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.
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 to comprehensively address the unique needs of each participant (see Section 10.3 Appendix C: FSET Fundable Component Activities for a complete list of FSET fundable activities).
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:
Supervised job search:
| 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 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 and job search training during regular employment plan reviews in accordance with 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.
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:
See Section 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:
Workfare is the only activity within the workfare component. 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 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 Section 6.3.2.4 Determining Required Hours of Workfare 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:
Workfare placements are unpaid opportunities for FSET participants. Subsidizing participant wages with FSET funds is not allowable under any circumstances.
Work Experience, including training, is designed to improve the employability of household members 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.
Work-based Learning emphasizes employer engagement, includes specific training objectives, and leads to regular employment. Work-based Learning Activities include:
See Section 6.3.3 Required Compensation in Work-Related Activities for more information on assigning participants to activities in the Work Experience component.
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:
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: | 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: | 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 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: | 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.
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:
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:
Case Management must be on every Employment Plan for all FSET participants. The Case Management activity is a qualifying activity that should 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 able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) work requirement, this additional activity must be a qualifying activity.
This page last updated in Release Number: 22-02
Release Date: 08/01/2022
Effective Date: 08/01/2022
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