(b) Job search activities may include:

1. (1) Making contact with potential employers;
2. (2) Applying for vacancies; and
3. (3) Interviewing for jobs.

(c) Job readiness activities may include:

1. (1) Classes or workshops where participants can improve their employability skills;
2. (2) Resume writing classes;
3. (3) Workplace etiquette classes;
4. (4) Interviewing classes; and
5. (5) Life skills classes.

(d)

1. (1) Arkansas uses the family violence option for victims of domestic violence in order to modify program requirements and extend time limits to help victims of domestic violence.
2. (2) The Department of Human Services works with service providers, other agencies, advocate groups, etc., to ensure that participants who are victims of domestic violence receive the needed assistance.

(e)

1. (1) Job readiness activities also include:

   1. (A) Substance abuse treatment;
   2. (B) Mental health treatment, including mental health treatment needed to address domestic violence; or
   3. (C) Rehabilitation activities.
2. (2) Such treatment or therapy must be determined to be necessary and documented by a qualified medical or mental health professional or treatment provider.

(g)

1. (1) The instructor or activity leader will provide daily supervision of job readiness activities through the provision of guidance and instruction.
2. (2) For mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence treatment activities, the treatment provider will provide daily supervision and maintain regular contact with the Program Eligibility Specialist.

(h) Job search and job readiness time limits.

1. (1) Job search and job readiness assistance is limited to six (6) weeks in the preceding twelve-month period, of which no more than four (4) weeks may be consecutive.

2. (2) For the purposes of the six-week limit:

   1. (A)

(i) One (1) week equals twenty (20) hours for a work-eligible, single custodial parent with a child under the age of six (6).

1. (ii) Thus, six (6) weeks equals one hundred twenty (120) hours; and

   1. (B)

      1. (i) One (1) week equals thirty (30) hours for all other work-eligible participants.
      2. (ii) Thus, six (6) weeks equals one hundred eighty (180) hours.
2. (3) By defining six (6) weeks as one hundred twenty (120) hours for a single custodial parent of a child under age six (6) or one hundred eighty (180) hours for all other work-eligible individuals, participants can be engaged in this work activity for limited periods of time without using an entire week for purposes of the six-week limit.

3. (4) For the purposes of counting the four-week limit:

   1. (A)

      1. (i) One (1) week equals seven (7) consecutive days.
      2. (ii) In other words, any hours of participation in job search and job readiness assistance during the course of a seven-day period is considered a full week for the four-week limit; and

   2. (B)

      1. (i) Once the participant has been engaged in this activity for four (4) consecutive weeks, additional hours of participation will not count towards the work participation rate for one (1) week (seven (7) consecutive days).
      2. (ii) In other words, after completing four (4) consecutive weeks, the participant must take a week’s break from the activity (seven (7) consecutive days) in order for additional hours of participation to count.

4. (5)

   1. (A) Program Eligibility Specialists will manually track weeks in which verified hours of participation are reported in the preceding twelve-month period.
   2. (B) If a participant has any verified hours of participation during a seven-day period, a count of one (1) week will be documented for that participant.
   3. (C) This will continue for each week in the preceding twelve-month period.

5. (6) Note.

   1. (A) If the state meets federal requirements and the local office has the written prior approval of the Assistant Director for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, job search and job readiness assistance may be twelve (12) weeks in the preceding twelve-month period, of which no more than four (4) weeks may be consecutive.

   2. (B) For the purposes of the twelve-week limit:

      1. (i)

(b) (b) Thus, twelve (12) weeks equals two hundred forty (240) hours; and

1. (ii)

(b) (b) Thus, twelve (12) weeks equals three hundred sixty (360) hours.

1. (C)

   1. (i) By defining twelve (12) weeks as two hundred forty (240) hours for a single custodial parent of a child under age six (6) or three hundred sixty (360) hours for all other work-eligible individuals, participants can be engaged in this work activity for limited periods of time without using an entire week for purposes of the twelve-week limit.

      1. (ii) In order for the participant to utilize the entire twelve-week period, it is mandatory that a week break is taken every four (4) weeks.
      2. (i) Job search and job readiness documentation/verification.

2. (1)

   1. (A) For job search activities, participants are provided with and required to use a TEA-1446, Job Search Report, for the purpose of:

      1. (i) Documenting job seeking activities and employer contacts; and
      2. (ii) Verifying expenses.

   2. (B) For job readiness activities, written verification in the form of attendance records will be:

      1. (i) Signed and submitted by the instructor or facilitator of the workshop or class; and
      2. (ii) Placed in the participant’s case record.

3. (2)

   1. (A) Actual hours of job search, as a countable activity, must identify employment opportunities, applications, and participation in employment interviews.
   2. (B) The participant must maintain daily documentation of all related contacts.

   3. (C) Countable job search requires contact with potential employers:

      1. (i) In person;
      2. (ii) By internet; or
      3. (iii) By phone.

   4. (D)

      1. (i) The participant is required to maintain a log of the daily contacts.
      2. (ii) The log will:

(b) (b) Provide:

1. (1) (1) The date of contact;
2. (2) (2) The position that was available and of interest;
3. (3) (3) The name of employer; and

4. (4) (4) Contact information.

   1. (iii) The Program Eligibility Specialist will file the log in the participant’s case record.

5. (3)

   1. (A) Actual hours of job readiness, as a countable activity, must be provided via written verification in the form of:

      1. (i) Attendance records submitted by the instructor or facilitator of the workshop or class; or
      2. (ii) In the cases of substance abuse/mental health treatment/domestic violence treatment, written confirmation of attendance provided by the treatment provider.
   2. (B) This documentation is provided to the Program Eligibility Specialist on a biweekly basis and retained in the participant’s file.
6. (4) Note. Travel time between interviews may count as part of a job search and job readiness assistance activity, but not the travel time to the first job search interview or the time spent returning home after the last one.

7. (5)

   1. (A) Program Eligibility Specialists will verify the validity of the job search employment contact information by conducting weekly random reviews/follow-up with employers.
   2. (B) Based on these weekly reviews any necessary corrections, deletions, or additions to information contained or omitted in the state’s monthly participation rate calculation will be amended accordingly within the established timeframes for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families reporting.
8. (6) The Program Eligibility Specialists’ supervisor will complete additional quality reviews as part of the case review process.

9. (7) The verification review will include, but is not limited to:

   1. (A) Contact of the employers to verify the documented information;
   2. (B) Written proof that an application has been filed; and
   3. (C) Notification of scheduled interviews.
10. (8) When submitted documentation is incomplete and/or written verification does not validate the activity, the hours will not be considered as countable toward the work participation rate.

(j) Job orders and referrals.

1. (1)

   1. (A) A job order is an agreement with an employer to interview/hire transitional employment assistance (TEA) participants.
   2. (B) The job order may be for unsubsidized or subsidized employment or unsalaried community service and work experience.
   3. (C) Form TEA-1416, Job Order, will be used to obtain information about the job opening or openings from the employer.
   4. (D) The results of the referrals made will be tracked by using the job order form.

2. (2)

   1. (A) When a participant is referred to an employer for unsubsidized employment, the participant will be given a TEA-1431, Job Referral, and a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope.
   2. (B) The participant will give these to the employer.

   3. (C) The employer will:

      1. (i) Complete his or her part of the form, providing the results of the interview; and
      2. (ii) Mail the form back to the Transitional Employment Assistance Program.
   4. (D) If the card is not returned, the local office should contact the employer for the information.

(k) Job bank.

1. (1) Each local office will maintain a job bank that can be used for referrals.
2. (2) To develop a job, the local office can interview participants and/or collect data from their case records or employment plans.

3. (3)

   1. (A) The job bank can consist of a card file or a computer database, e.g., Arkansas JobLink.
   2. (B) It should be organized and divided by job titles.
   3. (C) The names of interested or experienced participants and pertinent information about them should be contained under each job title.
   4. (D) This will assist staff in matching the needs of employers and participants.