(a)

1. (1) Acts 2005, No. 1705, established the Arkansas Work Pays Program.
2. (2) The Arkansas Work Pays Program is an incentive program designed to encourage working Transitional Employment Assistance Program participants to remain employed after closure of the transitional employment assistance (TEA) case while increasing their hours of work and/or hourly wage.

(b)

1. (1) Provided they meet Arkansas Work Pays Program eligibility requirements, families participating in the Arkansas Work Pays Program will receive:

   1. (A) A monthly cash assistance payment in the amount of two hundred four dollars ($204) for up to twelve (12) months;
   2. (B) Case management;
   3. (C) Supportive services; and
   4. (D) Job retention and advancement services.
2. (2) The twelve (12) months will count toward the federal sixty-month time limit but not the state’s TEA twenty-four-month limit.
3. (3) If the participant reaches sixty (60) months while participating in the Arkansas Work Pays Program, an automatic extension will be given to the sixty-month time limit.
4. (4) This work incentive program may be limited to three thousand (3,000) families.

(c)

1. (1) The worker will explain the Arkansas Work Pays Program to the applicant and provide an Arkansas Work Pays Program pamphlet during the initial interview for TEA cash assistance.
2. (2) The Program Eligibility Specialist will discuss the Arkansas Work Pays Program with the participant during ongoing case management activities.
3. (3) When the TEA case closes due to employment, the participant will receive additional information about the Arkansas Work Pays Program, including an Arkansas Work Pays Program application.