1. (a)

   1. (1) As an incentive to participants to retain their jobs, each Arkansas Work Pays Program participant may receive preset bonus payments after meeting certain job retention targets.
   2. (2) To be eligible for the bonuses, the participant must have met the federal work participation rate requirement in each of the preceding months according to the bonus schedule below.
   3. (3) All bonus payments will be made through the participant’s EBT card but not counted as cash assistance.
   4. (4) Bonuses will be keyed after the monthly cash assistance payment has been released.

2. (b)

   1. (1) The Program Eligibility Specialist will assess prior work participation and select the indicator in the automated system to trigger the appropriate bonus payment.
   2. (2) The bonus payment indicator should be marked at the same time as the work participation is entered each month.
   3. (3) See 20 CAR § 503-1513(c) for information on keying work participation hours.
3. (c) Note. Good cause months are classified as noncompliance and must be considered when determining if a participant is eligible for a bonus.

4. (d)

   1. (1) If the Arkansas Work Pays Program participant exits the program and reenters the program, the participant will be eligible for bonuses not already received when their Arkansas Work Pays Program eligibility has been reestablished.
   2. (2) See 20 CAR § 503-1522 for the eligibility criteria for reentry to the Arkansas Work Pays Program.
5. (e) Bonus 1, three (3) months job retention target. Participants that meet the work participation requirements for three (3) consecutive months will receive a bonus in the amount of four hundred dollars ($400).
6. (f) Bonus 2, additional six (6) months job retention target. Participants that meet the work participation requirements for an additional six (6) consecutive months, not including the initial three (3) months in Bonus 1 above, will receive a job retention bonus in the amount of six hundred dollars ($600).
7. (g) Bonus 3, twelve (12) months job retention target. Upon closure of the Arkansas Work Pays Program case due to time limits, participants that have met the work participation requirements for twelve (12) out of twelve (12) months will receive an exit bonus in the amount of eight hundred dollars ($800).

8. (h) Earnings’ bonus, case closure due to earnings.

   1. (1) The Arkansas Work Pays Program participant may receive an earnings’ bonus of one thousand two hundred dollars ($1,200) anytime within the twelve-month case time limit if their income exceeds one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the federal poverty level (FPL) for their family size.

   2. (2)

      1. (A) The Program Eligibility Specialist will notify the supervisor if it appears that earnings exceed FPL.
      2. (B) The supervisor will review the documentation and determine eligibility for the bonus.
      3. (C) If it is determined that earnings exceed FPL, the Program Eligibility Specialist will send a ten-calendar-day advance notice of closure to the participant (TEA-1).
      4. (D) Once the notice expires, the Program Eligibility Specialist will close the case.
      5. (E) After case closure, the supervisor will authorize the bonus to be issued.
   3. (3) Note. Temporary fluctuations such as overtime, seasonal bonuses, etc., will not be considered when determining eligibility for the earnings bonus.
   4. (4) See 20 CAR § 503-1510 for more information on FPL calculations.

Codification Notes: “EBT” means Electronic Benefits Transfer.