1. A. The Department of Human Services shall require services to be provided to each applicant or recipient of benefits in any program according to a written personal responsibility agreement. The agreement shall be:

   1. 1. Written in English, Spanish or other language, according to the applicant's or recipient's needs;
   2. 2. Signed by the applicant or recipient;
   3. 3. Signed by the parent of the applicant or recipient, if the applicant or recipient is under eighteen (18) years of age;
   4. 4. Signed by the case manager, for the applicant or recipient and the recipient's family; and
   5. 5. Reviewed by both the applicant or recipient and the case manager at least once a year. The agreement may be revised from time to time according to the needs of the recipient, the recipient's family and the program.

2. B. The personal responsibility agreement shall set forth the specific responsibilities of the recipient, at a minimum, to:

   1. 1. Develop a detailed plan for achieving self-sufficiency;
   2. 2. Acknowledge that additional benefits pursuant to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program will be paid for a child born more than ten (10) months after the recipient qualifies for assistance only pursuant to a voucher system;
   3. 3. If the recipient is a minor parent, live in a place maintained by the recipient's parents, legal guardian or other adult relative as the parent's, legal guardian's or other adult relative's own home, or live in a foster home, maternity home or other supportive living arrangement supervised by an adult in order to receive TANF benefits;

   4. 4. Accept responsibility for ensuring that the recipient's child complies with the attendance requirements of the local school district and attends school until the child of the recipient either:

      1. a. graduates from high school or attains a high school equivalency certificate, or
      2. b. becomes nineteen (19) years of age, whichever occurs first,
   5. 5. Accept responsibility for attending any classes required by a program at least ninety percent (90%) of the time;
   6. 6. Immunize the recipient's minor children pursuant to the State Department of Health's immunization schedule;
   7. 7. Be available for and actively seek and maintain employment and accept any reasonable employment as soon as it becomes available if required by the program;
   8. 8. Participate in any educational or training program required by the Department;
   9. 9. Participate in a community service, public works or private sector job for a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours per week regardless of the amount of the AFDC grant if the recipient has been unsuccessful in finding unsubsidized employment; provided, that this requirement shall not apply to a recipient participating in the work supplementation program or the work experience program; and

   10. 10.

       1. a. Undergo a literacy skills assessment utilizing a testing instrument which measures whether such recipient is reading at a minimum of an eighth grade reading level, where the recipient has the capacity to read as such level or, regardless of reading level, which indicates that the recipient would benefit from compulsory participation in a literacy skills improvement program.
       2. b. Based on the results of the assessment, the recipient shall agree to enroll and actively participate in a literacy skills improvement program and provide documentation of substantial quantifiable literacy improvement. Any recipient who is reading at less than an eighth grade level shall be required to continue to substantially and quantifiably improve his or her reading skills until such recipient demonstrates a level of reading proficiency that is at least equal to an eighth grade reading level.
       3. c. On or before December 31 of each year, the Department of Human Services shall annually provide to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written report outlining by age the number of recipients:
       4. 1. assessed for literacy skills,
       5. 2. who failed to demonstrate eighth grade reading level proficiency,
       6. 3. who agreed to enroll and participate in a literacy skills improvement program, and
       7. 4. who either provided documentation of substantial quantifiable literacy skills improvement of whose case was closed prior to completion.
3. C. TANF benefits shall be denied to a recipient who fails to comply with the requirements of the personal responsibility agreement pursuant to this section until such time as the Department determines that the recipient is once again in compliance with the personal responsibility agreement.

Added by Laws 1995, HB 1673, c. 346, § 27, emerg. eff. July 1, 1995; Amended by Laws 1997, SB 81, c. 392, § 5, emerg. eff. July 1, 1997 (superseded document available).