The primary goal for Temporary Assistance (TA) recipients is obtaining and sustaining unsubsidized paid employment, and to no longer depend on TA to support their family.
Unsubsidized paid employment is any bona-fide job in which the wages (at least federal or state minimum wage) are fully paid by the employer (at no cost to the government). A TA recipient may already be employed when referred to a Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) service provider, or may become employed while enrolled in MWA.
This core activity for recipients can also be used to meet non-core work participation requirements.
Temporary Assistance (TA) recipients in this activity are supervised in the same manner as all other individuals employed by the worksite.
Unsubsidized employment includes:
NOTE: Self-employment and compensation in lieu of wages alone may not lead to self-sufficiency. Use discretion when discussing or encouraging these activities for the TA recipient.
All Unsubsidized Employment activity components, with the exception of assessment, allow projection of hours up to six months in the future based on at least one week of documentation. Following are reasons to “reproject” the hours:
All activities require documentation of the number of hours the Temporary Assistance (TA) recipient was engaged in the activity.
To determine if a recipient is able to participate in a specific employment opportunity, paid assessments including employer-required tests are allowed. These paid assessments are documented through wage stubs, the MWA Assessment Verification form, or the MWA Attendance Log form. The assessment pay is likely recorded with the “regular” pay on the wage stub and should be transparent.
In cases where the employee has not worked long enough or the employer has not provided written documentation, the case manager records the information on the MWA Employment Verification form. An hour of paid assessment is considered an hour worked at the activity. After documentation is obtained, enter the hours under the Unsubsidized Employment activity on the Participation Hours Verification or Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System. The documentation is placed in the paper file. Enter case notes indicating assessment hours for the activity.
Regular unsubsidized employment, employment by a temporary agency, paid clinical, page apprenticeships, paid internships, substance abuse and mental health treatment paid by the employer are documented through wage stubs or the MWA Attendance Log form.
When the employee has not worked long enough or the employer has not provided written documentation, the MWA case manager must verbally verify the information with the employer and record the information on the MWA Employment Verification form. The pay for substance abuse and mental health treatment is likely recorded with the “regular” pay and should be transparent.
A paid hour at the worksite or treatment facility is considered an hour worked at the activity. After documentation is obtained, enter the hours under the Unsubsidized Employment service on the Participation Hours Verification or Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System. The documentation is placed in the paper file.
Compensation in lieu of wages includes an agreement to “work off” some type of payment (i.e. rent received, automobile, etc.) and is documented through the MWA Compensation in Lieu of Wages form or another written document containing identical information. When the agreement contains a set wage (that is at least equal to the federal minimum wage), a countable hour is equal to an hour at the worksite.
When there is no set wage in the agreement, a countable hour is based on the federal minimum wage calculation which takes the monthly amount of income divided by federal minimum wage divided by 4.3.
After documentation is obtained, enter the monthly wage under the Compensation in Lieu of Wages service on the Participation Hours Verification or Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System and place the documentation in the paper file.
The MWA System automatically calculates the Compensation in Lieu of Wages weekly hours based on the entry of the monthly amount for the next six months. (Refer to Section 0275.020.05 Projection of Hours.)
Example: Compensation in Lieu of Wages with Set Hours:
The MWA System only allows entry based on the monthly amount. Therefore, for this example, the weekly hours are converted to a monthly amount of income by taking: 25 hours x 4.3 x $7.25 = $779 is entered as the Monthly Amount on the Participation Hours Verification or Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System.
The service is ended in the MWA System at the end of the assignment (5 weeks).
Example: Compensation in Lieu of Wages with No Set Hours:
$450 is entered for “Monthly Amount” on the Participation Hours Verification or Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System.
The MWA System calculation: $450 / $7.25 / 4.3 = 14 weekly hours for the next 6 months.
$1700 / 2 months = $850 is entered for “Monthly Amount” on the Participation Hours Verification or Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System.
The MWA System calculation: $850 / $7.25 / 4.3 = 27 weekly hours for the next 6 months.
The service is ended in the MWA System at the end of the assignment (2 months).
NOTE: The MWA System only displays the hours for one week into the future. The hours do not need to be updated weekly, as they are still projected for six months.
Self-employment includes jobs paid by commission such as realtors and automobile sales. The hours worked for self-employment are calculated by using gross income less business expenses at least once every six months. The recipient calculates his/her gross income and business expenses as he/she would need to for tax purposes.
NOTE: Business expenses include: painter’s supplies, gas to and from the worksite, food for children at in-home daycare, etc.
This income and expense documentation is reviewed for accuracy by the MWA case manager and can include:
A countable hour is based on the federal minimum wage calculation which takes the monthly amount of income divided by federal minimum wage divided by 4.3.
After documentation is obtained, enter the monthly wage under the Self-Employment service on the Participation Hours Verification or the Mass Participation Hours Verification screen in the MWA System and place the documentation in the paper file.
The MWA System automatically calculates the self-employment weekly hours based on the entry of the monthly amount for the next six months. (4.333 is the average number of weeks per month, the MWA System is programmed to calculate 4.3.) Federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 effective July 24, 2009. (Refer to Section 0275.020.05 Projection of Hours.)
Example:
MWA System calculation: $860 / $7.25 / 4.3 = 28 weekly hours for the next six months.
MWA System calculation: $1,000 / $7.25 / 4.3 = 32 weekly hours for the next six months.
NOTE: The MWA System only displays the hours for one week into the future. The hours do not need to be updated weekly, as they are still projected for six months.