Work First New Jersey Work Requirements Explained
Work Requirements for Work First New Jersey: What Recipients Should Know
Work First New Jersey, or WFNJ, is designed to provide temporary cash assistance while helping eligible recipients prepare for or maintain employment.
For many recipients, that means participating in work, job search, education, training, or another approved activity.
The goal is not simply to assign hours. You and your case manager develop a plan based on your employment goals, skills, and any problems that may make working more difficult.
Work Requirements at a Glance
| Program | Standard Weekly Requirement |
|---|---|
| WFNJ/TANF | 35 hours per week |
| General Assistance (GA) | 30 hours per week |
These hours may be met through a job, an approved work activity, or a combination of activities.
Some recipients may qualify for a deferral, which temporarily delays the normal work requirement.
What Is an Individual Responsibility Plan?
WFNJ participants work with a case manager to develop an Individual Responsibility Plan, usually called an IRP.
The IRP explains:
- Your employment goals
- Which work activities you are expected to complete
- How many hours you need to participate
- Support services you may receive
- Problems or barriers that may affect your ability to work
For example, the plan may address transportation problems, difficulty finding child care, limited reading skills, a language barrier, a physical or mental health condition, or another issue affecting employment.
If your circumstances change, tell your case manager so the plan can be reviewed.
What Counts as a Work Activity?
WFNJ recognizes several types of activities.
| Activity | What It May Include |
|---|---|
| Paid employment | Working at a regular job |
| Job search and readiness | Résumé preparation, job searching, applications, and interview skills |
| Work experience | Unpaid placements designed to build work skills while you continue receiving cash assistance |
| Vocational training | Training connected to a specific occupation or job skill |
| Adult education | High school equivalency or basic education |
| College education | Certain employment-focused education for TANF participants |
| Treatment | Mental health or substance-use treatment when referred and approved as part of the plan |
Not every activity is available to every recipient, and some activities can only count for a limited period.
Your case manager should explain what is approved under your IRP.
Can Education or Job Training Count?
Yes.
WFNJ can allow education and training when they help prepare you for employment.
Examples may include:
- High school equivalency preparation
- Adult basic education
- Computer-skills training
- Certified nursing assistant training
- Vocational or technical programs
- Other job-skills programs
For TANF participants, certain college education may also count when it helps prepare the participant for employment in a field where jobs are available.
If you are interested in a particular program, talk with your case manager before enrolling so you know whether it can count toward your required activity.
Can WFNJ Help Pay for Work-Related Costs?
Possibly.
WFNJ may provide support so that expenses do not prevent you from participating in an approved activity.
Available help may include:
Transportation
You may be able to receive assistance with transportation while:
- Looking for work
- Participating in an approved activity
- Traveling to your job
- Taking a child to and from child care connected with your work activity
Assistance may include transportation vouchers or free or reduced-cost bus or train passes.
Child Care
Eligible TANF participants may receive child-care assistance while they work, look for a job, or participate in an approved work activity.
New Jersey states that TANF participants should not be required to begin a work activity until appropriate child care is available.
Work Expenses
WFNJ may also help with certain job-related expenses, including:
- Uniforms
- Tools
- Books
- Supplies
- Professional testing
- Licensing costs
- Certain driver's-license expenses
New Jersey currently allows up to $500 in work-expense vouchers during a recipient's time on cash assistance.
Ask your County Social Service Agency before paying for an expense yourself.
What Is a Deferral?
A deferral means that WFNJ temporarily delays the requirement to work or participate in normal work activities.
A deferral may be available when someone is unable to participate because of certain circumstances.
Examples include:
- Being age 62 or older
- Reaching the seventh month of pregnancy
- Having certain pregnancy complications
- Caring for a child younger than 12 weeks
- Providing full-time care for a family member with a disability
- Having a physical or mental condition that prevents work
- Being considered chronically unemployable by the county
- Experiencing family violence
The county may request medical or other documentation.
Good to Know: If something is preventing you from participating, tell your case manager early. Do not assume you simply have to miss the activity and explain later.
What Changes Do You Need to Report?
WFNJ recipients have ongoing reporting responsibilities.
You generally need to notify your County Social Service Agency within 10 days if you:
- Move
- Get a job
- Begin earning more money
- Have a change in family size
You should also report an unexpected change in income.
If you plan to be outside New Jersey for more than 30 days, notify the county in advance.
Recipients who begin working may move to a six-month reporting cycle. Your case manager should explain the requirements that apply to your case.
Keep copies of anything you submit and update your address and phone number so you receive important notices.
What If You Miss a Work Activity?
If you know in advance that you cannot attend, contact your case manager or activity provider as soon as possible.
Explain what happened and provide documentation if requested.
A missed activity does not automatically mean that you will lose all of your benefits. The county considers whether you had a good reason for not participating.
Problems such as illness, an emergency, lack of transportation, child-care issues, or another serious circumstance should be reported promptly so the county can determine how the rules apply.
What Is a Sanction?
A sanction is a reduction or loss of cash assistance when someone does not participate in a required activity or cooperate with another WFNJ requirement and does not have an accepted reason.
New Jersey states that two or more unexcused absences in one month may lead to a sanction.
TANF and General Assistance use different sanction procedures, and the result can also depend on whether the household has one or two adults.
Depending on the case, cash assistance may first be reduced or temporarily stopped. Continued noncompliance can eventually result in the cash-assistance case closing.
The most important thing to remember is that a sanction often can be avoided or resolved by communicating with the County Social Service Agency and returning to the required activity.
If you receive a sanction notice:
- Read the notice carefully.
- Contact your case manager promptly.
- Explain any good reason you had for missing the activity.
- Provide documentation if requested.
- Ask exactly what you need to do to return to compliance.
Even if WFNJ cash assistance closes because of a sanction, you may still qualify for NJ SNAP.
What If You Think the Sanction Is Wrong?
WFNJ recipients have the right to request a Fair Hearing when they disagree with certain County Social Service Agency decisions, including a reduction, suspension, or termination of cash assistance.
A Fair Hearing generally must be requested within 90 days of the action or inaction being challenged.
If you receive a notice that you believe is incorrect, contact your county promptly and review the appeal instructions included with the notice.
What Happens as You Get Closer to the WFNJ Time Limit?
WFNJ cash assistance is generally limited to 60 months during an adult recipient's lifetime.
At around month 48, many recipients who remain on cash assistance enter the Supportive Assistance to Individuals and Families, or SAIF, program.
SAIF provides additional individualized help with employment as the recipient approaches the normal lifetime limit.
Some people are not subject to the usual time limit or may qualify for extensions because of disability, caregiving responsibilities, family violence, age, or other approved circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to already have a job to receive WFNJ?
No. Job search, job readiness, training, education, and other approved activities may help satisfy the requirement while you work toward employment.
Can school count as my work activity?
Certain education and training can count. College education is specifically available as an approved activity for some TANF recipients. Ask your case manager before enrolling.
What if I have a disability?
Tell your County Social Service Agency. You may qualify for a deferral and may be asked to provide medical documentation.
What if I cannot find child care?
Tell your case manager. Eligible TANF participants may receive child-care support, and New Jersey states that they should not be required to start an activity until appropriate child care is available.
Will one missed appointment automatically close my case?
Not normally. Sanctions generally involve failure to participate without good cause. Contact your case manager immediately if you miss an activity and explain what happened.