When you apply for W-2 benefits you will meet with a W-2 agency employee known as a Resource Specialist who will determine what kind of services you need. This meeting should take place within 2 working days of when you first ask for help. After that, you will meet with a FEP or Financial Employment Planner. The FEP should meet with you within 5 working days.

The W-2 agency will ask you to verify or prove certain information about yourself and your family, like your identity, marital status, number of children, your income, your last job and your education. If you need help gathering this information you should let the FEP know and she should help you.

After you meet with the FEP she should determine within 7 working days if you are going to be placed in the W-2 program and in what category the placement will be. The placements are:

1. job ready
2. trial jobs
3. community service jobs (CSJ)
4. transitional placements (W2-T)

If you need more time to provide the information requested, the W-2 agency can extend the time to make a decision about your application and W-2 placement for up to 30 days.

While your application is being reviewed and you are waiting to be placed in a W-2 work placement you can be required to look for work if you are capable of working. Your application can be denied for not completing work search.

The W-2 agency cannot deny you the right to apply or simply tell you that you are not eligible. They must take your application and if they are going to deny it, they must give you a written notice explaining why.

The W-2 agency must take your application even if you have reached your W-2 time limits.

The W-2 agency cannot require you to look for a job if you do not have the skills to get a job, you are not able to work due to physical or emotional health reasons, family crises (such as homelessness, domestic violence), you have a newborn less than 12 weeks old, or because you are caring for a disabled child or partner.

Although illegal immigrants cannot receive W-2, if their children are citizens or legal residents they can receive child care, food stamps and medical assistance.

1. - job ready - this is a non-paying W-2 placement for persons capable of working who have worked recently. There is no W-2 payment for persons in the job ready category.

   You should not be assigned to this position if you have not worked recently, you do not have the skills to get a job, you have physical or mental health reasons why you can’t work or family problems such as a disabled child, homelessness, or domestic violence prevent you from working.

   You should not be assigned to the job ready category for more than 30 days from the date you first apply for W-2 benefits.

2. - trial job - this is a job with a private employer that the W-2 agency assigns you to. This can be up to 40 hours a week. Persons in trial jobs will receive the wage paid by the employer and should receive all the benefits regular employees receive.

3. - community service job (CSJ) - this is usually a job in a community agency, private company, or at a W-2 work site. Depending on your education level it should also include a school assignment. You can be required to work up to 30 hours a week and to attend school up to 10 hours. You may also be required to look for a job or participate in a job training program. Persons in this category will receive $673 a month.

4. - transitional placement (W2-T) - this category is for persons who have physical, emotional or other disabilities, problems with drugs or alcohol, who are caring for a disabled child or spouse/partner, or have other reasons why they cannot work such as homelessness or domestic abuse. You can be required to work or participate in counseling, treatment or other similar activities for up to 28 hours a week and to attend school for up to 12 hours a week. Persons in this category will receive $628 a month.

   If you cannot work, you cannot be required to work. Any time spent in treatment, medical activities, therapy or counseling should be counted as part of your W-2 activities.

You should make sure you tell the W-2 agency about any problems you have.

• - help with transportation
• - paying for child care
• - counseling, therapy or treatment if you are in need of such services
• - education for persons who don’t have a high school diploma, who can’t read or write or who have limited basic skills, or who cannot speak English
• - job training
• - job experience in a W-2 assigned job
• - help finding and keeping a good job

If you have physical or emotional problems, a learning disability, alcohol or drug problems, family problems, or other such issues, the W-2 agency must allow you to participate in the program, give you the extra help and services you need and help you with your problems. For example, if you cannot leave your home because of a physical disability you should be provided education at home.

★★★MAKE SURE YOU ASK FOR ALL THE HELP YOU NEED TO GET AND KEEP A JOB★★★

If you are assigned to a trial job you will receive the wage paid by the employer. Persons who are “job ready” will not receive any cash benefits.

You will get paid from the 16th of the month to the 15th of the next, but not until the beginning of the following month. For example, you will get paid for the time for May 16th to June 15th on July 1st. When you first apply for W-2 you will get one or two partial checks, depending on when you are placed in a W-2 work placement. It could take 2 or 3 months to get your first full check. After that you should get a regular check each month.

• family of two is $1,265
• family of three is $1,591
• family of four is $1,917
• family of five is $2,243

These standards change each April when the poverty limit is adjusted.

If your payments are going to be reduced to $538 or less for a CSJ or $502 or less for W2-T or stopped altogether the W-2 agency must first contact you to determine if you had a good reason for missing your W-2 activities. If you had a good reason for missing your activity, your benefits should not be reduced.

For example, you should not be sanctioned for activities you could not do because of physical or mental health problems, because you had to care for a sick or disabled child or because you were experiencing family problems such as domestic violence.

To show that you have a good reason you should give your work supervisor and FEP proof of why you missed your hours. Such proof would include doctor’s excuses for you or your children, court appointments, and meetings at your child’s school. If possible, these excuses should be given to your FEP within 10 days of when you missed the activity. You should keep copies of the excuses for your own records. If you cannot get a written excuse, the W-2 agency should not require you to have one.

You can lose your right to participate in a W-2 work position, like a community service job, if you refuse or fail to participate in W-2 without a good reason, if you quit a job or, if you lose a job without a good reason three or more times. These are known as strikes.

There is also a lifetime limit of 60 months on receiving any W-2. This means that you can receive W-2 payments for only 5 years.

Any month in which you are job ready, or receive only child care, food stamps or medical assistance does not count.

If you are in a W2-T placement you are eligible for an extension if you have participated in your W-2 activities and you have some type of problem such as a medical or emotional problem, a learning disability, a sick or disabled child or partner, a child with behavior problems, you are homeless or you are the victim of domestic violence, that prevents you from working.

***If you feel you need an extension do not sign a form saying you don’t want one even if your worker says you won’t get one anyway.***

Job access loan: Persons who need cash assistance in order to obtain or continue employment may borrow up to $1600 from the W-2 agency. The loan will have to be paid back on a monthly basis. At least 25% has to be paid back in cash. The rest can be paid back by working in a community service job. Loans can be used for such things as buying or repairing a car, or paying rent if you are facing eviction or you are homeless.

Emergency Assistance: Persons who are homeless or facing eviction are eligible to receive $150 for each family member to help pay their rent or for new housing. You can receive these benefits once every 12 months.

Your W-2 agency may have other grants for persons in a crisis situation-ask your FEP if you are in need of immediate help.

If you lose your factfinding you can file an appeal with the State Division of Hearings and Appeals. That appeal must be filed within 21 days of the date on the factfinding decision.

State appeals should be mailed to:

Legal Action can help you with a factfinding. Contact your closest office of Legal Action: