TAPS works with the Pekin Public Aid Department as a work-site for people in need of working within the public aid program to obtain benefits and comply with the program requirements. Please check out the Illinois Department of Human Services website at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx? for more information on this program and other services provided.

Work Experience:
Work Experience (WE) places the client in a supervised work assignment with public, private, or not-for-profit employers, organizations, and governmental agencies that have an agreement with the Department. The client receives no payment other than their assistance benefits.

Participation:
A client may participate in Work Experience when:

1. The client is unemployed.
2. Participation is appropriate to help the client reach their employment goal.

Place the client in an available work assignment based on work history, prior training, experience, skills, and vocational preference.

Make the assessment during a face-to-face meeting with the client, after reviewing all available information in the case record. Coordinate the placement with the employment goal(s) in the Responsibility and Services Plan.

The person may participate in WE for as long as needed to reach their employment goal(s). Participation must be reassessed at least every 6 months, during the TANF REDE. Determine whether the client is gaining work skills and if there is a chance for employment. If continuing the work assignment will benefit the client, reassign them to the same or another work assignment. The client may also be approved for another activity.

What the Activity Requires:

1. The person must perform their work assignment for the required number of hours per month. The parents in an 06 case may both participate and share the hours if child care is not required.
   
   Determine the assigned hours for a calendar month by adding:
   • the family's TANF payment;
   • their SNAP benefits;
   • any cash and SNAP recoupment amounts; and
   • any sanction amount for a Child Support, School Attendance Initiative, or Activity sanction.

   NOTE: You may place a client who is sanctioned in Work Experience only if they have cooperated with the sanction reason. If they have not cooperated, do not place them in Work Experience.

   Use the amount of benefits expected for that month. If the TANF unit and the SNAP unit are not the same, prorate the SNAP benefits plus the SNAP recoupment, if any, to determine the TANF unit's share.

   Divide the total benefits by the state minimum wage (see WAG 25-06-08). Drop any fraction of an hour. This is the number of hours per month the client/parents are assigned to work. Divide by 4 to get the weekly participation hours. Round up fractional hours. Do not assign clients/parents to a work site for more than 40 hours per week or 160 hours per month.

   After figuring the on-site work hours, allow an additional 5 hours per week of work preparation time when counting weekly participation hours

2. The client must:
   
   • complete 20 employer contacts in each 30-day period (see PM 21-02-04) unless the client is in an education and training program;
   • accept a bona fide offer of suitable employment (see PM 03-13-01-a);
   • participate in another work and training activity to reach the required number of hours if:
     • an 04 case is participating less than 120 hours per month (30 hours per week), or
     • an 06 case is participating less than 140 hours per month (35 hours per week).
3. The client must report on time, as scheduled, to the Work Experience employer when they are told of their assignment. When they cannot report to the assignment or they will be late, they must notify the employer right away.

Click here for a complete participation manual http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?Item=13473.