Specialized Program for Job Seekers
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training
Workforce Solutions South Plains administer services that assist SNAP recipients who are not receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. Services include the following:
- Directed Job Search
- Vocational Education/Training
- Non-vocational Education/Training
- Work Experience
- Workfare (ABAWDs only)
- Unsubsidized Employment (allowable only if the individual is enrolled in other SNAP E&T activities)
More Information on SNAP E&T
Support services for transportation, dependent care expenses, and other expenses that are reasonable, necessary, and directly related to participation in SNAP E&T activities are evaluated based on individual need.
In addition to the services and support services mentioned above, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 allows states to use SNAP E&T funds to provide job retention services, support services, or both for up to 90 days to SNAP recipients who participated in SNAP E&T activities and subsequently entered full- or part-time employment.
SNAP recipients ages 16 to 59 who are not employed, or are employed fewer than 30 hours per week, are considered SNAP E&T General Population mandatory work registrants, and are required to participate in SNAP E&T. ABAWDs (i.e., SNAP recipients who are at least 18 but less than 50 years of age and are not employed or are employed less than 20 hours per week) are considered mandatory work registrants and are required to participate in SNAP E&T.
SNAP recipients who meet federally established exemption criteria are not required to participate in SNAP E&T, but may voluntarily participate as funding permits.
For additional information on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training Program please visit the Texas Workforce Commission website.
NON-CUSTODIAL PARENTS CHOICES PROGRAM (NCP)
The Noncustodial Parent (NCP) Choices program targets low-income unemployed or underemployed noncustodial parents who are behind on their child support payments and whose children are current or former recipients of public assistance.
The goal of the program is to help noncustodial parents overcome substantial barriers to employment and career advancement while becoming economically self-sufficient and making consistent child support payments.
More information Non- Custodial Parents Choices Program
The services provided to noncustodial parents mirror the services provided to TANF recipients under Texas’ Choices program. The services emphasize Work First, providing job referrals and job search assistance, and include:
- Job referrals and job development
- Support services (e.g. transportation assistance and work related expenses)
- Short-term training
- Subsidized employment/work experience
- General Educational Development (GED) and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
- Retention and career advancement assistance
To be eligible for NCP Choices, a noncustodial parent must:
- Have a child support case in which the child and/or custodial parent is a current or former recipient of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Medicaid benefits
- Be delinquent in child support payments
- Be unemployed or underemployed
- Reside in a local participating county (Lubbock, Hale, Terry or Hockley)
- Be legally able to work in the United States
- Have an Office of the Attorney General (OAG)-issued consent order and/or be ordered by a court to participate in the program
For additional information on the Non-Custodial Parent Program, please visit the Texas Workforce Commission website or Office of Attorney General – Family Initiatives
CHOICES – TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING PROGRAM
The Choices program assists applicants, recipients, non-recipient parents, and former recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance to transition from welfare to work through participation in work-related activities, including job search and job readiness classes, basic skills training, education, vocational training, and support services.
The Choices program provides services to two populations:
- Single-parent families
- Two-parent families
More information on the Choices Program
Choices is Texas’ TANF Employment and Training Program that operates under a Work First service model. One or both adults in a two-parent household are responsible for meeting the family’s mandatory work requirement. From the point of applying for cash assistance from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) through the delivery of benefits and employment services, Choices individuals receive a consistent message:
- Government assistance is temporary
- Texans are responsible for the support of themselves and their families
- Employment is the goal
Almost all Choices individuals participate in structured job search activities, with the goal of unsubsidized employment at the earliest opportunity. Recipients are responsible for making a designated number of employer contacts per week. In addition, Workforce Solutions South Plains office staff makes job referrals using WorkInTexas.com to assist recipients in their job search.
Choices participants who cannot obtain immediate employment are subject to mandatory community service requirements. A mandatory Choices participant, excluding teens in school, must be scheduled to participate in community service if not enrolled in one of the following activities after four weeks:
- Unsubsidized employment
- Subsidized employment
- On-the-job training
- Work experience
Support services are available to assist Choices participants who are actively looking for work or who become employed. Support services include:
- Child care
- Transportation assistance
- Work-related expenses
- Other support services needed to help Choices participants begin work and remain employed
Active Choices participation is a basic requirement. Failure to participate without good cause results in an immediate sanction that discontinues all of the family’s TANF cash benefits, the adult family member’s Medicaid benefits, and support services.
For additional information on the Choices Program please visit the Texas Workforce Commission.
