Work Relief (Workfare) Programs

Work Relief (Workfare) Programs. A. This type of assistance is defined as follows: 1. Some governmental assistance programs require that certain recipients work in exchange for the assistance provided. Most often the amount of the assistance payment is divided by the minimum wage and the recipient required to perform some service for the resulting number of hours. Usually a participant in such a work program is given money to cover any expenses incurred (e.g., carfare, special clothing, miscellaneous, etc.). B. This type of assistance is treated as follows: 1. The payment in such situations is an assistance payment and is not earned income. The fact that an individual is required to work in exchange for an income based on need or assistance based on need payment does not change the nature of the payment.