Sanctions for noncompliance with temporary assistance for needy families program requirements

1. Temporary assistance for needy families participants who fail or refuse to comply with program requirements, without good cause, may be sanctioned. Actions or failures to comply that may result in sanctions include: a. Failure or refusal to participate in the job opportunities and basic skills or tribal native employment works programs; b. Failure or refusal to cooperate in obtaining child support or establishing paternity; and c. Quit a job or refused an offer of employment without good cause. 2. All sanctions are first imposed against the responsible individual and will result in removal of the individual's financial needs from the household's temporary assistance for needy families grant, for a period of one month in an ongoing case. 3. If the sanctioned individual does not cure the sanction prior to the end of the sanction penalty month, the sanction may progress to closure of the entire temporary assistance for needy families case. a. A sanction penalty month runs from the effective date of a sanction through the last day of that month. b. If a sanction, based on noncooperation with the job opportunities and basic skills program leads to closure of the entire temporary assistance for needy families case, the household, at a minimum, is ineligible for assistance in the month following the sanction penalty month, and until the responsible individual cures the sanction. c. If a sanction, based on noncooperation with the child support agency leads to closure of the entire temporary assistance for needy families case, the household is ineligible for assistance in the month following the sanction penalty month. 4. Sanctions under temporary assistance for needy families follow a noncooperating individual. 5. A job opportunities and basic skills program sanction, or a tribal native employment works program sanction, is cured only if the responsible individual demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the human service zone, that the failure to cooperate or participate, as required, has been corrected for at least five consecutive days unless the responsible individual has been off temporary assistance for needy families for twelve or more consecutive months. 6. A child support sanction may only be considered cured upon notification from the child support agency to the eligibility worker that the sanctioned individual is cooperating in obtaining child support and, if necessary, establishing paternity.