I am applying for/receiving cash assistance. Why am I receiving notices that say I am required to work?

If you apply for or get cash assistance, the government requires you to prove “work activity.” Work activity might mean getting a job, proving that you’ve tried to get a job, going to school or training, and/or showing that you’re exempt from the work rules.

Beginning April 28, 2025, HRA has re-started the “conciliation/re-engagement” and sanction process for cash assistance (CA) or public assistance (PA) recipients and applicants. As a result, almost everyone receiving cash welfare or applying for cash welfare has to do work activities. Sanctions had stopped in 2015 due to changes in the law and COVID-19. Being sanctioned may result in the government stopping or reducing your benefits. Learn more below.

What are the work rules?

If you apply for or get cash assistance, the government requires you to prove “work activity.” Work activity might mean getting a job, proving that you’ve tried to get a job, going to school or training, and/or showing that you’re exempt from the work rules.

What is a sanction?

A sanction is a punishment from HRA when it claims that someone who applies for or gets cash assistance hasn’t followed a work rule or activity. HRA often calls this an “infraction.”

What happens when there is a sanction on my case?

A sanction reduces or stops your cash assistance. If you are a household of one person, your cash case will close if you get a sanction. If you are in a household with more than one person, then your cash assistance benefits will be reduced based on the number of household members. For example, if you are the head of household and have two minor children on your case, you are a household of three. Only one of you has a sanction on your case. You would have your benefits reduced by 33% (1/3rd).

What happens to my ability to receive FHEPS or CityFHEPS when I have been sanctioned?

You are not eligible for FHEPS and CityFHEPS while you are sanctioned. Your FHEPS or CityFHEPS payments will stop when the sanction starts. Once a sanction is “lifted,” meaning that HRA decides you are following the rules, you may need to apply for FHEPS or CityFHEPS again. If you need back rent paid by FHEPS, CityFHEPS, or other help from HRA such as a “one shot deal,” you will not get benefits for the sanction period unless the sanction is “deleted.” To get a sanction deleted, you have to prove that you never should have been sanctioned in the first place.

How do I do “work activities”?

HRA will call you to a center or to one of its vendors, which are outside companies that HRA hires, to do an assessment. HRA’s vendors are CareerCompass (CC), YouthPathways (YP), CareerAdvance, and the Education/Training Assessment Group (TAG). You will answer questions about your work and education and give information to HRA (or HRA’s vendor). The worker will create something for you that is called an “Employability Plan” or “EP.”

What is an employability plan (EP)?

HRA or one of its vendors (such as CareerCompass) will create a written employability plan (EP) after an assessment process. Unless HRA has decided that you are “homebound” and/or unless you get HASA benefits, HRA screens everyone from ages 18 through 59 for employability. This screening can include figuring out things that are keeping you from working (for example, not having a high school diploma or GED) and, if you’re working now, deciding whether your job satisfies HRA’s work rules. This “employability plan” is supposed to guide your next steps – meaning whether you need to find work, get training, go to school, or other steps. You can ask your worker for a copy of your EP.

What are acceptable work activities?

HRA decides which work activities are acceptable based on your employability plan (EP). In general, acceptable work activities include working, education/training, job search, work programs, assessment for disabilities, or treatment for health issues. Work activities may end up being a combination of one or more of these activities.

Do I have to attend these appointments if I’m already working?

Yes. You can still be sanctioned even if you are working. HRA has to create your employability plan and approve your current work even if you already have a job. HRA has to decide that your current job meets the work requirements.

Why wouldn’t or doesn’t my job meet the work activity requirements?

HRA will usually approve a job that you already have, but you need to get it approved as an allowable activity and it needs to be part of the employability plan that HRA creates for you. HRA also has a minimum number of hours per week that people must meet. If you are not currently working the minimum number of hours, HRA will require you to participate in other work activities.

How many hours of work activity must I have each week?

Remember that work activities include more than just working and depend on your EP. The default rule is that you must have work activities of 35 hours per week. However, some families with children under the age of 18 may be eligible for a lower weekly maximum. If you have a child under the age of 18:

• You may have a maximum of 30 hours of work activities per week if:
  • you live in a shelter and are actively looking for housing;
  • you are going to mandated ACS parenting classes;
  • you are caring for a child with disabilities and can’t get child care;
  • you are doing educational services through HRA
  • you are taking a parent to dialysis or other continuing medical treatment; or
  • you have children over the age of 4 who are in pre-K that includes childcare after 3pm.
• You may have a maximum of 25 hours of work activities per week if:
  • your youngest child is under age 4; or
  • your youngest child is under age 5 and ineligible for universal pre-K.

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* The information does not constitute legal advice. You should always consult an attorney regarding your matter. Legal help subject to capacity and location.