WAC 388-310-0300   WorkFirst--Infant care exemptions for mandatory participants.  (1) When can I be exempted from participating in WorkFirst activities if I am a mandatory participant?

     Either you or the other parent (living in the household) can claim an infant exemption from participating in WorkFirst activities provided you:

     (a) Have a child under one year of age;

     (b) Choose to not fully participate in the WorkFirst program (see WAC 388-310-0400); and

     (c) Have not used up your lifetime twelve-month infant exemption.

     (2) If I choose my infant exemption, can I still be required to participate in the WorkFirst program?

     You are required to participate up to twenty hours per week in mental health and/or chemical dependency treatment if:

     (a) The comprehensive evaluation or assessment indicates a need; and

     (b) Services are available in your community.

     (3) Can I volunteer to participate in WorkFirst while I have a child under one?

     You may choose to fully participate in WorkFirst (see WAC 388-310-0400) while you have a child under one year of age. If you decide later to stop participating and you still qualify for an exemption, you will be put back into exempt status with no financial penalty provided you meet conditions (1) and (2) above.

     (4) Does an infant exemption from participation affect my sixty-month time limit for receiving TANF or SFA benefits?

     Even if you are exempt from participation, each month you receive a TANF/SFA grant counts toward your sixty-month limit (see WAC 388-484-0005).



[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.08.090, 74.04.055 and 2007 c 289. 08-02-055, § 388-310-0300, filed 12/28/07, effective 2/1/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.04.050. 02-14-087, § 388-310-0300, filed 6/28/02, effective 7/29/02; 00-06-062, § 388-310-0300, filed 3/1/00, effective 3/1/00; 99-10-027, § 388-310-0300, filed 4/28/99, effective 5/29/99; 97-20-129, § 388-310-0300, filed 10/1/97, effective 11/1/97.]