Employment & Support Services


General Information

The Employment and Training (E&T) Unit's primary responsibility is to plan, develop, implement and maintain program policies and procedures for the TANF Employment and Training Program (NEON) and the SNAP Employment and Training program (SNAPET).

    The NEON program provides Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients a means to acquire employment related education, vocational skills, work experience and job seeking/retention skills to allow them to achieve economic independence through employment. The program assists recipients in overcoming barriers to employment by providing support services including, child care assistance, transportation assistance and employment related special needs such as clothing and tools. TANF recipients with significant barriers to employment such as drug/alcohol addiction, domestic violence issues and /or mental health concerns are case managed by the Division's licensed social workers.
    Training

      Drug/Alcohol treatment, domestic violence shelter/counseling, and mental health treatment/counseling is available to work-eligible TANF recipients via contracts with service providers and referrals to community agencies and organizations. All program services are developed and provided with the ultimate goal of assisting the family achieve their highest level of economic self-sufficiency.

        The SNAPET program provides an orientation and structured job search program to assist Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients become employed. Assistance with transportation and employment related needs is available.

          The Employment and Training Unit also participates in a number of TANF-related community initiatives such as, reduction of child poverty, reduction in out-of-wedlock births, teen pregnancy prevention, statutory rape education/prevention, healthy marriage and faith-based services.

            New Employees of Nevada (NEON)

            Purpose:

            NEON is a program designed to help mandatory TANF participants, possessing various degrees of job readiness and experience, gain fulfilling employment through:

            • Assessments of
              • Employability
              • Strengths
              • Goals
              • Barriers
               
            • Education
              • GED preparation
              • Skill training
              • Post Secondary training
               
            • Life Skills
              • Parenting
              • Job search
              • Budgeting
              • Designing strategies for life's pot holes
              • Placement assistance
               
            • Community Work Experience Program (CWEP)
              • On-site training
              • Practical experience
              • Learning to function within expected guidelines
               

            The NEON program also provides Support Services in the form of:

            • Work-related clothing
            • Work-related tools
            • Transportation assistance
              • Bus pass
              • Gas reimbursement
              • Car repairs
               
            • Work permits

            Eligibility:

            NEON is a mandatory program for adult members receiving TANF cash assistance. A single parent is required to work with their case manager to find and participate in thirty hours of activities designed to improve their employability each week. When two parents are in the household the participants are required to participate thirty-five hours per week.

            Benefits:

            Work experience, like volunteer work, can be an opportunity for growth, expand your horizons and make new contacts within the community. Work experience gives you an opportunity to:

            • Learn new skills or keep your skills current
            • Establish a recent and local work history
            • Develop or maintain good work habits
            • Obtain job references by developing your reputation as a productive potential employee
            • Help your family adjust to a working schedule
            • Become more confident in the work force
            • Build confidence in yourself and your skills

            Non-Compliance:

            Nevada has strict rules regarding time limits households may receive TANF cash. Therefore, when mandatory TANF participants fail to comply with work related activities, they are given a once-in-their-lifetime thirty (30) day period to comply. Once the thirty days has elapsed, the household loses their TANF cash monies. After the thirty (30) day period is used, mandatory participants must become compliant within ten (10) days.

              Social Services

              Purpose

              When a NEON mandatory TANF cash recipient has significant employability barriers which prevent them from obtaining and maintaining self-sufficiency, they are referred to the state's licensed social workers. Social workers provide comprehensive assessment and intensive case management of barriers including:

              • Substance abuse
              • Domestic violence
              • Mental health issues
              • Teenage pregnancy and parenting
              • Child protective services
              • Chronic homelessness

              Social workers are also charged with assisting with crisis intervention.

              Special Projects

              SNAP-ETChild PovertyOut-of-Wedlock ReductionTeen Pregnancy Prevention
              Statutory Rape EducationRepatriation ProgramCrisis Intervention

                Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP-ET)

                Purpose

                SNAP E&T is designed to help SNAP participants, possessing various degrees of job readiness and experience, gain fulfilling employment through:

                • Workshops
                • Job Search
                • Support Services
                  • Work-related clothing
                  • Work-related tools
                  • Transportation assistance
                    • Bus pass
                    • Gas reimbursement
                    • Car repairs
                  • Work permits

                Eligibility:

                SNAP E&T participation is mandatory for household members age 16 through 59 unless specifically exempt from work requirements.

                Benefits:

                The SNAP E&T Program assists household members to gain skills, training or work experience to increase their ability in obtaining employment.

                SNAP E&T participants may receive payments or reimbursements for:

                • Support Services
                  • Work-related clothing
                  • Work-related tools
                  • Transportation assistance
                    • Bus pass
                    • Gas reimbursement
                    • Car repairs
                  • Child care

                Non-Compliance

                Failure to comply with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program requirements results in a loss of SNAP benefits for the member.

                Special Projects: Child Poverty

                The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 refers to the Social Security Act, Section 413, for Child Poverty. It requires each state to submit an annual statement of the Child Poverty rate in the state. The first statement was due May 31, 1998. In Two girls reading books subsequent years, if the Child Poverty rate increases by 5% or more from the previous year as a result of the state's TANF program, the state is required to prepare and submit a corrective action plan to the Secretary within 90 days.

                A corrective action plan will outline the manner in which the state plans to reduce their Child Poverty rate and a description of actions to be taken. The state shall continue to implement the corrective action plan until it is determined the Child Poverty rate has decreased. Three factors in developing the Child Poverty rate are as follows:

                1. The number of children who receive free or reduced-price lunches.
                2. The number of SNAP households.
                3. The County-by-County estimates of children in poverty as determined by the Census Bureau.

                Special Projects: Out-of-Wedlock Reduction

                One of the greatest concerns of Congress in passing the PRWORA was the negative effect of out-of-wedlock births and the need to address issues relating to marriage, stability of families, and the promotion of responsible parenthood.

                Nevada supports the goal of reducing out-of-wedlock births and curtailing the negative effects of such to birth mothers, the children, the family, and society. A contract is in place with the Division of Health to educate, provide birth control supplies, examinations, laboratory testing, tubal ligations and vasectomies for selected males. This program is primarily aimed at those in the twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29) age brackets.

                Special Projects: Teen Pregnancy Prevention

                One of the main goals of NDWSS is to prevent and reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy rate among women ages fifteen (15) to seventeen (17) by one third or no more than thirty-five (35) per one thousand (1000) births by the year 2005.

                To reach this goal, the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services has been teaming up with outside agencies in order to improve Nevada's out-of-wedlock / teen pregnancy birth rates. The state funnels money from the TANF Block Grant to five (5) Community Action Teams throughout Nevada for teen pregnancy prevention.

                Special Projects: Statutory Rape Education

                Countless studies show teen mothers are far less likely to graduate from high school, have a 75 percent likelihood of Welfare dependency at some time in their lives, 50 percent experience domestic violence and suffer more health complications with pregnancy. Children of teen mothers are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs or affiliate with gangs, drop out of high school, are three times more likely to serve prison time and more likely than others to become teen parents themselves.

                The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 requires states to conduct a program designed to reach State and local law enforcement officials, the education system, and relevant counseling services, providing education and training on the problem of statutory rape so teenage pregnancy prevention programs may be expanded in scope to include men. The law shows considerable concern for the issue of teenage pregnancy and its impact on Welfare. A variety of provisions address this issue, many of them governing the conditions under which pregnant or parenting teenagers may receive welfare.

                The goals of Nevada's Statutory Rape Project are to support more aggressive enforcement of statutory rape laws in Nevada and to promote prevention of statutory rape therefore, reducing teen pregnancies.

                In 2000, the first year of the project, the University of Nevada School of Medicine, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, produced a training curriculum which includes a compressed video titled "In Harm's Way: Our Children and Statutory Rape". The Nevada Public Health Foundation, through contract with the University, developed and produced a two hour training curriculum, manual and compressed video designed to reach state and local law enforcement officials, the education system and relevant counseling services statewide which provide education and training on the problems of statutory rape so teenage pregnancy prevention programs may be expanded in scope to include men. They also provided a compressed video transmission for six 2-hour presentations. Training sessions offer remote satellite communication. Distance Education courses were made available via the Internet by accessing the Foundation's web site.

                In 2001, the second year of the project, the Nevada Public Health Foundation, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services provided; technical training to local law enforcement personnel, including police, prosecutors, and judges, education systems, social services, and other relevant counseling services, to receive education and training on the problem of statutory rape. The project has also extended its efforts out to the general public to increase awareness of the extent of the statutory rape problems in order to develop a public mandate to aggressively enforce statutory rape laws. Along with the education a marketing campaign has also followed with brochures and videotapes.

                In 2002, a planned third year of the project, the Nevada Public Health Foundation, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, will provide technical education and assistance to professionals, including police, prosecutors, judges, victims witness advocates, social workers, teachers, other services providers and the general public to include parents and adolescents in order to increase the number of arrests and successful prosecutions for statutory rape violations and to better assist victims. A resource manual will be developed, to include experts and organizations nationwide, who can provide technical assistance to prosecutors, judges, police officers, and victim witness advocates in the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of statutory rape cases. NPHF will continue to educate through a marketing campaign consisting brochures and videotapes. In order to further enhance victim's assistance, the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence, through subcontract with the Nevada Public Health Foundation, will develop and deliver professional education on domestic violence training.

                In 2003, the NPHF, through contract with the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services continued to provide technical education and assistance to service providers and the general public. The project also introduced evaluations to determine if the class participants increased their knowledge as a result of participation.

                2004 - 2005 will see a continuance and expansion of services. Project goals for 2004 - 2005 include:

                • Utilize information acquired in the Statutory Rape Education Project Evaluation to improve the program and deliver additional resources for education professionals and voters of the need to enforce statutory rape laws.
                • Provide technical education and assistance to professionals, including police, prosecutors, judges, and service providers, to increase the number of arrests and successful prosecution for statutory rape violations and to better assist victims.
                • Increase reporting of statutory rape.
                • Increase victim awareness and services to reduce harm of statutory rape to the adolescent victim.
                • Increase awareness in order to generate a public mandate to aggressively enforce statutory rape laws.

                Special Projects: Repatriation Program

                Purpose:

                The Repatriation program is intended to provide temporary assistance, care, and treatment for individuals after their return to the United States from travel in a foreign country due to physical or mental illness, destitution, or because of war, the threat of war, or a similar crisis.

                Eligibility:

                The repatriates eligibility must be:

                • Certified by the Department of State, in the form of a referral to the Department of Health and Human Services
                • Have US citizenship
                • Present in the United States at the time of application
                • Possess no means of income
                • Sign a repayment agreement
                • Medical / psychiatric care

                Benefits:

                The repatriate may be provided:

                • Cash
                • Vouchers
                • In-kind assistance
                • Direct payment of certain bills

                Special Projects: Crisis Intervention

                When families are in crisis due to domestic violence, loss of their residence, etc., NDWSS social workers find shelter and assist the family through the crisis through intervention, guidance and referrals to other agencies and providers.

                  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

                  Who is considered a mandatory TANF participant? 

                  • Mandatory Work-eligible NEON TANF participants are: A mandatory TANF participant is one who receives a cash grant for themselves and their children.

                  Are there any exceptions? 

                  • Yes. A mandatory TANF participant may claim an exemption to stay home with a child under the age of one year.

                  How long does the exemption last? 

                  • The exemption is no more than twelve (12) months within the lifetime of the mandatory TANF participant. Since TANF participants are limited to twenty-four months of TANF cash at one time, losing a years time designed to help you become self-sufficient may not be wise.

                  Can you pay for items I need to get a job?

                  • Yes. Support services include vouchers for work-related items such as clothing, equipment, and work permits