WorkFirst HandBook
Paid & Unpaid Employment
8.5 Other Unpaid Work
What is other unpaid work?
Other unpaid work is, most commonly, structured community service - but also includes caring for a child of a WorkFirst individual. Specifically:
- Structured community service service is unpaid volunteer work with a local government, non-profit, or tribal entity where the person reports to a supervisor for direction on daily activities. It may include time spent participating in traditional tribal activities that perpetuate tribal culture and customs. Individuals in structured community service are expected to find their own community service slots.
- Caring for a child of a WorkFirst individualis a rarely used option (because there will almost always be a better option for the person) that exists in federal law. If a person chooses to care for another WorkFirst individual's child, for free, when that other person is engaged in (structured or unstructured) community service -- it is considered a type of unpaid work and coded as CC (caring for a child of a WorkFirst individual) in eJAS.
The rest of this section will provide more information on structured community service.
Who needs structured community service?
Work, whether paid or unpaid, increases skills and enhances work behaviors. Unpaid work prepares individuals for eventual entry into the workforce and gives them hands-on experience and current work history in a supportive and flexible environment.
Although subsidized employment (like Community Jobs) is often the first choice for individuals who need to develop and improve their work skills, structured community services may also be a good option - particularly for those who are already involved in unpaid work through another agency.
When to use structured community service
The best way to use this option is when a person is already required to perform volunteer work by another agency, as it allows us to count the activity toward participation. Structured community service placements can be information and the activity in which a person is engaged need not be related to development or enhancement of existing job skills, although such activities are preferable.
Creative ways local offices have found to use structured community service include:
- To count blocks of time that a participant is doing court-ordered community service as a WorkFirst activity, and
- To count volunteer work set up by a substance abuse/chemical dependency treatment program (as part of the participant's treatment plan).
eJAS codes
When a person is referred for structured community service, use these eJAS codes:
- RT (referral to tribal services)
- XS (structured community service)
- CC (caring for child of WorkFirst individual)
Structured Community Service - Step-by-step guide
The WFPS:
- Divides the person's grant by the minimum wage to determine the number of structured community hours that can be required in the person's IRP.
- Adds structured community service requirements to the person's:
- IRP (suggested limit for this activity is six months)
- Appropriate eJAS ongoing observation category
- eJAS component code screen - coded as XS
- Authorizes need support services and child care.
- Provides the person guidance in how to report (generally monthly) her or his hours of community service.
- Ensures the person is covered by industrial insurance (also known as worker's compensation or L&I). If this coverage is not provided by the site, follow the instructions listed below to authorize industrial insurance payments.
- Monitors the person's activity to assure it meets requirements set forth in the IRP.
How to ensure the person has L&I coverage
If the contractor is not paying the persons L&I premiums, the WFPS:
- Provides the following information to the Employment and Training section (unit) at DSHS state office on the monthly report form:
- Person's name and eJAS ID;
- Actual hours of time at the site (limited to grant divided by minimum wage);
- Travel time to and from the person's home to the site; and
- Volunteer hours at the site.
- On the 10th of the month, provides the previous month's L&I information to state office (so they can pay the person's L&I premiums).