WorkFirst HandBook

Paid & Unpaid Employment

8.6 Voluntary/Court Ordered Community Service

The Voluntary & Court Ordered Community Service Section includes:

8.6.1 What is voluntary community service?

Voluntary community service is an opportunity for participants to volunteer in activities with their child’s licensed child care, preschool, elementary school, Head Start, and ECEAP.This gives participants an opportunity to build their employment and parenting skills while spending time with their young children. This activity is only authorized for licensed child cares and preschools.

The WFPS/WFSSS doesn’t develop voluntary community sites.  Participants will work with their child’s licensed child care, licensed preschool or elementary school to set these up and lets their WFPS/WFSSS know the site and their volunteer hours.  We then follow the process below to make needed arrangements to support the activity.

8.6.2 Who authorizes voluntary and court-ordered Community Service?

Commerce may stack community service activities with a Community Jobs placement using their own processes to monitor participation and pay L&I premiums. (See WFHB 8.3.5)

The WFPS/WFSSS may authorize voluntary or court ordered community service. Use the “VS” eJAS component for self-initiated voluntary community service and “XS” for court-ordered community service.

8.6.3 When do I approve Community Service activities?

Community Service can be used in a variety of ways to help a participant meet participation requirements.  Staff may only approve voluntary and court-ordered community service. We don’t establish community service opportunities at other types of sites, such as food banks or state agencies. See the Stacking Activities section for more information about how we use participation in Community Service activities to meet participation requirements.

The WFPS/WFSSS may authorize voluntary or court ordered community service activities when the participant:

8.6.4 How do I set up Community Service activities?

Staff must determine how many hours per week the parent can do community service activities.  See the FLSA/Deeming section for more information on how to calculate the number of hours we can require in Community Services activities. The court sets hourly requirements for court-ordered community service.

Staff must also ensure the voluntary community service is supervised and make arrangements to verify the actual hours of participation. The WFPS/WFSSS follows the non-contracted service documentation process in WFHB 3.9.2.6 including use of the WorkFirst Participation Verification form. The WFPS/WFSSS must ensure the parent 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 in section WFHB 8.6.5 to authorize the industrial insurance payments.

8.6.5 How does the WFPS/WFSSS authorize L&I coverage?

If the volunteer site is not paying the parent’s required L&I premiums, the WFPS/WFSSS:

  1. Provides the following information toVolComm@dshs.wa.gov by the 10th of the following month:
    1. Parent’s name and eJAS ID;
    2. Actual hours of time at the site (limited to FLSA rules); and
    3. Travel time to and from the volunteer site.

8.6.6 Community Service-Step by Step guide

  1. The WFPS/WFSSS will:
    1. Use the FLSA calculator [NOTE: This link is not publically accessible] to determine the number of hours we can require in an IRP. (For two-parent families the two parent deeming rules apply-see WFHB 3.3.2.5
    2. Create the IRP component using:
      • XS for court-ordered community service.
      • VS for self initiated volunteering at a child care, preschool, or elementary school in which the client’s child is enrolled.
    3. Authorize needed support services and child care.
    4. Use the WorkFirst Participation Verification form to verify the actual hours.
    5. Ensures the parent has L&I coverage. (Please note that if the site already has L&I coverage in place for volunteers, this will need to be documented in eJAS case notes).
    6. Monitor the parent’s participation monthly.
    7. Follows the good-cause and sanction process if the parent is not participating.

Resources

Related WorkFirst Handbook Sections
Other Resources
 

For more information about the WorkFirst HandBook, contact Sandy Jsames, WorkFirst Program Manager.