2.2 Support Services

Revised June 30, 2025

Legal References:

The Support Services section includes:

  • 2.2.1 What are support services?
  • 2.2.2 What is the purpose of support services?
  • 2.2.3 What are the support service limits?
  • 2.2.4 What are Post-TANF Employment Transportation Support Services (PETSS)?
  • 2.2.5 Are there any restrictions on support services?
  • 2.2.6 Promoting planning and independence with support services.
  • 2.2.7 Should support services be authorized?
  • 2.2.8 When should support services be denied?
  • 2.2.9 Support services - Policy in Practice

 

2.2.1 What are support services?

Support services are goods and services purchased to help participants to engage in their WorkFirst activities, to attend WorkFirst Orientation, or meet their needs during emergency situations. We offer support services when there is no other way to meet a family's essential needs. This may require using non-traditional or alternative means to meet the family’s goals or needs. For example, a participant starting work may need alternative transportation to work if their work schedule starts before the morning bus line, making the purchase of a bicycle and helmet appropriate to approve.

We offer the temporary and targeted supports a participant needs to work, look for work, prepare for work, or to participate in their WorkFirst activities. Support services are available, as needed, throughout a participant's time on WorkFirst cash assistance.

Support services are available to:

  • Allow applicants to attend and complete a WorkFirst Orientation prior to TANF/SFA approval.
  • Participants who are curing sanction.
  • Ineligible minor parents who are working with the social service specialist to either enroll in school as required or move to an acceptable living arrangement.
  • Teens 17 and 18 years old in a WorkFirst activity (school clothes are not a needed item for support services).

See Social Services Manual (Pregnant and Participating Minors) for more information.

CSD WorkFirst staff, ESD Career Coaches, Community Colleges, and Community Jobs (CJ) contractors can authorize support services.

Some WorkFirst participants may not be best served by support services but need assistance to continue to live independently, Case Managers should consider Ongoing Additional Requirements for these families. See the Social Service Manual (OAR) for more information.

 

2.2.2 What is the purpose of support services?

The purpose of WorkFirst support services is to offer a resource for participants who are engaged in activities. Support services should be provided based on the immediate needs of the participant. As shown on the chart below, the types of services you can authorize also vary depending on the person's WorkFirst status.

 

Authorizing Support Services

WorkFirst Applicants

Supports that enable the participant who may be in pending eligibility status but appear to be eligible for WorkFirst to:

  • Attend WorkFirst Orientation;
  • Cure sanction;
  • Mitigate an emergency situation;
  • Continue to look for, prepare for, or obtain work; or
  • Provide verification/documentation for Time Limit Extension

WorkFirst Recipients

Support the participant needs to help them:

  • Look for, prepare for, or obtain work; or
  • Progress toward economic stability and mobility.

Examples include meeting the initial costs of employment, transportation, barrier removal, or skills training

Post-TANF Employment Transportation Support Services (PETSS)

 

Transportation-related supports the participant needs to help maintain employment of at least 15 hours/week (available for up to 3 months after TANF benefits close).

 

2.2.3 What are the support service limits?

There is a $5,000 yearly limit for each WorkFirst participant in the family. Some services don't count towards the yearly limit, such as childcare and accommodations. The eJAS system is designed to not allow support service payments to exceed this limit. 

The Support Services Directory lists "suggested limit" for specific types of supports as guidance for starting a discussion with a participant. All support service issuances should be based on the individual needs of the participant.

When necessary, WorkFirst staff can request an exception to rule (ETR) to exceed the support service annual limit or when a need is outside of written policy. This is a formal exception request process where headquarter staff determine whether the support should be authorized. These exceptions may be approved when the participant's situation differs from the majority and has a significant impairment or limitation that isn’t addressed by current limits.

To request an ETR, WorkFirst staff must complete the Barcode ETR request process. For complete instructions on processing an ETR, see EA-Z Manual Section – Exception to Rule.

 

2.2.4 What are Post-TANF Employment Transportation Support Services (PETSS)?

PETSS provides transportation-related support services for participants who are exiting TANF/SFA and have verified unsubsidized employment of 15+ hours per week. This benefit is available for up to three months after their TANF benefits close. The purpose is to help mitigate the cliff effect that often happens for families when they start new employment and are over-income for TANF/SFA. Households that closed for Non-Compliance Sanction are not eligible for PETSS.

 

2.2.5 Are there any restrictions on support services?

Some items can never be purchased with support services. They include:

  • Weapons,
  • Motor vehicles,
  • Court-imposed fines,
  • Loan payments,
  • Services normally provided by state employees such as job placement,
  • Things that assist, promote or deter religious activity,
  • Items that the participant's Washington Apple Health benefits cover.

 

2.2.6 Promoting planning and independence with support services.

Support services can be a teaching tool for WorkFirst staff to help participants understand what they need to transition off WorkFirst. The following questions can be leveraged by WorkFirst staff to support participants with budgeting and planning skills, when using support services: 

  • What do you have on hand and how do you plan to use it? 
  • Do you feel comfortable and confident when it comes to budgeting your income? How do you budget now?
  • Do you have a contingency plan for running short on funds?
  • How do you plan for future expenses?
  • As your wages increase, what specific needs do you need/plan to cover? 

WorkFirst staff should consider the participant's resources with what the program can provide when engaging in this conversation. For example, if a participant has a car repair need that costs $700, so they can keep their job, the participant and the worker may find out from the vendor how much of the cost could be paid in installments if the program paid for a large portion of the repair up front.

In the same way, WorkFirst can supplement the participant's clothing, hygiene items, transportation costs and so on, but shouldn’t be the only source to cover the costs. WorkFirst is there to help when the participant has needs, and should encourage the participant to become increasingly self-reliant with a goal of economic stability.

Services provided after the participant is working should be transitional in nature, to assist the participants when they need it. Again, the goal is to provide temporary help that meets their need, adds to their coping skills, and fosters the participant's growing sense of independence.

 

2.2.7 Should support services be authorized?

It is important to talk to the participant about the purposes of support services when they have a request. The intent of support services is to meet temporary, targeted needs and get participants started towards independence.

As WorkFirst staff talk to participants about support services, the following case elements are to be reviewed before approving these supports:

  • Actual Hours
  • Notes
  • Activities/Components

Support services are not intended to be an ongoing solution. Assisting participants in exploring ways to meet their ongoing needs and identifying other resources is fundamental to every support services conversation. It may be appropriate to deny requests, authorize less than originally requested, or find another way to meet the need or part of the need. That said, when evaluating whether the participant can utilize alternative resources to meet their needs, WorkFirst staff are not to delay authorizing necessary support services while all available resources are explored. 

 

2.2.8 When should support services be denied?

Requests for support services may be denied when they aren't needed to meet an appropriate purpose, the request exceeds the annual limit, or the participant can meet the need in another way. When requests are denied, WorkFirst staff: 

  • Document the justification for the denial in eJAS,
  • Tell the participant why the request was denied, and
  • Make sure the participant knows they may request an administrative hearing.

 

2.2.9 Support services - Policy in Practice

WorkFirst staff and Partners who issue supports:

  1. Determines needed support services based on the activities in the IRP (or to attend WorkFirst Orientation, and for emergency situations).
  2. Reviews past supports to prevent duplication of support from our partners (CSD WorkFirst staff, ESD Career Coaches, Community Colleges, and Community Jobs (CJ) contractors can all authorize support services).
  3. Discusses the justification of the support services being requested with participants: 

 

What resources are currently available or quickly obtained?
  • How was the TANF grant used?
  • Are there bills that they are willing to let go?
  • Have emergency programs such as LIHEAP or other community resources been explored?
  • Have they filed their tax return and are they eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and Washington State’s Working Families Tax Credit? 

How much needs to reserve to cover on-going needs?
  • Are they able to contribute to any of the current costs?
  • Is this a one-time cost or ongoing expense?
  • How much do they need each month to pay all their bills?
  • How does the family prioritize payments?
  • Would the family benefit or want to hear about Financial Capabilities classes?

What lower cost alternatives are available, if any?
  • Did we get multiple quotes for a service?
  • Is the request for something that can be afforded in the future?

How do they plan to take over ongoing costs in the future?
  • The household is not required to prove or verify how they can pay ongoing expenses.
  • Staff must document a reasonable plan for how the family can take over the future costs.

This may be subjective, and each case must be reviewed individually to determine if their plan is reasonable with clear documentation to indicate the plan.

 

  1. Discusses the best option with the participant to provide services, vendors, and whether a voucher or fuel card best suits their needs. Based on the determined need explain the process of how the services can be issued, i.e., card or voucher. 
  2. Determines how the participant chooses to receive the support service (direct issuance, by mail or pick-up at the local office).
  3. Authorize and issues support services, following the CSD Procedure Handbook - Support Services procedure for creating vouchers or negotiable (fuel cards and bus passes).
  4. Documents justification for the approval or denial of support services, summarizing the discussion of four elements (outlined in #3 above) to indicate reasoning for selecting and authorizing the support. 
Note: WorkFirst staff can utilize the Determining and Authorizing Support Services Flowchart for assistance.

 

Resources

Related WorkFirst Handbook Sections

Forms & Other Resources