Project NetWork Waivers

Intervention (standard name)

Participants received financial incentives, in the form of waivers, once their earnings reached $200 or self-employment exceeded a total of 40 hours. The provisions of the waiver were in effect for 12 months. During this period, the waivers allowed participants to circumvent mandatory special disability or blindness reviews for SSI applicants earning over $500 per month, which could lead to the determination that the applicant was no longer disabled. The waivers also prohibited employment from counting as a trial work period for SSDI recipients, and prevented an interruption of benefits..

Project NetWork Case Management

Intervention (standard name)

Case managers helped participants by arranging for necessary assessments, developing individual employment plans, and identifying and arranging for rehabilitation and employment services that the participants needed to achieve the goals in their plans. Participants received financial incentives, in the form of waivers, once their earnings reached $200 or self-employment exceeded a total of 40 hours. The provisions of the waiver were in effect for 12 months.

Minnesota’s Work Release Program—Minnesota Department of Corrections

Through this program, people who were incarcerated were released early, transferred to a residential facility, and required to find employment. If participants had difficulty finding work, the program referred them to community resources that helped develop job-search skills. The average participant took part in work release for slightly more than four months. This program served people who were incarcerated and who were assessed for low recidivism risk, had served at least half of their prison sentence, and were within eight months of their release date.

EMPLOY

Intervention (standard name)

Before release, participants who were incarcerated received 16 hours of job search training and additional job search assistance from job training and job development specialists. In the week before release, participants were assigned a retention specialist and received a portfolio with a resume, an EMPLOY program certification, job leads, and additional supports such as bus fare and clothing for interviews. Retention specialists conducted 4 follow-up meetings with participants over the 12-month period after their release.

Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families

Jobs-Plus had three core components. First, Jobs-Plus provided public housing residents with employment and training services to help them find paid employment quickly. These services included individual job search assistance such as employment counselors and job developers, help preparing for and attending job interviews, soft skills instruction, short-term basic education, and vocational skills training.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Incentives Only

MFIP Incentives Only was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program. MFIP Incentives Only used financial incentives to encourage AFDC recipients to work and reduce their dependence on public assistance.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) (as compared with MFIP Incentives Only)

MFIP was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program. MFIP used several strategies to encourage AFDC recipients to find employment and reduce their dependence on public assistance.

Families Achieving Success Today (FAST)

Intervention (standard name)

FAST provided extra services to participants who qualified for FSS. FAST integrated the IPS supported employment model into the FSS program to provide participants with individualized job search assistance, job development services, and related supports based on their preferences and abilities. FAST also integrated motivational interviewing and a vocational assessment into the FSS program alongside IPS. To better support FAST participants, the caseload of FAST case managers was reduced to 50 active cases from an average of 75 to 100.