20-76-401. Eligibility generally — Transitional Employment Assistance Program.

20-76-401. Eligibility generally — Transitional Employment Assistance Program. (a)(1) The Transitional Employment Assistance Program is created. (2)(A) The Transitional Employment Assistance Program shall be administered by the Department of Human Services and the Division of Workforce Services. (B) Subject to the order of the Governor, the division may take full authority for administering the Transitional Employment Assistance Program. (C) The division may contract with the department for administrative services. (3) The division may operate a separate Transitional Employment Assistance Program Two-Parent Program funded by state funds not claimed for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program maintenance of effort requirement if the Director of the Division of Workforce Services deems such action necessary to avoid the risk of not meeting the two-parent work participation rate. (b) Eligibility for transitional employment assistance is limited to applicants for or recipients of assistance who: (1) Are income and resource eligible; and (2) Sign and comply with a personal responsibility agreement. (c) The department shall promulgate rules to determine resource eligibility and benefit levels for participating families. The rules shall be subject to review and recommendation by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board and shall include, but not be limited to, the following categories of income and resource disregards: (1) To reward work, earned income from sources other than transitional employment assistance; (2) A certain percentage of a family's gross monthly income; (3) The family's homestead; (4) An operable motor vehicle per family; (5) Household and personal goods; (6) Income-producing property; (7) Moneys deposited into an approved individual development account or approved escrow account for business or career development; (8) Any other property or resource specified in the transitional employment assistance implementation plan which is determined to be cost efficient to exclude or which must be excluded due to federal or state law; and (9) Any investment earmarked for retirement or education, such as a retirement plan authorized by section 401(k) or section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it existed on January 1, 2007. (d) Any person who makes an application for assistance shall have the burden of proving eligibility for the assistance.