Nebraska § 68-1721 - Principal wage earner and other nonexempt members of applicant family; duties.

§ 68-1721. Principal wage earner and other nonexempt members of applicant family; duties.

(1) Under the self-sufficiency contract developed under section 68-1719, the principal wage earner and other nonexempt members of the applicant family shall be required to participate in one or more of the following approved activities, including, but not limited to, education, job skills training, work experience, job search, or employment.

(2) Education shall consist of the general education development program, high school, Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, postsecondary education, or other education programs approved in the contract.

(3) Job skills training shall include vocational training in technical job skills and equivalent knowledge. Activities shall consist of formalized, technical job skills training, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, or training in the operation of a microbusiness enterprise. The types of training, apprenticeships, or training positions may include, but need not be limited to, the ability to provide services such as home repairs, automobile repairs, respite care, foster care, personal care, and child care. Job skills training shall be prioritized and approved for occupations that facilitate economic self-sufficiency.

(4) The purpose of work experience shall be to improve the employability of applicants by providing work experience and training to assist them to move promptly into regular public or private employment. Work experience shall mean unpaid work in a public, private, for-profit, or nonprofit business or organization. Work experience placements shall take into account the individual's prior training, skills, and experience. A placement shall not exceed six months.

(5) Job search shall assist adult members of recipient families in finding their own jobs. The emphasis shall be placed on teaching the individual to take responsibility for his or her own job development and placement.

(6) Employment shall consist of work for pay. The employment may be full-time or part-time but shall be adequate to help the recipient family reach economic self-sufficiency.

(7) For purposes of creating the self-sufficiency contract and meeting the applicant's work activity requirement, an applicant shall be allowed to engage in vocational training that leads to an associate degree, a diploma, or a certificate for a minimum of twenty hours per week for up to thirty-six months.

The postsecondary education provision of this section was intended to permit a recipient of public assistance to complete a course of postsecondary education within the cash assistance limitation period of section 68-1724. Kosmicki v. State, 264 Neb. 887, 652 N.W.2d 883 (2002).