N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-5.15
Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 19, October 7, 2024
Section 10:90-5.15 - Mental Health Initiative(a) Mental health and employment readiness services are available through the Work First New Jersey Mental Health Initiative (MHI). The MHI provides services to WFNJ recipients who are experiencing mental health barriers to self-sufficiency. 1. WFNJ recipients enrolled in the MHI are eligible to receive mental health services provided and/or arranged by a Mental Health Case Manager who is a trained mental health clinician from a contracted agency, and employment readiness services provided by an employment specialist from an agency associated with the Division of Mental Health Services' Supported Employment Program and/or coordinated with the One-Stop Career Centers (OSCC).i. Mental health services arranged for may include, but are not limited to, psychiatric evaluation and medication, out-patient counseling, or partial care/psychosocial rehabilitation.ii. Employment services may include, but are not limited to, vocational readiness determination, career profiling, community-based occupational exploration, job-seeking skills, alternative work experience with support, support plan development, and individualized job placement.(b) A participant's hours spent in treatment provided by and/or arranged through the MHI may count towards the required hours of a work activity.1. For WFNJ recipients required to participate in a work activity, mental health treatment counts as a participant's work activity only if the mental health case manager assesses the recipient and monitors the participant's treatment.(c) A WFNJ recipient who appears to have a mental health barrier and appears to meet the eligibility criteria for the program shall be asked to complete the form MHI-1, WFNJ Mental Health Initiative Questionnaire. Completion of this form is voluntary. If the results of the MHI-1 indicate a mental heath barrier, the recipient shall be referred to the MHI for an assessment by a Mental Health Case Manager. 1. A mental health assessment shall be administered to each WFNJ recipient referred to the program by a trained mental health clinician using recognized DMHS Intensive Case Management Services assessment protocols.(d)Participants may be enrolled in the MHI if they meet either of the following criteria below: 1. They are mandatory TANF recipients required to participate in a work activity or employable GA recipients, and have a mental health problem that prevents them from achieving self-sufficiency, as determined by the Mental Health Case Manager, based on the results of the mental health assessment, pursuant to (c)1 above; or2. They have an open CP&P case, and have a mental health problem, as determined by the Mental Health Case Manager, based on the results of the mental health assessment, pursuant to (c)1 above. These cases may include deferred TANF and unemployable GA cases.(e) Referral to and participation in the MHI shall be either voluntary or mandatory based on the following criteria: 1. Non-sanctioned WFNJ recipients who are required to participate in a work activity shall be offered a referral based on the results of the MHI-1. Acceptance of such referral is voluntary. Individuals that choose not to accept the referral are to be assigned an appropriate work-related activity.i. For those individuals that accept the referral and agree to attend a meeting with a Mental Health Case Manager, the referral is to be noted on the IRP. If the meeting with the recipient and the Mental Health Case Manager is held and it is determined that a mental health problem exists and an appropriate mental health activity is assigned, then the recipient has the option of attending that activity or participating in another WFNJ work-related activity. Refusal to attend the mental health activity is not sanctionable in this situation.ii. If the recipient agrees to attend this activity, it becomes his or her WFNJ work-related activity, with non-compliance triggering the start of the sanction process. (1) Before starting the sanction process for a recipient enrolled in MHI, the WFNJ worker shall contact that recipient's Mental Health Case Manager for a determination of whether the client's non-compliance was due to his or her mental health problems. If the Mental Health Case Manager concludes that the recipient's non-cooperation may have been a result of his or her mental health barriers, that recipient shall not be sanctioned and shall be offered the opportunity either to continue participating in the MHI or to be assigned an alternate activity.2. WFNJ recipients who are required to participate in a work activity, and who have been sanctioned for non-compliance with a work activity in accordance with 10:90-4.13, may be advised that they shall be required to complete the MHI-1 and, if applicable, participate in the MHI in order to remove the sanction, unless the agency worker determines that the reason for the non-compliance is other than a mental health problem. A referral to meet with a Mental Health Case Manager for a mental health assessment shall be provided to the sanctioned individual. Acceptance of such referral is mandatory. The MHI referral is to be noted on the recipient's IRP. i. If treatment is indicated, the recipient shall be required to actively attend that program during the two-week intent to comply period in order for the sanction to be removed. Continuation of the mental health activity will become the recipient's mandatory work activity. Failure to participate as designated shall cause the individual's sanction to proceed as scheduled.(1) Before the individual's sanction is reinstated to proceed as scheduled, the WFNJ worker shall contact the recipient's Mental Health Case Manager for a determination of whether the recipient's noncompliance was due to his or her mental health problems. If the Mental Health Case Manager concludes that the recipient's non-cooperation was a result of his or her mental health barriers, then the recipient shall not be sanctioned and shall be offered the opportunity either to continue participating in MHI or be assigned an alternate activity.N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-5.15
Administrative change, 46 N.J.R. 855(b).