Extended TANF (ETANF) individuals who have received more than 60 months or 1830 days of TANF benefits may be referred to the Work Ready Program.
NOTE: In counties where there is no Work Ready, EARN is the contracted service provider for Extended TANF individuals. An individual enrolled in EARN when they reach ETANF may opt to continue enrollment in EARN, even when Work Ready is available to avoid interruption of services.
Work Ready (WR) is designed to provide a range of services to meet an individual’s needs including access to educational and training opportunities to move participants toward self-sufficiency. The program, based on human-centered design, includes a combination of case management, coaching, licensed counseling, and peer-to-peer experiences to develop a career pathway through job placement and job retention goals for the ETANF participants.
Individuals who are eligible to enroll with Work Ready are:
Receiving ETANF at time of enrollment and
Not interested in or already enrolled in a vocational education activity through another contractor (such as KEYS or ELECT);
Exempt but volunteer to participate; or
Mandatory to participate in the Maximizing Participation Project (MPP). See Appendix H.
Complete or update the AMR including the correct Hardship Track outlined in 135.822 Extended TANF Hardship tracks.
Change good cause or exempt codes in the Electronic Client Information System (eCIS).
Complete a referral in eCIS to the Work Ready Program by entering the WR project code.
Provide a copy of the medical assessment form to the contractor to determine the extent of activities the individual can participate in, if applicable.
AMR ( PA 1661)
Medical Assessment Form (PA 635)
Report of Physical/Behavioral Health Examination (PA 586) (for MPP participants only)
Individual Attributes screen
Enter cash ETP code 60 for mandatory individuals.
Enter cash ETP code 61 for exempt volunteers.
For MPP:
Enter cash ETP code 53 if the individual is disabled.
Enter cash ETP code 60 with the appropriate good cause code if the individual is being referred due to not being able to remediate barriers in the Deferral period.
ETP Project Enrollment screen
Open Project WR.
Enter the appointment date.
Update as necessary or required.
Eligibility Result Summary screen
Verify one of the following program status codes:
08/58 for Extended TANF recipients
09/59 if Extended TANF eligibility is based on domestic violence.
See Section 135.8, Extended TANF.
Individuals who have received more than 1,830 days of TANF are eligible to enroll in Work Ready. However, the expected hours of participation are 30 hours per week, unless the individual is exempt, has good cause, or is enrolled in MPP.
See Section 135.7, Non-compliance with RESET Requirements.
Updated January 20, 2026, replacing September 21, 2021