What Is Epic For The Department Of Human Services

SNAP Employment Opportunities, Personalized Services, Individualized Training and Career Planning (Ballsy) Project

Revised 04/08/sixteen

Policy Memo

Summary

Effective 03/01/16, the Section will begin a new Employment Opportunities, Personalized Services, Individualized Training and Career Planning (EPIC) airplane pilot project authorized by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Epic is a project designed to offer employment and training services to approximately 5,000 customers: 2,500 in a treatment group and 2,500 in a control grouping.
The projection will serve residents of the following counties: Adams, Boone, Brown, Clinton, Melt, DeWitt, Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Macon, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Monroe, Peoria, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Schuyler, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Williamson, Winnebago and Woodford.
The residents, for example, of Jefferson and Washington counties are included in this airplane pilot, but Wayne county is not included. The counties of residence listed are participating in the pilot, just not necessarily the servicing FCRC.
FCRCs will provide data regarding Ballsy to interested customers during the eligibility interview. A client can be referred to Ballsy afterward ongoing eligibility has been certified.
In counties with SNAP E&T services, customers who must come across the SNAP work provisions in PM 03-15-00 must attend special group orientations at the local offices to learn about Ballsy. Volunteers may also attend.
FCRCs volition conduct EPIC grouping orientations using Illinois WorkNet (IwN), the Land's online workforce development web portal, in order to identify customers potentially suitable for Ballsy. FCRCs will also rails customers' compliance with the project through Illinois WorkNet.
Following the orientation, customers will be randomly assigned to either the Epic treatment grouping for expanded E&T services offered through Customs Based Organizations (CBOs) or the Epic command grouping for the regular SNAP E&T services in counties where bachelor.

Effective 03/01/xvi, theEmployment Opportunities, Personalized Services, Individualized Preparation and Career Planning (EPIC) pilot project will begin in select local offices. Customers must be engaged and participating in grooming by 12/31/2017.

What is EPIC?

Epic is a SNAP employment and grooming project designed to aid approximately 2,500 unemployed or underemployed customers by offer employment and training services not currently available through the SNAP East&T. FCRCs will provide data regarding EPIC to customers during the eligibility interview. A customer can be referred to the Epic orientation after ongoing SNAP eligibility has been certified. EPIC customers will be randomly assigned to either a treatment grouping and receive the expanded Eastward&T services, or to a control group to receive the existing SNAP E&T services, where available.

Where is Epic?

EPIC will serve the following counties of residence:

County of Residence	FCRC Servicing County
Adams	Adams
Boone	Winnebago
Brown	Cass
Clinton	Marion
Melt	Cook
DeWitt	Logan
Franklin	Franklin
Fulton	Fulton
Hancock	Adams
Henderson	Warren
Jackson	Jackson
Jefferson	Jefferson
Knox	Knox
Macon	Macon
Marshall	Bureau
Mason	Mason
McDonough	McDonough
McLean	McLean
Monroe	Randolph
Peoria	Peoria
Perry	Jackson
Pike	Adams
Randolph	Randolph
Schuyler	Cass
St. Clair	St. Clair/E. St. Louis
Stark	Henry
Stephenson	Stephenson
Tazewell	Tazewell
Warren	Warren
Washington	Jefferson
Williamson	Williamson
Winnebago	Winnebago
Woodford	Peoria

Grouping Orientations

Special group orientations volition exist held in the FCRCs or an offsite location where an overview of the Epic project will exist presented by local role staff. In counties with SNAP East&T services, customers are required to attend the orientation if they are subject to the piece of work provisions in PM 03-fifteen-01 and take not yet been engaged with an E&T provider. Other SNAP customers may volunteer to attend the orientation.

Local function staff volition use the monthly Mobius study #50487771 to identify customers who must exist scheduled for orientation and volition send Form 1721, Instructions to Client notifying them of their appointment date. Customers who are required but fail to attend the orientation without good cause are subject area to sanction. Local function staff volition also utilise Form 1721 to schedule volunteers for orientation upon asking.

During orientation, customers who are interested in Ballsy will complete an application and skills cess. They will besides review preparation opportunities and career pathways available in EPIC and will exist screened to determine if they come across the Ballsy selection criteria and if at that place is a preparation programme that fits their needs. Customers discipline to SNAP work provisions must continue with the regular SNAP Due east&T services, where bachelor, if they are uninterested or not suitable for Epic.

Random Assignment to the Ballsy Handling Group or Control Group

Following orientation, the FCRC will schedule a second meeting with customers who are determined suitable for Epic. In this 2d meeting, the FCRC will obtain the customers consent to participate in Epic. Additional information will be collected from the client for evaluation purposes. The customer will and then be randomly assigned to either an EPIC handling or control group.

EPIC Treatment Group (Expanded E&T Services)

Customers who are randomly assigned to the EPIC handling group will be connected with a Community Based Organization (CBO) in gild to receive expanded Due east&T services and activity assignments. Local office staff volition monitor client compliance with EPIC using the Illinois WorkNet. If conciliation is necessary, CBOs will upload Grade 2151A, Study of Action to the Illinois WorkNet. FCRCs should check the Illinois WorkNet at least monthly to determine if any case activeness is required.

Ballsy Control Grouping (Regular SNAP E&T Services)

Customers who are randomly assigned to the EPIC control group volition be enrolled in regular SNAP E&T activities, if available. FCRCs should follow SNAP E&T policies and procedures found in PM/WAG 21-06-00 for the control grouping.

Special Policies That Employ to Ballsy

FNS has clarified that the following special SNAP policies apply to the Ballsy project.

Once assigned to an EPIC treatment or control group, a customer may opt out of the Ballsy project. However, customers who are subject to the SNAP work provisions must continue with the SNAP E&T program if a provider slot is available.
Ballsy customers' random assignment status will not change over the course of the project unless they opt out of the Ballsy evaluation. The individual stays in the handling or control group even if they are ineligible for SNAP for the duration of the 36 month period.
Customers assigned to the Epic treatment group who later on motion to a county that is not function of the Epic pilot may volunteer to engage in regular SNAP E&T services, if available, but may not be required to practise and so.
Customers assigned to the Epic control group in a county without Eastward&T services are not required to engage if they later on move to a county that does take Eastward&T services.
Customers who must meet the SNAP piece of work provisions in PM 03-xv-01 but later become exempt from the work provisions may continue to volunteer for services in the EPIC treatment or control group.
Work experience income earned by customers in the Epic treatment grouping is exempt from countable SNAP income.
Employed customers who quit a job or reduce piece of work hours to participate in EPIC are considered to take good cause for leaving employment due to enrollment in a recognized school or training program and will not be sanctioned.
Customers who must see the SNAP work provisions in PM 03-15-01 who fail or who refuse to comply with Ballsy requirements without good cause will be field of study to a sanction if they reside in a canton with an E&T program. A conciliation process volition be completed prior to imposing the sanction. Volunteers are not subject area to sanction.
In cases where an Epic customer has failed or refused to work, no sanction will be imposed without first establishing that willful misconduct has occurred. Willful misconduct must be documented using prove including a statement from the employer and the customer's response before a sanction can exist imposed. FNS has defined willful misconduct as:
- carry showing intentional and substantial disregard of the employer'southward interests or of the employee's duties and obligations to the employer; or
- refusal to report to an employer if referred by the State and the potential employment is suitable; or
- refusal to accept a valid offer of suitable employment.

Who to Contact for Questions

FCRCs may contact the EPIC Projection Managing director, Deidre Wesley at deidre.wesley@illinois.gov for questions regarding the EPIC pilot. Policy specific questions should go along to be sent to dhs.policydevelopment@illinois.gov.

[signed copy on file]

James T. Dimas

Secretary-designate, Illinois Department of Human Services

Forms referenced:

Form 1721

Class 2151A