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1 <br /> I Attachment 2 <br /> 2 <br /> 3 DRAFT MINUTES <br /> 4 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 5 WORK SESSION <br /> 6 November 10, 2015 <br /> 7 7:00 p.m. <br /> 8 <br /> 9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a work session on Tuesday, <br /> 10 November 10, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair McKee and Commissioners Mia Burroughs, <br /> 13 Mark Dorosin, Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich <br /> 14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: <br /> 15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts <br /> 16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Assistant County Manager <br /> 17 Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified <br /> 18 appropriately below) <br /> 19 <br /> 20 Chair McKee called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 1. Eligibility Changes for Food and Nutrition Benefit Recipients <br /> 23 Nancy Coston, Orange County Department of Social Services (DSS) Director, said they <br /> 24 are here to give the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) an update on the changes to the <br /> 25 Food Nutrition Benefit Eligibility. <br /> 26 Nancy Coston reviewed the following information: <br /> 27 The Food and Nutrition Services program has included certain work registration <br /> 28 requirements. The most restrictive work requirements apply to the Able Bodied Adults Without <br /> 29 Dependents (ABAWD). Since 2008 and after the economic downturn, North Carolina has been <br /> 30 operating under a federal ABAWD waiver of the work requirements. Because the <br /> 31 unemployment rate has improved, some counties, including Orange, will no longer be able to <br /> 32 operate under the waiver effective January 1, 2016. <br /> 33 The people who are subject to these work requirements are between 18 and 49 years <br /> 34 old, do not live in a households with minors and have not been determined to be disabled. <br /> 35 There are also some temporary exceptions such as medical hardship. For those who are <br /> 36 subject to the work requirements, these individuals must be employed or in approved <br /> 37 employment and training activities for an average of at least 20 hours per week to be eligible to <br /> 38 receive benefits for the month. Individuals are allowed to receive benefits for only 3 months <br /> 39 during 36 months without meeting the work requirements. Initial data indicate over 1,500 <br /> 40 individuals in Orange County who receive FNS benefits are subject to the ABAWD requirement. <br /> 41 It appears that about half have some earned income, but the current records do not reflect the <br /> 42 participants' hours worked or hours attending qualifying employment activities. <br /> 43 There are many tasks that must be completed by the Department of Social Services <br /> 44 (DSS) staff related to these new requirements. The first is to assess the 1,500 clients and to <br /> 45 identify those not already meeting these requirements. Other tasks involve developing <br /> 46 procedures for tracking all of these activities and training staff on the new NCFAST processes <br /> 47 related to the new eligibility requirements. Not only will this require considerable effort between <br /> 48 now and January, but the tracking will also be needed each month for all of the impacted <br /> 49 clients. <br />