Good Cause and Notification to Employment Services

Good Cause

If the client has a condition or other circumstance that temporarily prevents him/her from participating in WTW activities, Employment Services will determine whether the client has good cause for not participating in WTW activities.

Note: A good cause determination is made only by the CWES worker and monitored monthly. The CWES worker will first pursue possible exemptions for CalWORKs clients before determining good cause.

Good cause may include the following:

Good Cause Definition
Illness/Injury

The client is temporarily ill or physically or mentally unable to participate in WTW activities.
Court/Incarceration  The client is required to appear in court or is temporarily incarcerated.
Family Crisis  

The client is experiencing a family crisis or a change in individual or family circumstances, such as:

  • Death of a spouse, parent, or child, or 
  • Illness of a spouse, parent, or child which requires the client’s immediate attention.
Lack of Necessary Supportive Services 

The client is in need of transportation or work or training-related expenses paid to participate, and these have not been provided.
Child Care

Licensed or exempt child care is not reasonably available:

  • During the client’s hours of training or employment, or
  • Transportation to and from child care is not available, or
  • Sick child, child care is not available, or
  • Other arrangements have broken down or have been interrupted for:
    • A child 12 years old or younger, or
    • A child who is in Foster Care or is an SSI recipient and who is living in the same home but not included in the AU.
Homelessness    

The client is considered homeless when verification is received that the AU:

  • Lacks a fixed and regular nighttime residence, or
  • Has a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised, publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, or
  • Is residing in a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, such as a hallway, bus station, lobby, or car.
Domestic Abuse 

The client is a past or present victim of domestic abuse and participation would be harmful to the client or their family.
Inappropriate Work or Training

The client cannot participate for reasons related to employment, an offer of employment, an activity, or other training for employment, including:

Condition Description
Discrimination The employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment discriminates in terms of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any state or federal protected class/provision.
Sexual Harassment Experiencing sexual harassment or other abusive conduct at the workplace. Abusive conduct means conduct of an employer or employee in the workplace, with malice, that a reasonable person would find hostile, offensive, and unrelated to an employer's legitimate business interests.
Travel (Remoteness)

The employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment is remote from the client’s home because either:

  • The round-trip travel time required exceeds a total of two hours, exclusive of the time necessary to transport family members to and from a school or place providing care, or
  • Walking is the only available means of transportation, and the round-trip is more than two miles, exclusive of the time necessary to accompany family members to and from a school or a place providing care.

Note: A client who fails or refuses to comply with the program requirements based on the remoteness of the employment, offer of employment, activity, or other training for employment, must participate in community service activities. CWES will make the necessary arrangements for these community service activities.
Excess Hours The employment or offer of employment exceeds the daily or weekly hours of work customary to the occupation.
Health and Safety Conditions at the job or training violate health and safety standards or that could cause serious injury or death.
Worker's Compensation The employment, offer of employment, or work activity does not provide worker’s compensation insurance.
Union Membership Accepting the employment, offer of employment, or work activity would cause the client to violate the terms of their union membership.
Education or Training Interruption

Accepting the employment or work activity would interrupt or interfere with an approved education or training assignment, except Work Experience or Community Service.
Unpredictable Work Schedule

Unpredictable employment hours or scheduled employment hours exhibiting a pattern of unpredictability.

Note: Verification required.
Violated Rights The client's rights under any federal, state, or local labor or employment law were violated.

Notification to Employment Services

The EW must notify Employment Services within three days of any determination that may affect a client's Employment Services status, including whenever:

  • The client becomes employed, either part-time or full-time, and notification has not been received from Employment Services. 
  • The client becomes unemployed, and notification has not been received from Employment Services.
  • The client becomes exempt, whether or not they choose to volunteer.
  • A client who voluntarily registers becomes mandatory. 

Related Topics

Welfare to Work (WTW) Activities