N.M. Admin. Code § 8.102.461.17 - COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS (CORE ACTIVITY)

A. Community service is a non-paid work activity. Participants provide services needed by their community. Sponsoring agencies may be either public sector or private nonprofit entities such as libraries, charities, churches, and schools. The department will review each placement and take into account, to the extent possible, the prior training, experience, and skills of a participant in making appropriate community service assignments.

B. General: To qualify as a community services placement, the activities carried out must be similar to those which would normally be carried out by a volunteer working with the agency rather than those carried out by an employee. Federal guidelines for determining whether a placement is a "volunteer" versus an "employee" must be followed by the sponsoring agency.

C. Component activities: The following shall be considered as qualified participation hours for community service programs.

(1) Community service programs will be limited to projects that serve a useful community purpose in fields such as health, social service, environmental protection, education, urban and rural redevelopment, welfare, recreation, public facilities, public safety, and child care.

(2) Head-start, schools and child care centers: Some educational and child care programs allow, or require, parents to contribute time in the classroom or on class activities outside the classroom. Time spent in such activities is considered to be community service time and is countable as a core work activity.

(3) Liability insurance: All work providers must sign a community service agreement and provide trainees with liability insurance. Participants in a trainee activity are covered by medicaid and additional medical insurance for injuries caused on the job that may not be covered by medicaid. Work-site accidents must be reported to the ISD office within 24 hours of occurrence. A written accident report must be obtained from the work site by the ISD office and submitted to the department's central office within five working days.

D. Supervision and documentation:

(1) This activity must be supervised by an employer, work site sponsor, or NMW service provider on an ongoing basis no less frequently than daily.

(2) The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) standards are used to determine the maximum number of hours the department can require a participant to meet. When the participant meets the maximum number of hours required by the FLSA calculation and the number is less than the standard work participation requirement hours, the standard work participation requirement hours may be deemed as met due to compliance with FLSA standards. The maximum amount of monthly hours required by the FLSA is calculated as follows:

(a) Single parent: Add the monthly TANF cash assistance benefit (prior to the sanction amount) to the monthly food stamp benefit and divide by the federal or state minimum wage, whichever is higher, and divide by 4.3.

(b) Two-parent: The initial calculation of standard work participation requirement hours is the same as a single parent. Both parents can simultaneously participate in an activity subject to FLSA NMW standard work participation requirement hours.

(c) Limited participation status: A participant in a limited work participation status may use the FLSA calculation or lesser hours to meet the hours prescribed in their work participation agreement.

Notes

N.M. Admin. Code § 8.102.461.17

8.102.461.17 NMAC - Rp, 8.102.460.26 NMAC, 4/1/2012