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12.3 Adult Program File Documentation

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12.3.1 Eligibility

Effective date: August 14, 2023

All Adult Program participants are required to meet general eligibility requirements, including age, authorization to work in the United States, and Selective Service registration, when applicable.

These criteria must be documented as outlined below:

Eligibility Criterion (All three are required) Acceptable Documentation
  • Only one per eligibility criterion is required
  • Documents must be unexpired at enrollment unless otherwise noted.
Age/Date of Birth1
Must be 18 years of age or older.2
  • Self-attestation
OR
  • Driver's license
  • Baptismal record
  • Birth Certificate (vital record, do not copy)
  • DD-214
  • Military report of Transfer or Discharge paper
  • Federal, state, or local ID card (Do not copy state ID card)
  • Passport
  • Hospital record of birth
  • Public assistance/social service records
  • School records or ID cards
  • Work permit
  • Family Bible
  • Cross-match with state agency records
  • Justice system records
  • Selective Service registration
  • Signed letter from a parent or guardian
  • Medical records
Eligible to Work in the United States3 One verification source from List A of I-9 Form
OR
One verification source from List B of I-9 Form AND one verification source from List C of I-9 Form
(Documentation can be found on the I-9 form, or in the Resource Box.)
Selective Service Registration4

For individuals born male 18 years of age or older who did register:

  • Selective Service registration acknowledgment letter
  • Selective Service registration acknowledgment card
  • Screen printout from www.sss.gov showing online verification
  • Letter of verification from Selective Service
  • Selective Service Status Information Letter

For individuals born male over age 26 who did not register:

  • Documentation from the local WDB or service provider that supports the individual's failure to register was not knowing and willful. (Record as Waived in ASSET)
    OR
  • Documentation that the individual entered the country legally for the first time after their 26th birthday. Acceptable forms of supporting documentation include:5
    • Date of entry on his passport
    • I-94 with date of entry stamp on it
    • Letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating the date the man entered the United States presented in conjunction with documentation establishing the individual's age
    OR
  • Documentation that the individual entered the country illegally for the first time after their 26th birthday. Acceptable forms of supporting documentation include:6
    • Proof that he was not living in the U.S. from age 18 through 25
    OR
  • Copy of a valid, non-immigrant visa

Individuals born male who are over the age of 18 at the time of application, but have not yet turned 26, and have not yet registered for Selective Service, must complete Selective Service registration before they can be determined eligible for the Adult Program.

See the Selective Service Guidance, which gives information about who is and is not required to register, and steps to take if someone was required to register but failed to do so.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Please visit the Selective Service website for more information about the registration requirements at www.sss.gov. Refer to the Selective Service System's Documentation List for a complete list of acceptable documentation.


12.3.2 Priority of Service

Effective date: September 1, 2020

Priority of service must be assessed for each Adult Program applicant at the time of eligibility determination and may be updated during participation if a change in an individual's status allows them to receive a higher priority of service.1 Individuals may fall into one of five Priority of Service categories.2

NOTE: Career planners must record each participant's Priority of Service Category in an ASSET case note.

Priority of Service Category Acceptable Documentation
Category 1: Veterans and eligible spouses who are low-income or basic skills deficient3 Eligible Veteran Status4

Source documentation beyond Self-Attestation for this element is only required at the point in which a decision is made to enroll a covered person over a non-covered person and commit financial resources, which does not include staff time.

  • Self-Attestation
OR
  • Form DD-214 showing the military service member's discharge that is anything other than dishonorable
  • Cross-match with Department of Defense records
  • Cross-match with Veterans Service Database
  • Letter from the Veterans Administration
  • NGB-22 documenting Title 10 federal active-duty service
AND

Appropriate documentation of low-income status5 or basic skills deficiency6 as outlined below.

Category 2: Individuals who are low-income and/or basic skills deficient but are not Veterans and eligible spouses Documentation of low-income status or basic skills deficiency as outlined below
Category 3: Veterans and eligible spouses who are not low-income or basic skills deficient Documentation of veteran status as outlined above, and no determination of low-income status or basic skills deficiency
Category 4: Anyone who does not belong to one of the groups above, but who belongs to a priority population established by DWD-DET or the local WDB.7 Documentation of state or locally established criterion. See local policy.
Category 5: Everyone else. File contains no indication of veteran status, low-income status, or basic skills deficiency.

Income Status Documentation

For each Adult Program applicant, a determination of income status must be made.

Income status cannot be used as an eligibility criterion in the Adult Program but does impact an individual's priority of service category and is required for federal reporting8 purposes.

Family Size Acceptable Documentation
Family size for determining low-income status9

Family size must be correctly determined and documented in order to correctly establish a low-income determination.

NOTE: Information used to establish Family size is different from the information used to establish a household composition for the purposes of determining Economic Self-Sufficiency.

NOTE: Family size is determined as of the date of eligibility determination. Family members who may have comprised part of the family during the past six months but no longer meet the definition of family should not be counted.
Low-Income Criterion Acceptable Documentation
Documentation should be provided for each applicable includable income source received by the applicant and each Family member for the six-month period immediately preceding the eligibility determination date.
FoodShare (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP))10
  • FoodShare/SNAP eligibility verification
  • Copy of Authorization to Receive Foodshare/SNAP
  • Receipt of FoodShare/SNAP purchase showing balance from point of sale and date of purchase
  • Referral Transmittal from Foodshare/SNAP
  • Cross-Match with Foodshare/SNAP Public Assistance Record
  • Verbal Verification from appropriate Human Services agency
  • Printout from www.access.wisconsin.gov showing benefits statement
NOTE: The following are not acceptable forms of documentation:
  • A copy of the participant's FoodShare/SNAP (Quest) card
  • Screen prints from CARES
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)11 / Wisconsin Works (W-2)
  • TANF/W-2 Eligibility Verification
  • TANF/W-2 Period of Benefit Receipt Verification
  • Referral Transmittal from TANF/W-2
  • Cross-Match with TANF/W-2 Public Assistance Records
  • Verbal Verification from appropriate Human Services agency
NOTE: It is not allowable to use screen prints from CARES to document TANF.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) / Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)12
  • SSI/SSDI Receipt of Benefits Verification
  • Referral Transmittal from Social Security Administration (SSA)
  • SSI/SSDI Eligibility Verification
  • Cross-Match with SSA Database
  • Verbal Verification from Social Security Administration
Other Income-Based Public Assistance (Other Public Assistance Recipient)13
  • Copy of Authorization to Receive Cash Public Assistance
  • Copy of Public Assistance Check
  • Medical Card Showing Cash Grant Status
  • Public Assistance Eligibility Verification
  • Verbal verification from appropriate social services agency
NOTE: Career planners may not use screen prints from CARES to document public assistance.
Family Income at or Below the Current Federal Poverty Guidelines or 70 Percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines14

Family size must be accurately determined prior to making a low-income determination.
See Income Guidance for included and excluded income types and the time span for calculating income.
  • Self-attestation
    OR
  • Award letter from Veterans Administration
  • Bank statements
  • Pay stubs
  • Compensation award letter
  • Court award letter
  • Pension statement
  • Employer statement/contact
  • Family or business financial records
  • Housing authority verification
  • Quarterly estimated tax for self-employed persons
  • Social Security benefits
  • UI claim documents
  • Copy of authorization to receive cash public assistance
  • Copy of public assistance check
  • Public assistance eligibility verification
  • Cross-match with Refugee Assistance records
  • Cross-match with public assistance records
  • Cross-match with UI wage records
  • Local Income Determination Form
NOTE: The career planner must document the participant's income, even if the income was $0 for the past six months.
Homeless (Homeless participant, Homeless Children and Youths, or Runaway Youth at Program Entry)15
  • Self-attestation
    OR
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Written Statement or Referral Transmittal from a Shelter or Social Service Agency
  • Needs Assessment
  • Signed Individual Employment Plan
  • A letter from caseworker or support provider
  • Verbal or written verification from social service agency
  • Case Notes
Receiving or Eligible to Receiving Free or Reduced-Price School Lunch16

NOTE: Applies only to the applicant, not other family members.

NOTE: Does not apply where school districts do not use individual eligibility criteria, but instead have the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.17
  • Self-attestation
    OR
  • Documentation from school
  • Documentation that individual is "eligible for" free lunch by having family income at or below 130 Percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
  • Documentation that individual is "eligible for" reduced-price meals by having family income at or below 185 Percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
Individual with a disability18 whose own income does not exceed the higher of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or 70 Percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines.
  • Self-attestation
    OR
  • School 504 records provided by student
  • Assessment test results
  • School Individualized Education Program (IEP) record
NOTE: Case notes and other documentation related to this element must be maintained in compliance with Section 5.719 of this policy manual.

Basic Skills Deficient

All individuals applying for the Adult Program must be assessed for basic skills deficiency.20 Consistent with the Basic Skills Deficient Guidance this assessment must be conducted using the Basic Skills Screening Tool (DETW-18156-E).

Basic skills deficiency cannot be used as an eligibility criterion in the Adult Program, but it:

  1. impacts priority of service for individuals who are not low-income or public assistance recipients; and
  2. is required for federal reporting purposes.21
Basic Skills Criterion Acceptable Documentation
Basic Skills Deficient22
  • Basic Skills Screening Tool (DETW-18156-E)
    OR
  • Assessment test results
  • Applicable records from education institution (transcripts, academic assessments, or other school documentation)
  • Case notes
English Language Learner23
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Basic Skills Screening Tool (DETW-18156-E)
  • Assessment test results
  • Applicable records from education institution (transcripts, or other school documentation)
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Signed Individual Employment Plan
  • Case notes

12.3.3 Required Federal Reporting

Effective date: August 14, 2023

For each Adult Program applicant, the following data elements must be collected and documented for federal reporting purposes,1 as outlined below. These elements do not impact program eligibility or priority of service but may impact negotiated and adjusted levels of performance via the statistical adjustment model.

Consistent with the WIOA Title I Application Process Guidance, WDBs and their service providers must ensure that their WIOA Title I application forms include all the information needed to create an individual's record in ASSET. The WIOA Title I application form is considered an allowable self-attestation for these data elements.

NOTE: The list below is not exhaustive. Allowable forms of documentation for other required federal reporting elements are identified in other areas of this policy.

Data Element Example Documentation2
NOTE: This list is not intended to be all-inclusive.
Sex
  • Self-Attestation
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino
  • Self-Attestation
Race
  • Self-Attestation
Limited English Language Proficiency
  • Self-Attestation
Limited English Reading Ability
(if Limited English Language Proficient)
  • Self-Attestation
Limited English Speaking Ability
(if Limited English Language Proficient)
  • Self-Attestation
Primary Language
(if Limited English Language Proficient)
  • Self-Attestation
Current Education Status (School Status at Program Entry)
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Cross-match with Postsecondary Education Database
  • Copy of educational institution enrollment record
  • Applicable records from educational institution (GED certificate, diploma, attendance record, transcripts, report card, or school documentation)
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Electronic records
  • Verbal Verification
  • Case notes
Current Highest School Grade Completed
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Applicable records from education institution (GED certificate, diploma, attendance record, transcripts, drop out letter, school documentation)
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Electronic Records
  • Case notes
Single Parent3
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Needs assessment
  • TANF Single Parent Eligibility Verification
  • Intake Application or Enrollment Form
  • Individual Service Strategy or Employment Plan
  • Case notes
Current Employment Status
  • Self-Attestation
Current Unemployment Insurance Programs (UI)4
  • Self-attestation, only if customer was not referred by RESEA
    OR
  • Cross-match to state UI database
  • Cross-match to state MIS database (Verification of Re-employment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA)-funded services from the ASSET Manage Services tab)
  • Referral transmittal by RESEA or WPRS
Pell Grant Recipient
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • FAFSA/Financial Aid Records
  • Award Letter
Active Duty Military Spouse
  • Self-Attestation
Unemployed Greater Than or Equal to 27 Consecutive Weeks (Long-term unemployed)5
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Public assistance records
  • Refugee assistance records
  • Cross-match with public assistance database
  • Cross-match to state UI database
Actual Dislocation Date6
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Verification from Employer
  • Rapid Response List
  • Notice of Layoff (Including a WARN Notice)
  • Public Announcement with Follow-Up Cross-Match with UI Database
Foster Care (Foster Care Youth Status at Program Entry)7
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Written Confirmation from Social Services Agency
  • Foster Care Agency Referral Transmittal
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Needs Assessment
  • Signed Individual Employment Plan
  • Verbal Verification from cognizant agency or official (school counselor, social worker, court, etc.)
  • Case Notes
Displaced Homemaker8
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Cross-Match with Public Assistance Records
  • Copy of Spouse's Layoff Notice
  • Copy of Spouse's Death Record
  • Copy of Spouse's Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Orders for a military move or assignment)
  • Copy of Divorce Records
  • Copy of Applicable Court Records
  • Copy of Bank Records (showing financial dependence on spouse, no separate individual income support, or no employment income earned)
  • Needs Assessment
  • Signed Individual Employment Plan
Offender or Ex-Offender (Ex-Offender Status at Program Entry)9
NOTE: Does not include speeding tickets or traffic court.
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Documentation from juvenile or adult criminal justice system (https://wcca.wicourts.gov)
  • Written statement or referral document from a court or Probation Officer
  • Referral transmittal from a reintegration agency
  • Signed WIOA intake application or registration form
  • Needs Assessment
  • Signed Individual Employment Plan
  • Federal Bonding Program Application
  • Verbal verification with court or probation representative
  • Case Notes
Incarcerated at Program Entry
(if Offender or Ex-Offender)
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • Verbal or written verification from justice system
Eligible Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Status10
  • Self-attestation
    OR
  • Cross-Match with Public Assistance Records
  • Employment records
  • Cross-Match with State MIS
  • Case Notes
Exhausting TANF/Wisconsin Works (W-2) within 2 years11
  • TANF/W-2 Eligibility Verification
  • TANF/W-2 Period of Benefit Receipt Verification
  • Referral Transmittal from TANF/W-2
  • Cross-Match with TANF/W-2 Public Assistance Records
  • Verbal verification from appropriate public assistance agency
NOTE: It is not allowable to use screen prints from CARES to document TANF/W-2.
Cultural Barriers
  • Self-Attestation
Individual with a disability12
  • Self-Attestation
    OR
  • School 504 records provided by student
  • Assessment test results
  • School Individualized Education Program (IEP) record
NOTE: Case notes and other documentation related to this element must be maintained in compliance with Section 5.713 of this policy manual.

Content being developed.

Content being developed.

12.3.6 Supportive Services Documentation

Effective date: August 14, 2023

In addition to following the requirements outlined in Chapter 8.6.4 of this policy manual, career planners must document all supportive services, including needs-related payments,1 that a participant receives in one of the following ways:

  • Evidence of what WIOA activity is being enabled
AND
  • Case notes;
  • Activity sheets;
  • Sign-in sheets;
  • Attendance record;
  • Vendor contract;
  • Electronic records;

12.3.7 Exit and Follow-up Documentation

Effective date: August 14, 2023

In addition to following the requirements outlined in Chapter 8.7 and Chapter 11.6.1 of this policy manual, career planners must document exit dates and, if applicable, exclusion exit reasons for each data element in the following ways:

Data Element Acceptable Documentation
Date of Program Exit 6
  • A copy of the letter sent to the individual indicating that the case was closed
  • WIOA status/exit forms
  • Electronic Records
  • Attendance records
  • Review of service records identifying the last qualifying service (and lack of a planned gap)
Exclusion reasons for Exit 7
  • Information from partner services
  • WIOA or program status/exit forms
  • Electronic Records
  • Withdrawal form with explanation
  • Information from institution or facility
  • Case notes
Date Enrolled in Post Exit Education or Training Program Leading to a Recognized Postsecondary Credential 8
  • Copy of enrollment record
  • Case notes
  • School records
  • Transcript or report card
  • Cross-Match

As required in Chapter 8.8.3 of this manual, career planners must record the results of follow-up attempts separately in ASSET Customer Notes and if any information is obtained, enter the details in ASSET Follow-up Status. Career planners also must adhere to the data collection requirements of Chapter 11.21 of this manual, when collecting supplemental data during the follow-up period.




Eligible to Work in the United States

Effective date: October 1, 2017

Individuals eligible to work in the U.S. include (WIOA Sec. 188(a)(5); 20 CR §683.285(5)):

  • citizens and nationals of the United States;
  • lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens, refugees and asylees (who are authorized to work in the U.S. because of their refugee or asylee status); and
  • other immigrants authorized by the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary's designee to work in the U.S. This includes immigrants covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) who have applied for and received work authorization (TEGL 02-14, p. 2).


Family (20 CFR § 675.300)

Effective date: October 1, 2017

"Family" means two or more persons related by blood, marriage, or decree of court, who are living in a single residence, and are included in one or more of the following categories:

A "married couple" can either be a man and a woman or same-sex individuals. United States v. Windsor, 133 S.Ct.2675 (2013); 81 FR 56088



Offender/Ex-offender

Effective date: November 7, 2019

"Offender" or "ex-offender" means an adult or juvenile who is or has been subject to any stage of the criminal justice process.

WIOA Sec. 3(38)



English Language Learner

Effective date: August 14, 2023

This eligibility barrier applies if individuals have the limited ability in reading, writing, speaking or comprehending the English language because:
1. English is not their native language;
OR
2. they live in a family or community environment where a language other than English is the dominant language.

WIOA Sec. 3(21); WIOA Sec. 203(7); TEGL 21-16, p. 3



Eligible Migrant Farmworker

Effective date: November 7, 2019

"Eligible migrant farmworker" means a seasonal farmworker whose agricultural labor requires travel to a job site such that the farmworker is unable to return to a permanent place of residence within the same day. The term also includes the farmworker's dependents.

WIOA Sec. 167(i)(2)



Eligible Seasonal Farmworker

Effective date: November 7, 2019

"Eligible seasonal farmworker" means a low-income individual who: 1) for 12 consecutive months out of the 24 months prior to application for the program involved, has been primarily employed in agricultural or fish farming labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment or underemployment; and 2) faces multiple barriers to economic self-sufficiency. The term also includes the farmworker's dependents.

WIOA Sec. 167(i)(3)



Case Notes

Effective date: ______________, 2020

Paper or online statements, primarily captured in ASSET Manage Customer Notes, made by the career planner that identify an individual's status for a specific data element, the date on which the information was obtained, and the career planner who obtained the information.

TEGL 7-18, Attachment I, p. 2; TEGL 23-19, Change 2, Attachment II, p. 1



Disability (WIOA Sec. 3(25))

Effective date: August 20, 2018

"Disability" means:

  • a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, working, and the operation of major bodily functions
  • a record of such impairment
    OR
  • is regarded as having such impairment (which means the individual can establish that s/he has been the subject of a discriminatory action under the American with Disabilities Act because of an actual or perceived impairment whether or not the impairment actually limits a major life activity).

WIOA Sec. 3(25); 42 U.S.C. 12102 (1)-(3)



Public Assistance

Effective date: August 20, 2018

Revised date: September 1, 2020

"Public Assistance" means federal, state, or local government cash payments where eligibility is determined by a needs or income test.

WIOA Sec. 3(50)

As WIOA does not define "cash payments," DWD-DET used definitions provided by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to define "cash payments" as cash or a cash equivalent, such as a debit card or check, that can be spent however the recipient choses, and is not restricted to a specific purpose like groceries or childcare.

U.S. Census Bureau (https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2013/acs/acsbr11-12.pdf); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-g-chapter-10)



FoodShare Wisconsin

Effective date: August 20, 2018

"FoodShare Wisconsin" helps people with limited money buy food they need for good health. FoodShare recipients are people of all ages who work but have low incomes, are living on small or fixed incomes, or have no incomes because they have lost their job, are retired, or are disabled and not able to work. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/foodshare/index.htm



Homeless

Effective date: August 20, 2018

"Homeless" means a person who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This covers the following situations: (1) sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar; (2) living in a motel, hotel, trailer park or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate living accommodations; (3) living in an emergency or transitional shelter; (4) abandoned in a hospital; (5) awaiting foster care placement; (6) using a public or private place for nighttime residence that is not designed for or typically used by human beings for regular sleeping accommodations; (7) a child who has moved in the last 36 months either as a migratory agricultural worker or fisher or with a parent or spouse who is a migratory worker or fisher.

42 U.S.C. 14043e—2(6) ; 42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)



Wisconsin Works

Effective date: August 20, 2018

"Wisconsin Works" (W-2) is a limited-time program that provides temporary cash assistance and case management services to low-income parents and pregnant women who engage in work activities. https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/w2/parents/w2



Supplemental Security Income

Effective date: August 20, 2018

"Supplemental Security Income" (SSI) is a federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). It provides cash assistance to aged, blind, and disabled people who have little or no income so they can meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/



Household composition

Effective date: July 26, 2019

DWD-DET defines household composition as the number of individuals who are members of a household and their ages.



Eligibility Determination

Effective date: July 26, 2019

DWD-DET defines eligibility determination as applying the information collected during program registration to the eligibility criteria to see if the individual is eligible for the program.

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