4.12 - EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVIDER (ESP) FUNCTIONS
ISSUE DATE: 06/2025
SNAP E&T providers have certain functions and responsibilities. Follow the provisions of this section for SNAP E&T provider responsibilities.
Each Employment Services Provider (ESP) operates under a formal written agreement with a county agency, Tribal Nation, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), or the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), to provide SNAP E&T services to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. Services may begin as early as the date SNAP eligibility is approved. ESPs provide the following services:
● | SCREENING AND REFERRAL |
Eligibility workers must complete a SNAP E&T screening for all unit members ages 16 and older at application and recertification. This includes providing general information about SNAP E&T, determining if anyone in the household is interested in learning about education, training, or job search assistance, and referring those that are. When a referral to SNAP E&T is made, eligibility workers must update the STAT/WREG panel in MAXIS with the date the referral was made. On the STAT/WREG panel, this date can be found on the FSET Orientation Date field.
A SNAP E&T provider cannot enroll a SNAP E&T participant without a referral from eligibility. A date on the FSET Orientation Date field in MAXIS indicates that a referral was made. Enter this date on the FSET Orientation Date field on the enrollment page in Workforce One (WF1). This is necessary to complete the SNAP E&T enrollment, and must match the date on the FSET Orientation Date field in MAXIS.
If there is no date in the FSET Orientation Date field, the provider must reach out to eligibility to ask that the SNAP recipient be referred, and the preferred date be entered in MAXIS. The preferred date should be the SNAP recipient first made contact with the provider. If eligibility enters a date on the FSET Orientation Date field in MAXIS that is different from the date the provider requested, case note the correspondence and the requested date so as not to affect the timeline for reimbursement, but be sure the FSET Orientation Date entered on the enrollment page in WF1 matches the FSET Orientation Date in MAXIS.
Since a screening is required at application and recertification, it is likely that a screening was completed, but nobody in the household was interested in SNAP E&T at that time and no referral was made. The process by which eligibility workers complete the screening allows for a referral to be made at a later time if anyone in the household later wishes to participate in SNAP E&T, without re-screening.
● | EMPLOYABILITY ASSESSMENT |
- | Explain the benefits of participation, including the support services that may be available, program expectations, and ensure the participant is aware of their enrollment in the program and understands that their participation is voluntary. |
- | Assess the participant’s literacy level and refer the participant to local literacy programs when appropriate. This assessment may use a formal placement exam, observation, conversation with the participant, or a combination of these. |
- | Identify Time Limited SNAP Recipients (TLRs) who have time-limited SNAP eligibility, so that potential work or work program activities can be quickly developed to help them earn additional months of SNAP benefits. |
- | Identify strengths, barriers, interests, employment history, and goals, as well as the need for support services such as transportation, purchase of equipment or tools. |
● | EMPLOYMENT PLAN (EP) |
- | Develop and implement the participant’s EP within 30 days of enrollment, so that the participant can successfully complete the plan and find employment. |
- | Employment plans must contain, at a minimum, the date the plan was created, proposed employment and training activities, employment goal(s), participant signature, any other information relevant to employment and training. |
- | Monitor participant performance and participation and modify the participant’s EP as necessary. The EP must be updated and revised as the participant’s circumstances change, but not less than once per year. |
● | NOTIFICATION |
- | Provide the county or tribal human services office with information that may affect a participant’s SNAP program eligibility, or benefit amount, such as anytime a participant’s employment status changes. |
- | Notify the county or tribal human services office anytime a participant has failed, without good cause, to accept a bona fide offer of suitable employment. For information regarding suitable employment, see CM 0028.18.03 (Suitable/Unsuitable Work). The eligibility worker must make the final determination of good cause. |
- | Notify the county or tribal human services office by the 10th of the following month, anytime a time-limited participant meets their work requirement, and how long this is expected to continue. |
- | If either the eligibility worker or ESP become aware of circumstances that indicate a participant’s exemption status has changed, inform the other of the change. The eligibility worker should then review the participant’s exemption status. If the participant has become exempt, the eligibility worker must notify the participant, update the MAXIS exemption code on the WREG panel and redetermine if the TLR months were counted properly. The participant may continue to participate in the SNAP E&T program. |
Use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) Status Update Form (DHS-3165A) (PDF) to report changes and communicate with eligibility. |
● | PROVIDER DETERMINATION |
A provider determination is a notification issued when a provider has decided that they are unable to serve a person in their program. This occurs when a person wishes to participate in SNAP E&T, but the provider is unable to support them. The provider must send a Provider Determination Form (DHS-8205) to the county or Tribal Nation eligibility staff within 10 days of making a determination. |
- | A person receiving SNAP wants to participate in a component of the SNAP E&T program. |
- | A provider is unable to serve them in employment and training because it is determined that they would be unable to be successful in the program. |
The determination is most likely to be issued after assessment, but the provider may issue it at any time. |
- | A participant elects not to participate in SNAP E&T either by notifying staff or through loss of contact. |
- | A participant is initially interested in SNAP E&T, but the provider is able to offer another employment and training program (such as a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program) that the participant is willing to engage in and in which the participant may be successful. |
- | New barriers are discovered that require the provider to make a change to a participant’s employment plan, which can still be addressed through SNAP E&T or another employment and training program offered by that provider. (Note: The Department of Human Services will require information about these participants from providers and intermediaries quarterly via the quarterly report). |
- | A participant completes participation, or is enrolled with one provider and is referred to another provider for another service (co-enrollment). |
Provider determination process: |
● | COORDINATION AND PROGRAM RECORDS |
- | If a participant is enrolled with another SNAP E&T provider, refer to Workforce One (WF1) regarding program activities and outcomes, expenditures, individual participant services and progress. Communicate regularly with the other service provider to ensure services are not duplicated. |
- | Maintain needed program files and documentation, and record relevant participant data on the WF1 system as necessary. When a participant moves to a different county or there is a change in service provider, the former county or service provider must make program documents and information available to the new county or the new provider. |
- | The records retention policy for SNAP E&T is available on the Minnesota Department of Human Services web site by searching “County Human Services General Records Retention Schedule”. Agencies may choose an electronic or paper format. This includes the WF1 Electronic Document Storage (EDS), which meets the minimum requirement, or an agency specific electronic storage system. |
- | The ESP must have ongoing contact with the participant to determine progress, compliance, and any counseling or service needs. The ESP must have, at minimum, 1 monthly contact with each participant for these purposes, and this contact must be case noted in WF1 under the SNAP E&T program. |
● | CASE NOTES |
A participant record recounts the story of the activity(ies) the participant is engaged in and the services provided. Regular case notes provide documentation of the details and rationale for these activities and services. A SNAP E&T case note must be entered in WF1 at a minimum of once per month. |
● | OPENING AND CLOSING ACTIVITIES |
An activity must only be opened when a participant is actively engaged in that activity, not just planning to participate in it. Likewise, the activity must be closed when the participant is no longer engaged. Determine at this point whether or not the person record should be exited. |
● | EXITING A PERSON FROM THE PROGRAM |
- | Due to SNAP closure: Exit the person’s SNAP E&T record in WF1 within 30 days of SNAP closure (or as soon as the benefit end date is known if beyond 30 days), unless they are open in the job retention activity. The exit date must be backdated to the last day of the month SNAP benefits were received. For example, a November closure would have an exit date of October 31. |
- | Due to no longer being engaged: Exit the person’s SNAP E&T record in WF1 within 60 days of non-engagement. The record should be exited within 60 days of failed contact and a corresponding exit date entered. If the participant is a SNAP eligible student based on enrollment in SNAP E&T, the employment counselor must also communicate this with the county or tribal human services office. |
- | Participant request: Exit the person’s SNAP E&T record in WF1 immediately upon participant request. |
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