Located in:
- Employment and Training Programs Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Programs Authorized Under Section 6(d)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(d)(4)))
- a. General Requirements [27]
The State agency must prepare and submit an Employment and Training (E&T) Plan to its appropriate Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Regional Office. The E&T Plan must be available for public inspection at the State agency headquarters. A State agency may include its plan for the SNAP E&T program in a Combined Plan under WIOA but will require FNS approval prior to implementation and must continue to make a copy of the plan available for public inspection. If a State includes SNAP E&T in a Combined Plan under WIOA, the State agency will detail the following for each year covered by the Combined Plan:
[27] 7 CFR § 273.7(c)(6)
- a. General Requirements [27]
a. 12. The relationship between the State agency and other organizations it plans to coordinate with for the provision of services, including organizations in the Statewide workforce development system, if available. Copies of contracts must be available for inspection; The State agency must document how it consulted with the State workforce development board. If the State agency consulted with private employers or employer organizations in lieu of the State workforce development board, it must document this consultation and explain the determination that doing so was more effective or efficient. The State agency must include in its E&T State plan a description of any outcomes from the consultation with the State workforce development board or private employers or employer organizations. The State agency must also address in the E&T State plan the extent to which E&T activities will be carried out in coordination with the activities under title I of WIOA;
Current Narrative:
Special State Initiatives:
Workforce Development and SNAP E&T is part of the Governor’s subcabinet on Education and Workforce. The subcabinet is co-led by the Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission and the Commissioner of the Louisiana Board of Regents. DCFS is an engaged stakeholder. The subcabinet’s goal is to ensure that 60% of Louisianians obtain a credential or certificate by 2030. As such, the subcabinet develops opportunities for state agencies and partners to create employment and training career pathways statewide, especially through the use of SNAP E&T resources and partnerships. In addition, some of the SNAP E&T staff are members of the Local Workforce Development Boards in Louisiana.
Other Employment and Training Programs:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients are exempt from SNAP E&T requirements. All work eligible FITAP recipients are required to participate in the Strategies To Empower People (STEP) program, unless good cause is granted. The Workforce Development Section at DCFS is consistently meeting to strategize on how to collaborate SNAP E&T services with STEP and Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Employment and Training (E&T) programs. The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Employment and Training (E&T) program provides employment and training services to child support enforcement clients through Administration for Children and Families – Office of Child Support Enforcement (ACF-OCSE) approved programming. Child Support Enforcement clients are required to participate in CSE E&T. While conceptual in development and execution, additional coordination is expected with homeless populations served by Louisiana housing corporation and re-entry populations served by Louisiana Department of Corrections.
State Workforce Development Board
The Louisiana Workforce Commission operates the Workforce Development Boards in the State of Louisiana where the SNAP E&T staff are sworn board members of the Workforce Development Boards and attends quarterly meetings. The contact persons were Nedra McKinney and Rachel Mackey. SNAP E&T staff attended quarterly meetings as follows: Quarterly Meetings on November 3, 2022, February 2, 2023, April 27, 2023, and July 25, 2023; Operation Committee Meetings held on October 25, 2022, January 26, 2023, April 13, 2023, and July 20, 2023 and a Partners’ Meeting on January 20, 2023 and June 7, 2023. The Workforce Development Boards, SNAP E&T staff, and American Job Center staff discussed the overview of the SNAP E&T program in the State of Louisiana, collaboration and consultation to better serve individuals to connect them with high demand employers while simultaneously addressing barriers that prevent them from program completion and self-sufficiency. These quarterly meetings assisted DCFS in ensuring that all SNAP E&T providers offer supportive services such as transportation and child care. In addition, ensuring SNAP E&T providers create and maintain partnerships with employers.
WIOA
The State of Louisiana has a combined WIOA State Plan for the State’s workforce development system, which is developed every three years in consultation with LWC, DCFS, and the Workforce Investment Council, other state agencies, and employer advocacy groups. In terms of collaboration or co-enrollment, SNAP eligibility is an element of automatic WIOA eligibility, allowing for opportunities to structure and integrate services to provide comprehensive supports and services to help customers move more effectively through education, training, and employment pathways. Many of the SNAP E&T providers partner with America’s Job Center certified sites, which gives direct access to WIOA program providers and partners. Additional opportunities include collaborating on supportive services infrastructure. The consultation efforts are ongoing and therefore the State of Louisiana has not made any program changes.