342 - Noncompliance with the requirements of this title.
§ 342. Noncompliance with the requirements of this title. 1. In accordance with the provisions of this section an individual who is required to participate in work activities shall be ineligible to receive public assistance if he or she fails to comply, without good cause, with the requirements of this title. Such ineligibility shall be for the amount and periods specified in this section. Good cause for failing to comply with the requirements of this title shall be defined in department regulations, provided, however, that the parent or caretaker relative of a child under thirteen years of age shall not be subject to the ineligibility provisions of this section if the individual can demonstrate, in accordance with the regulations of the office of children and family services department, that lack of available child care prevents such individual from complying with the work requirements of this title. The parent or caretaker relative shall be responsible for locating the child care needed to meet the work requirements; provided, however, that the relevant social services district shall provide a parent or caretaker relative who demonstrates an inability to obtain needed child care with a choice of two providers, at least one of which will be a regulated provider. 2. In the case of an applicant for or recipient of public assistance who is a parent or caretaker of a dependent child the public assistance benefits otherwise available to the household of which such individual is a member shall be reduced pro-rata: (a) for the first instance of failure to comply without good cause with the requirement of this article until the individual is willing to comply; (b) for the second instance of failure to comply without good cause with the requirements of this article, for a period of three months and thereafter until the individual is willing to comply; (c) for the third and all subsequent instances of failure to comply without good cause with the requirements of this article, for a period of six months and thereafter until the individual is willing to comply. 3. In the case of an individual who is a member of a household without dependent children applying for or in receipt of safety net assistance the public assistance benefits otherwise available to the household of which such individual is a member shall be reduced pro-rata: (a) for the first such failure or refusal, until the failure or refusal ceases or ninety days, which ever period of time is longer; (b) for the second such failure or refusal, until the failure ceases or for one hundred fifty days, whichever period of time is longer; and (c) for the third and all subsequent such failures or refusals, until the failure ceases or one hundred eighty days, whichever period of time is longer. 4. A recipient of public assistance who quits or reduces his hours of employment without good cause shall be considered to have failed to comply with the requirements of this article and shall be subject to the provisions of this section. 5. A person described in paragraph (b) of subdivision seven of section one hundred fifty-nine of this chapter may not be sanctioned if his or her failure to comply with requirements of this title are related to his or her health status.