5.3 Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET)
Revised November 13, 2020
5.3 What is Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET)?
Basic Food Employment & Training (BFET) provides training and education with a goal of assisting Basic Food recipients in attaining a living wage career. BFET services are available from all WA State community and technical colleges as well as many non-college community based organization (CBO) contractors.
BFET can assist participants with job readiness if they aren’t receiving TANF but are receiving food assistance by providing the following:
- Job search,
- Job readiness (mock interviews, strategies, etc.),
- Basic education (computer training, LEP, etc.),
- Vocational training, or
- Support services (transportation help, childcare, housing, clothing, etc.),
- Job retention and wage progression services.
How is BFET different from TANF?
- Voluntary
- No minimum hourly requirement
- No time limit
- No monetary grant
Each BFET provider has their own unique program focusing on one or more of the above services. Participants can find out more about these programs by contacting a provider by phone (using the brochure below) or by visiting https://www.dshs.wa.gov/esa/community-partnership-program/basic-food-employment-training-bfet.
The following brochures about Basic Food Employment and Training (BFET) are available:
WorkFirst staff will take the following steps when participants transition from BFET to TANF:
- Leave the FI component open (this must remain open for billing reasons and will auto close 30 days from the actual end date of the BFET components).
- Close all other BFET activity components
- Use the day before TANF approval as the actual end date for the component
- Use IC as the closure code for closing the component.
- Send an eJAS eMessage to the BFET Operations Manager notifying them of change in program. You can find the BFET Operations Managers name in the eJAS demographic information screen under case manager before it changes to the ongoing WFPS.