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Educational activities: Registrants who do not have a high school diploma or a GED certificate, score low on the reading or math part of the CASAS basic skills test, or are not proficient in English, are determined to be "in need of basic education" and must enter an appropriate program (GED, ABE, or ESL).
Employment activities: Registrants participate in a job search activity which includes job-seeking and interviewing skills for three weeks. Registrants who are participating in an appropriate education or employment activity prior to registration in the GAIN program are referred to as participating in "self-initiated" programs and may continue to receive GAIN support for two years. Registrants who complete their training activities who have not found jobs may participate in vocational or on-the-job training, PREP (non-paid employment experience in a public or non-profit agency), supported work, or other forms of "post-assessment" training.
Financial disincentives/sanctions: Failure to comply with program rules results in a sanction (a reduction of the monthly welfare grant).
Program operations: Program implementation is studied.
Program requirements: Participants must complete work or community work requirement.
Support Services: GAIN helps registrants find, and pays for, child care services for children under 13. Child care assistance continues for a one-year transitional period if the registrant becomes employed. GAIN also reimburses participants for transportation costs. Participants may also receive assistance for program expenses such as books and tools. Case managers monitor the participants activities and authorize support services and sanctions. In Riverside county, a special study was conducted on the effects of assigning GAIN registrants to case managers with different-size caseloads. Case managers in one group (the "enhanced" group) were assigned half as many registrants as case managers in the other group (the "regular" group).
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