TANF

TANF(Temporary Assistance for Needy

Families)

Korey AukermanEmily Bare

Miranda BoucherCarly Brower

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a welfare program created to assist needy families so children can be cared for in their own home, to reduce the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work and marriage, to prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and to encourage forming and the maintenance of two-parent families.

What is TANF?

TANF was a block grant created under the

Personal Work and Responsibility Opportunities Act in 1996 during Bill Clinton’s presidency.

It was created to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program, the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program, and the Emergency Assistance Program.

Background on TANF

TANF is still controversial today. Most states

keep the rates for grants the same as when it was created so with inflation, the benefits become less.

The cash assistance portion of TANF has fallen to $9.6 billion

Controversy of TANF

The department that oversees the TANF

program on the Federal level is the Department of Health and Human Services.

Department

The Government has a $16.5 billion per year

grant for TANF. Funding for TANF has been cut back and this

has affected about 700,000 low income families

Cost

All states participate in the TANF program

State Participation

The federal government pays an amount

depending on the state’s federal contributions, left over percentage, the respective state government pays the rest.

Cost Borne by State Gov.

TANF is administered at the state level by

each state having an office that tells where the money is going.

Administration at State Level

The grant provided is called a Block grant. Block Grant: large sum of money granted by a

national government to a regional government with general provisions on how it is to be spent.

For each state, a percentage of the money goes to a separate category…..

Money Distribution

If you have received federal assistance for over 5

years, you are not eligible for financial aid from TANF.

Eligibility Requirements: - Must apply for other benefits and accept

workman's comp, child support, unemployment etc.

-must be a U.S citizen -child must be deprived due to : continued absence

of parent, physically/mentally incapacity of parent, or death of payment.

Requirements

- Must get a job before two years of using assistance.- Single parent~ 30 hours per week or 20 hours per week if they have a

child under 6.- Two parent families~ 35 hours per week, or if they receive child care

assistance ~55 hours a week.- States can’t penalize single parents for not meeting requirements if

they don’t have child care.- School ~ all kids 6-17 must attend school- Immunization~ all preschool children must be immunized - Income~ the family’s net income must be below certain limits for the

number of people in the family. Ex) a family of 3 (mom and two kids) must have a gross income below $784 a month and countable assets of less than 1,000

- Lifetime limits~ cash recipients are limited to 48 months a lifetime- Work requirement~ 30 hours per week

Requirements Cont.

1. What is a block grant?A) Money invested for 5 years and then given to

a program’s directors.B) Large sum of money granted by the federal

government with provisions on how it is spent.

C) money granted by the state government for federal government

D) All of the above

Multiple choice Questions

Answer:

B) Large sum of money granted by the federal government with provisions on how it is spent.

2. How many states participate in TANF?

A) 50B) 30C) 10D) 41

Answer:

A) 50

3. Who was the president when TANF was

established?A) BushB) ObamaC) Clinton D) Lincoln

Answer:

C) Clinton

4. How much does the program cost the

government?A) 1 billion B) 16.5 billion C) 102 million D) 10 Billion

Answer:

B) 16.5 Billion

5. To be eligible for TANF, what is the max

income monthly?A) $1,000B) $ 10C) $ 900D) $784

Answer:

D) $784

1. www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/tanf/tanf-ove

rview.htm2. www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=34

983. www.gao.gov/products/gao-04-7234. www.fasorg/sgp/crs/misc/RL32760.pdf5. Dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov 6. www.usgovinfo.about.com

Sources