Income Security Advocates

Filed Under: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Time Limits

Time Limits

Updated 11/19/2023 Time Limit Basics Federal law sets a 60-month lifetime time limit on receipt of federally-funded TANF benefits; states can extend the limit beyond the 60 months for up to 20 percent of the caseload based on hardship (as defined by the state). States can set their own time limit policies as long as Time Limits

Filed Under: Benefits: Cash Matters, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Benefits: Cash Matters

There is a growing body of research that shows why cash matters for families. The file attached at the right TANF-Talking-Points-For-States.With-Cites.docx (live.com) provides talking points that you can use to make the case for why increasing cash benefits will positively impact children and parents and reduce costs for human service agencies, especially through lower costs Benefits: Cash Matters

Filed Under: Benefits: Non-Recurrent Short-Term Benefits (NRSTs), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Benefits: Non-Recurrent Short-Term Benefits (NRSTs)

Last Updated: 09/15/2023 Non-Recurrent Short-Term Benefits (NRSTs) are a mechanism that allows states to use TANF funds to provide cash or in-kind services to families with children without triggering behavioral requirements and time limits. NSRTs are not considered “assistance” so they do not trigger time limits or work and child support cooperation and assignment requirements. Benefits: Non-Recurrent Short-Term Benefits (NRSTs)

Filed Under: Benefit Cliffs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Uncategorized

Benefit Cliffs

Updated 09/14/2023 In recent years, there has been considerable interest among both progressives and conservatives (including from state legislatures) on strategies for reducing “benefit cliffs” – the loss of public benefits due to increased earnings – also referred to as “marginal tax rates”. As the piece from CBPP below lays out, policymakers often overstate benefit Benefit Cliffs

Filed Under: Spending: Excess MOE, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Spending: Excess MOE

Last Updated: 09/14/2023 States are required to meet a state Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement as a condition of receiving their TANF block grant. When states report spending more state dollars than they are required to spend, this is referred to as “excess MOE.” There are two main reasons why states report more MOE than Spending: Excess MOE

Filed Under: Benefits: Special Purpose Payments for TANF Recipients, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Filed Under: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Work Requirements: HHS Data

Work Requirements: HHS Data

Last Updated: 09/14/2023 Every year HHS publishes state-by-state work participation data.  The data for 2021 can be found at this link:  Characteristics and Financial Circumstances of TANF Recipients, Fiscal Year 2021 | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov).  You can find the data for subsequent years by going to the link for Data and Work Requirements: HHS Data

Filed Under: Separate State Programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Uncategorized

Separate State Programs

States have the option to provide monthly cash payments to families through a Separate State Program (SSP) which is funded only with state dollars that can be counted towards a state’s maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement. (Separate State Programs are not the same as Solely State Funded programs that are funded with state funds that Separate State Programs

Filed Under: Benefits: Payments to SNAP Recipients, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Benefits: Payments to SNAP Recipients

Last Updated 09/13/2013 In recent years, some states have used TANF funds to provide extra cash benefits to SNAP recipients. These benefits serve multiple purposes. First and foremost, they provide additional benefits to SNAP recipients to help them meet their basic needs. Second, they provide a quick and administratively efficient way to provide cash benefits Benefits: Payments to SNAP Recipients

Filed Under: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Uncategorized, Work Requirements: Increase in Deep Poverty