What Is TANF or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families?

TANF is a welfare program that is designed give financial help to poor families that have children. The assistance can be used for food, rent and health care. It was founded in 1996, in order to replace the program called Aid to Families with Dependent Children or AFDC. The program primarily functions to help recipients develop work skills and eventually move off of welfare dependency. There are restrictions on how much aid eligible recipients can receive, as well as a lifetime limitations on welfare benefits.

Federal Guidelines On How The Funds Are To Be Used By The States

TANF is given to individual states as a block grant. Each state establishes how the funds will be used within the federal guidelines. The TANF grant funds have to be given to needy families directly and are to be used for medical care, food, rent, child care, education/work programs, and family planning. Approximately, thirty-six percent of the funds go directly to the needy families in the form of cash assistance. Nearly, twenty-four percent of the benefits are to be used for other welfare services such as family planning. Roughly, eighteen percent is used for providing child care services. About twelve percent of the fund is used for administrative costs. Other work assistance programs and employment education programs use about eight percent. Transportation costs are about two percent.

Eligibility Requirements

To be qualified to receive TANF, a family has to have a minimum of one parent and one child, and be unemployed or have a low income which is beneath a certain amount. The greater number of children in the family, the income level can be higher. Two parent families are also eligible for receiving benefits, if they qualify for it. The adults have to attend education or work programs or education that are intended to offer an occupation. The objective of TANF is to first stabilize families and then assist the parents in attaining stable employment which in turn will put them in a position to take care of their children financially without government assistance.

Most states use a various names for its TANF program and many use the words "family services." Many states avoid the using the word “welfare” due to the negative connotations. All states impose a lifetime limit how much money a family is able to receive through the program, and also put limitations on how long the family can receive the government benefits. In many instances, TANF supplements a family's existing income, as opposed to being the only income.

What Are The Income Limitations?

These vary by state.

How To Apply:

Get the application by one of the following methods:

• Get one from your local Department of Human Services or Resources or Health and Human Services office
• Go to your state's Human Service's or Health and Human Services's website and print a copy of the application or you can fill out the application online

Remember to fill out every field completely. You can mail the application or drop it off at your local social service office. To make sure the process isn't delayed, look over the application carefully before submitting it. Leaving out one little detail could cause the approval process to be held up for weeks.

You will receive a response by mail once your application has been processed. A meeting will be setup with your TANF caseworker. You must attend this meeting to get approved for benefits. You will be required to bring proof of identification along with other proof of eligibility. Bring all documents that the application instructions state. These documents usually are proof of family income (pay stubs), birth certificates, bank account statements, and citizenship or legal residential status. You may be approved for benefits at the meeting or by mail. Not all states have the same requirements or procedures.

Where To Find The TANF Applications Online - Click On The State

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
U.S. Virgin Islands
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming