The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, better known as TANF, was born of the 1996 welfare reform negotiations. One of the big differences between it and its predecessor, Aid to Families with Dependent Children: There are work requirements written into it, and states are on the hook to demonstrate that 50% of all families and 90% of two-parent families receiving assistance are working or are engaged in workforce preparation and training activities.
But an insert into the 2023 bill that lifted the national debt ceiling permitted the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct pilot projects in five states over the next six years to see if “work and well-being outcomes rather than the work participation rate leads to stronger employment outcomes and increased family stability and well-being.”
A wonky endeavor to be sure, but the goal is to see if giving states some flexibility with how they use TANF to support parents in getting connected to work without sacrificing the health of their family. That might mean, in examples included in a new request for proposals from states: “effective use of cash assistance and concrete supports; education and training; or work supports, job placement, and retention supports linked to career pathways.”
Jeff Hild, the acting head of the Administration for Children and Families, which oversees TANF, sent a letter last week to state human services leaders urging them to consider submitting a proposal to be among the states testing out new approaches and measurements of welfare delivery.
“These pilots represent an unprecedented opportunity to inform TANF policy for all states,” Hild wrote. “The more we can collectively learn about effective strategies to help families with children find employment and increase their economic mobility in the TANF program, the more powerful tool TANF can be to reduce poverty.”
The request for proposals on this pilot offering flexibility within TANF comes as family policy advocates are waiting on potential finalization of President Joe Biden’s proposed rule on TANF, which actually builds in some guardrails around allowable use of the funds. When TANF began in the 1990s, most of the money made its way directly into the hands of low-income parents; now, the majority of the money is spent on state programs to assist those families.
For more on the Biden proposal, check out The Imprint Weekly Podcast’s interview with Ashley Burnside of the Center on Law and Social Policy.