State Policies
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Off the Charts Blog: In Case You Missed It...
May 17, 2013
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Online Services for Key Low-Income Benefit Programs
Revised May 1, 2013
Virtually all states have made basic program information on the five main state-administered low-income benefit programs — SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps), Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), and child care assistance … -
The Value of TANF Cash Benefits Continued to Erode in 2012
March 28, 2013
Cash assistance benefits for the nation’s poorest families with children fell again in purchasing power in 2012 and are now at least 20 percent below their 1996 levels in 37 states, after adjusting for inflation. Unlike in 2011, when six states reduced the already-low benefits they provide through the Temporary Assistance for … -
TANF Emerging from the Downturn a Weaker Safety Net
March 1, 2013
Nationally, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which provides basic assistance to families with little or no income, responded only modestly to the severe recession that began in December 2007, and the national TANF caseload began to decline in January 2011. State TANF caseloads varied widely in their responsiveness … -
Changes in TANF Work Requirements Could Make Them More Effective in Promoting Employment
February 26, 2013
The complexity and rigidity of the work requirements in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program can force states to design their TANF programs in ways that compromise, rather than promote, the goal of connecting parents to work. State TANF programs are built around an expectation of work, and many states have argued … -
Testimony of Robert Greenstein, President, Before Senate Budget Committee
February 13, 2013
I appreciate the invitation to testify today on the impact of federal budget decisions on families and communities. This is an important matter. As you know, the nation will have to make tough decisions to put the budget on a more sustainable fiscal course. The issue is not only whether policymakers act to secure adequate … -
Coordinating Human Services Programs with Health Reform Implementation
Updated December 11, 2012
Executive Summary By making affordable health care available to millions of low-income, uninsured Americans, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will go a long way towards helping families who struggle on a daily basis to afford life’s most basic necessities. Health care reform’s impact on low-income people’s lives, however, goes beyond … -
Policy Basics: An Introduction to TANF
Updated December 4, 2012
What Is TANF? Congress created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant through the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, as part of a federal effort to “end welfare as we know it.” TANF replaced Aid to Families with … -
Chart Book: TANF at 16
Updated August 22, 2012
We have updated our chart book for the 16th anniversary of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), the program created by the 1996 welfare reform law to replace Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The chart book examines what the program is accomplishing, where it is falling short, and how policymakers could strengthen it. How Well … -
How States Have Spent Federal and State Funds Under the TANF Block Grant
August 7, 2012
Some policymakers have cited the replacement of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant under the 1996 welfare law as a model for how to dramatically restructure other federally funded programs for low-income families. House Budget Committee Chairman … -
Testimony of LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D. Vice President, Family Income Support Policy, Before the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Human Resources, Hearing on "State TANF Spending and its Impact on Work Requirements"
May 17, 2012
Good afternoon Chairman Davis, Ranking Member Doggett, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to testify on the relationship between TANF State maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirements and their interaction with work requirements. I am Vice President for Family Income Support Policy at the Center on … -
TANF Weakening as a Safety Net For Poor Families
March 13, 2012
Many policymakers continue to claim that the 1996 welfare reform law which created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was a major success. They see the TANF program's design and block grant structure as a model for the reform of other safety net programs.[1] TANF's record over the last 15 years shows, however, that its role as … -
Contrary to "Entitlement Society" Rhetoric, Over Nine-Tenths of Entitlement Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or Working Households
February 10, 2012
Some conservative critics of federal social programs, including leading presidential candidates, are sounding an alarm that the United States is rapidly becoming an “entitlement society” in which social programs are undermining the work ethic and creating a large class of Americans who prefer to depend on government benefits rather … -
General Assistance Programs: Safety Net Weakening Despite Increased Need
Updated December 19, 2011
State General Assistance programs, which provide a safety net of last resort for those who are very poor and do not qualify for other public assistance, have weakened considerably in recent decades and are continuing to do so, despite the large increase in need resulting from the recession. This report discusses how General Assistance Programs … -
TANF Benefits Fell Further in 2011 and Are Worth Much Less Than in 1996 in Most States
November 21, 2011
Cash assistance benefits for the nation's poorest families with children fell again in purchasing power in 2011 and are now at least 20 percent below their 1996 levels in 34 states, after adjusting for inflation. While most states froze benefit levels in 2011, six states and the District of Columbia cut them, reducing … -
Many States Cutting TANF Benefits Harshly Despite High Unemployment and Unprecedented Need
Updated October 3, 2011
In 2011, states implemented some of the harshest cuts in recent history for many of the nation's most vulnerable families with children who are receiving assistance through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The cuts affect 700,000 low-income families that include 1.3 million children; these families … -
Testimony: LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D., Vice President, Family Income Support Policy, Hearing on “Improving Work and Other Welfare Reform Goals”
September 8, 2011
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. TANF was created 15 years ago with a balanced approach in mind – that our nation's cash assistance system would be redesigned to create an expectation of work for able-bodied recipients and that a safety net would be maintained for parents who were unable to work due to a … -
TANF’s Inadequate Response to Recession Highlights Weakness of Block-Grant Structure
July 14, 2011
Leading conservatives in Congress – including House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan – as well as some conservative activists and commentators [1] have recently cited welfare reform and the TANF block-grant structure as a model for reshaping the federal-state funding relationship in other programs for low-income … -
Expiration of TANF Supplemental Grants a Further Sign of Weakening Federal Support for Welfare Reform
June 27, 2011
In a continued unraveling of the deal that Congress made with the states in enacting the 1996 welfare reform law, federal Supplemental Grants provided every year since 1996 to 17 states to augment their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant will expire on July 1 (see Figure 1). These states include some of … -
Redesigning the TANF Contingency Fund to Make it More Effective
June 13, 2011
When Congress created the TANF block grant in 1996, it created the TANF Contingency Fund for states to draw upon during periods of economic distress. This fund was intended to address some of the risks and hardships states would face as a result of the conversion of the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children program — an … -
Earned Income Tax Credit Overpayment and Error Issues
Updated April 19, 2011
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax credit for low- and moderate-income working families, has been widely hailed for its success in increasing work and lowering welfare receipt, reducing poverty, and making the tax code fairer. (See the box below.) Census data indicate that the credit lifted 6.6 million individuals out of poverty in 2009, including more than 3 million children. The EITC lifts more children out of poverty than any other program.
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Testimony of LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D. Vice President, Family Income Support Policy before the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Human Resources
April 5, 2011
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. In its recent report, “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue,” the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) examined programs throughout the government with an eye towards identifying … -
Podcast: Improving the Delivery of Key Work Supports at this Critical Moment
March 8, 2011
Stacy Dean, Vice President for Food Assistance Policy, and Dottie Rosenbaum, Senior Analyst, discuss the Work Support Strategies Initiative and their report on improving the delivery of key services to needy families.
Duration: 8:36
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Improving the Delivery of Key Work Supports
February 24, 2011
For more than 15 years, federal and state governments have been working together in earnest to simplify enrollment in public benefit programs. Their work has been driven by the fact that the share of people who participate in public programs has not kept pace with the need; by a desire to make full use of the federal … -
Creating Subsidized Employment Opportunities for Low-Income Parents
February 16, 2011
Issued Jointly With Amidst the worst downturn since the Great Depression, Congress included the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund [1] in the 2009 Recovery Act to help states cover the costs of providing more assistance to low-income families suffering from the ill effects of the … -
TANF Responded Unevenly to Increase in Need During Downturn
(with state-by-state fact sheets)
January 25, 2011
Nationally, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides basic assistance to low-income families with little or no income, has only been modestly responsive to the economic downturn. Using data collected directly from the states, [1] we estimate that between December 2007 and December 2009, TANF caseloads increased by just 13 percent, while … -
TANF Benefits Are Low and Have Not Kept Pace With Inflation
October 14, 2010
TANF cash assistance programs provide critical income support to some of the nation’s most vulnerable families with children. How well these programs do at protecting children from deep poverty and material deprivation depends on both the extent to which very poor families are actually enrolled in the program and the level of benefits … -
Using TANF Emergency Funds to Help Prevent and Address Family Homelessness
July 13, 2010
At least 15 states are using federal stimulus dollars provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund to assist the growing number of needy families that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless because of the recession. The number of homeless families has increased for each of the last two years and the … -
Using TANF Emergency Funds to Provide Food Assistance to Struggling Families
June 18, 2010
States can use federal stimulus dollars provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund to provide emergency food assistance to needy families through food banks, agencies, or other distribution sites, or to supplement USDA’s Summer Food Service Programs. This additional help is critically needed: the … -
“YouCut” Vote Mischaracterizes TANF Emergency Fund
May 20, 2010
The description of the TANF Emergency Fund on the House Republicans’ “YouCut” website is fundamentally inaccurate, so the vote by respondents to eliminate the program is essentially meaningless. Despite what the website suggests, the Fund reflects the main tenets that federal … -
Budgetary Concerns Should Not Be An Obstacle to Passing the New Jobs Bill
Revised May 20, 2010
Congress is about to take up a jobs bill that will provide a needed boost to the economic recovery and help people still struggling to find work in a difficult labor market. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin today released a summary of … -
TANF Emergency Fund Extension Has Wide Support
May 3, 2010
With the TANF Emergency Fund slated to expire on September 30, public officials and private experts are calling for its extension as part of jobs legislation because it is an important tool to help put Americans back to work. These key individuals include: Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody’s Analytics; Karen Lee, President … -
Extending the TANF Emergency Fund Would Create and Preserve Jobs Quickly and Efficiently
Updated April 6, 2010
The TANF Emergency Fund created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has enabled states to create subsidized jobs for TANF recipients and other low-income unemployed individuals and to bolster overall consumer demand by helping states meet the growing need for basic assistance among very poor families … -
The Food Stamp Dependent Care Deduction
March 23, 2010
The Food Stamp Program targets benefits according to need. It does this by limiting eligibility to low-income households and by assessing the ability of individual households to purchase food. Households can deduct certain critical expenses from their income. This results in higher benefits, reflecting the fact that these households have … -
Extending TANF Emergency Fund Would Help Small Businesses Recover from Recession
March 23, 2010
A provision now added to the small business jobs bill the House is expected to vote on later this week would extend the TANF Emergency Fund, which is set to expire September 30. This provision would help create and preserve jobs, support small businesses, and strengthen overall demand. [1] The Emergency Fund, included in last … -
With 100,000 Newly Created Subsidized Jobs at Stake, It’s Critical to Extend and Expand TANF Emergency Fund as Part of New Jobs Bill
February 26, 2010
The Senate should include President Obama’s proposal to extend for one year and modestly expand the TANF Emergency Fund in the bill it is crafting to respond to historically high unemployment and weak consumer demand. If the Senate fails to include this measure, a program that is providing many unemployed, low-income parents with … -
Creating a Safety Net That Works When the Economy Doesn’t: The Role of the Food Stamp and TANF Programs
February 25, 2010
The Food Stamp Program[1] and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program have responded very differently to the unprecedented challenges that the current recession, with its high levels of unemployment and rapidly changing economic circumstances, has posed to the nation’s safety net. The Food Stamp Program, a federal … -
Extending TANF Emergency Fund Meets CBO Criteria for Effective Policies to Increase Employment
February 22, 2010
As Congress considers actions to create jobs and boost the economy, one of the most effective steps it could take — on a “bang-for-the-buck” basis — would be to extend and modestly expand the TANF Emergency Fund, set to expire September 30. This fund, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is creating jobs at a very low cost. … -
Opportunities under the TANF Emergency Fund Created By the Federal Recovery Act
July 29, 2009
The TANF provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 create a new and temporary TANF Emergency Fund available to states, territories, and tribes for federal fiscal years 2009 and 2010.[1] States can receive additional funding through the TANF Emergency Fund for increased expenditures in basic assistance, … -
Overview of the TANF Provisions in the Economic Recovery Act
February 26, 2009
The TANF provisions in section 2101 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 create a new Emergency Contingency Fund under which states can receive 80 percent federal funding for increases (relative to a base year quarter) in certain TANF-related expenditures in federal fiscal years … -
Designing Solely State-Funded Programs
Revised January 8, 2009
In the wake of federal TANF changes, states face key choices as they decide the next direction for their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. In early 2006, Congress enacted changes to TANF in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) that effectively increase the proportion of assistance recipients that states must have … -
TANF Benefits Are Low and Have Not Kept Pace with Inflation
November 24, 2008
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Using TANF or MOE Funds to Provide Supplemental Assistance to Low-Income Working Families
Updated September 8, 2008
As states revisit their welfare reform approaches in the wake of the TANF changes in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), a number of states have implemented or are considering policies that expand support to low-income working families, particularly those transitioning into employment and off of basic TANF assistance programs. In most states, families lose eligibility for TANF cash … -
Summary of Final TANF Rules
February 20, 2008
The final TANF rule implementing changes due to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was published in the Federal Register on February 5, 2008 at 73 Fed. Reg. 6772. The new rule finalizes, with some changes, the Interim Final Rule published on June 29, 2006. The Final Rule is effective October 1, 2008. The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) provided HHS with broad new … -
Georgia’s Increased TANF Work Participation Rate is Driven by Sharp Caseload Decline
March 6, 2007
Overview Georgia’s success at increasing its TANF work participation rate has been touted as a welfare reform model for other states as they seek ways to meet the new work participation requirements associated with the Deficit Reduction Act changes to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. An examination of available data on Georgia’s TANF program and … -
Implementing the TANF Changes in the Deficit Reduction Act
February 9, 2007
In the coming months, states will face key choices as they decide the next direction for their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. After a lengthy and contentious reauthorization process, Congress enacted changes to TANF in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) that substantially increase the proportion of assistance recipients who must … -
Georgia’s Increased TANF Work Participation Rate is Driven by Sharp Caseload Decline-REDIRECT
July 17, 2006
This report has been updated. You will be redirected now. http://www.cbpp.org/3-6-07tanf.htm -
Using the Internet to Facilitate Enrollment In Benefit Programs
Revised June 20, 2005
Over the last decade, internet technology has transformed many aspects of our society, including how people obtain information and conduct personal and professional transactions. It can also offer new ways for working families to learn about and enroll in benefit programs for which they may qualify. All states … -
State Policies to Assist Working-Poor Families
December 10, 2004
Introduction For a large and growing number of Americans, having a job is not enough to lift them out of poverty. This report presents a menu of practical policy options that states can adopt to help working-poor families meet their basic needs and improve their lives. The number of people in working-poor families has grown significantly in the last two decades. In 2003, 13.1 … -
Recent Welfare Reform Research Findings
January 30, 2004
This paper summarizes some of the key research findings from recent welfare reform research — primarily research released in the last year — and discusses the policy implications of these findings. [1] Current TANF proposals that are pending in Congress would do little to address most of these challenges. When the Senate … -
Improving TANF Program Outcomes for Families With Barriers to Employment
January 22, 2002
Developed Jointly With A significant number of current and former TANF recipients have various barriers to finding and maintaining employment. Among the most common barriers are physical and mental health problems, domestic violence, low skill levels, lack of adequate or affordable housing, and limited proficiency in English.… -
Strengthening Families: Ideas for TANF Reauthorization
January 22, 2002
Developed Jointly With The debate over TANF's role in strengthening families and promoting marriage may be among the liveliest of the reauthorization debates. It coincides with the emergence of new evidence showing that "family formation" trends have taken a positive turn. In the 1990s, teen …
