Temporary Assistance for Needy Family Program (TANF)

RECOMMENDATIONS

Strengthen for young families the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

U.S. Senators—Co-sponsor forthcoming legislation expected to be introduced by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) to strengthen for young families the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

U.S. Representatives—Co-sponsor forthcoming legislation expected to be introduced by Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV) to strengthen for young families the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

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ISSUE STATUS

(visit www.nn4youth.org periodically for status updates)

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV) are expected to reintroduce legislation from the 110^th Congress (The Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act) to create the income security conditions and family supports needed to ensure permanency for the Nation’s unaccompanied youth. That legislation included a title to strengthen for young families the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) income security program.

The TANF provisions of the legislation would:

• Require the identification of the extent and strategies to address the unmet service and living arrangement needs of teen parents in state TANF plans.
• Require states to establish a “transitional compliance period,” whereby income-eligible minor parents who at the time of application are having trouble meeting the complex rules and eligibility conditions related to education and living arrangements (such as school dropouts and homeless youth) of the TANF program are nevertheless allowed to receive assistance on the condition that they comply with the minor parent rules within an established period after enrollment.
• Establish sanctions protections procedures that help teen parents understand, avoid, and/or end sanctions.
• Ensure the appropriate provision of alternative living arrangements for minor parents unable to live at home.
• Ensure that states consult with minor parents about their preferred living arrangement.
• Identify transitional living youth projects for older homeless youth funded through the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) as a type of alternative living arrangement.
• Permit the minor parent to appeal the state’s decision of alternative living arrangement if it differs from the minor parent’s preference.
• Commence the lifetime limit on TANF assistance for teen parents completing their education and training programs when they turn age 20, rather than when they turn age 19, in order to allow these older youth to complete their education/training without the lifetime limit clock ticking.
• Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct studies of:  teen parents receiving TANF assistance and to identify state and community best practices related to teen parent enrollment and tracking; teen parents not receiving TANF assistance to identify reasons for non-participation and to measure indicators of family well-being; the effects of paternity establishment policies; and, the nature, extent, and impact of sanctions imposed on parents who have not attained age 20.

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WHY THIS MATTERS

Families headed by minor parents or young adult parents are experiencing barriers to accessing and remaining in the TANF program. Among those obstacles:

• Complex Rules—In some communities, income-eligible minor parents are not getting the help they need to comply with program rules and in some instances they are even being shut out from receiving applications.  These unintended consequences appear largely due to caseworker and teen parent misinterpretation of the minor parent rules.
• Restricted Living Arrangement Requirements—The minor parent living arrangement rule has discouraged some minor parents who are unable to live with parents, guardians, or other adult relatives from applying for TANF assistance for fear of being confined to or returned to unsafe homes.  Also, some states have not acted vigorously enough to provide alternative living arrangements.
• Premature Time Clock—The 60- month lifetime limit on TANF assistance takes effect for young parents who are participating in education and training activities upon turning age 19, even when these parents are still completing the education required of them when they entered TANF as minors.  These older youth are forced to choose between completing their education/training or exiting TANF prematurely (and thus losing cash assistance to care for their children) to avoid commencement of the lifetime limit on TANF assistance.
• Disproportionate Sanctioning—In some states, young parents appear to be disproportionately sanctioned compared to TANF families overall.

States face challenges in implementing TANF’s minor parent provisions.  Among them:

• Gap in State Plans—Current TANF law does not provide an adequate picture of the capacity of states to meet the service needs of young parents.
• Lack of Information—There is limited information about the number, characteristics, and well-being of the young parents and their children, both those enrolled in TANF and those not enrolled in the program. Studies should be conducted that collect more demographic information about minor parent families and that better measure the efficacy of TANF policies.

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BACKGROUND

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides cash assistance and supportive assistance to low-income families.  Minor parents may receive their own TANF assistance grants if they meet certain eligibility criteria.  Like their older counterparts, minor parents must agree to adhere to certain rules. In addition, the TANF statute has two rules that apply only to minor parents (typically, those under 18 years of age.)  The minor parent education/training rule prohibits states from awarding TANF cash grants to minor parents unless they are participating in education or training activities.  The minor parent living arrangement rule prohibits states from awarding TANF cash grants to minor parents unless they are living with a parent, legal guardian, or another adult relative, or in a living arrangement approved by the state.