2960 Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF)

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Medicaid Policy Manual

Policy Title:

Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF)

Effective Date:

June 2020

Chapter:

2900

Policy Number:

2960

Previous Policy Number(s):

MT 37

Updated or Reviewed in MT:

MT-60

Requirements

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 eliminated the open-ended entitlement of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The PRWORA created a block grant for states to provide time-limited cash assistance for needy families, with work requirements for most recipients. The law also made far-reaching changes to childcare, the Child Support Enforcement Program and benefits for legal immigrant.

Basic Considerations

The PRWORA eliminated the AFDC program, JOBS, and Emergency Assistance (EA), and created the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant. The purposes of TANF are to:

  • provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their homes or in the homes of relatives

  • end the dependency of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage

  • prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies

  • encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

Promoting the well-being of the children of Georgia is the mission of the Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services. In order to fulfill its mission, the Department assists families in their efforts to acquire the necessary means to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Assistance is provided in the following manner:

  • work activities that include job search, job training, and assistance with job placement,

  • support services such as child-care, transportation, and other necessary expenditures that assist families in obtaining employment and remaining employed, thus eliminating the need for cash assistance,

  • cash assistance that is provided either by check or electronic benefit transfer,

  • support services intended to support and maintain two-parent families, and

  • support services intended to prevent teen and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.

Procedures

Applications for TANF are accepted at the local DFCS office and online at www.gateway.ga.gov.