1390 Lifetime Limit | TANF

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
TANF Policy Manual

Policy Title:

Lifetime Limit

Effective Date:

May 2023

Chapter:

1300

Policy Number:

1390

Previous Policy Number(s):

MT 56

Updated or Reviewed in MT:

MT-72

Requirements

Receipt of TANF is limited to 48 months in a lifetime for an assistance unit (AU) in which the grantee relative is subject to the lifetime limit.

Basic Considerations

Each month, beginning January 1997, in which an adult receives TANF cash assistance counts toward the 48-month lifetime limit.

States are to count only months for which an adult received assistance as the head-of-household or as the spouse of the head-of-household.
Any month when a pregnant minor or minor parent received assistance as the head-of-household or married to the head-of-household counts toward the 48-month lifetime limit.

The State and Federal time clock will increment monthly for an individual that meets the conditions above.

TANF is defined either as cash assistance, or as a support service or TANF childcare received by an AU in which no one is employed.

Childcare provided in accordance with Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) policy is not paid from TANF funds. Therefore, receipt of childcare that is paid through UAS codes 516, 517 or 535 is not counted as a month of TANF even if the AU receives it for a month during which no one in the AU is employed. A month in which a family receives only non-TANF childcare does not count toward the 48-month lifetime limit.

Parent Grantee Relative

Only months an adult, minor head of household, or spouse of the head of household who receives TANF cash assistance for themselves counts toward the lifetime limit.

The lifetime limit does not apply to an adult or minor parent head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household if they are ineligible.

The lifetime limit does not apply to an adult or minor parent head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household if they are excluded because they receive SSI.

The lifetime limit applies to an adult, minor head-of-household, or the spouse of the head-of-household in which only the parent receives TANF because the only child receives SSI.

In a two-parent family in which the parents have not received TANF for the same number of months, the lifetime limit closure is based on the parent who has received TANF for the greater number of months.

Non-Parent Grantee Relative

The lifetime limit applies to a non-parent grantee relative who is receiving TANF cash assistance for themselves.

The lifetime limit does not apply to the non-parent grantee relative who is not receiving TANF cash assistance.

A non-parent grantee relative who has received TANF cash assistance as a recipient for 48 months can continue to receive TANF as a payee-only for related children.

A non-parent grantee relative who has received TANF cash assistance as a recipient for 48 months cannot receive TANF for his/her own children even if these children have never received TANF. If the non-parent grantee relative was receiving TANF cash assistance as a TANF recipient for less than 48 months, s/he can receive TANF for his/her own children for the months remaining of the 48-month lifetime limit.

Minor Parent Grantee Relative

Any month a pregnant minor or minor parent receives assistance as the head-of-household or is married to the head-of-household counts toward the state and federal lifetime limit. All other criteria applicable to a parent apply to a minor parent grantee relative.

Months of receipt of TANF as a dependent child, including a minor parent who receives TANF as a dependent child and are not the head-of-household, do not count toward the 48-month lifetime limit.

Countable Months

The following months count toward the 48-month lifetime limit:

each full or partial month for which an AU correctly receives cash assistance, regardless of the correctness of the amount,
a month in which a support service and/or TANF childcare (e.g., childcare paid directly out of TANF funds) is received by an AU in which no one is employed,
a month in which cash assistance is diverted to an employer under subsidized employment,
a month for which the entire cash assistance benefit is recouped for payment of an outstanding claim.

If, because of the date on which timely notice expires, the AU receives an additional month of cash assistance, the additional month of benefits counts toward the TANF lifetime limit.

The AU may waive timely notice so that the receipt of additional cash assistance can be avoided, reserving the month for a later time when the need for cash assistance may be greater.

Non-Countable Months

The following months do not count toward the 48-month lifetime limit:

a month for which cash assistance is not issued because the benefit amount prorates to $0,
a month for which an AU receives cash assistance, but which is later determined to be a month of total overpayment,
a month for which cash assistance is not issued because the amount is less than $10,
a month for which the entire cash assistance benefit is returned by the AU,
a month for which an AU does not access its cash assistance and the entire month’s benefits are purged,
a month in which only support services are received by an employed AU member,
a month in which non-TANF childcare (paid through UAS codes 516, 517 or 535) is received, regardless of whether an AU member is employed.

AU Moving to Georgia from another State

An AU that has received cash assistance in another state is subject to Georgia’s 48-month lifetime limit, regardless of the lifetime limit in the other state.

Each month, beginning in January 1997, in which an AU receives TANF cash assistance in another state counts toward the lifetime limit in Georgia.

Months in which an AU received AFDC in another state prior to that state’s implementation of TANF do not count toward the lifetime limit.

The TANF cash assistance received in another state of residence, prior to moving to Georgia, will count towards the life-time limit only if the assistance was paid from the federal funds in the previous state.

Hardship Waiver

An AU that is subject to the lifetime limit may have the limit waived if it is determined that the AU meets certain hardship criteria.

Refer to Section 1392 for additional information regarding hardship waiver from the TANF time limits.

Documentation and Verification

Determine if the lifetime limit applies to the AU and document the reason. The link to the National Directory is dpaweb.hss.state.ak.us/files/pdfs/NATIONALDIRECTORY.pdf. It is essential that former states be contacted to identify and verify the number of TANF months received in other states prior to initial approval to prevent any cases being approved in error.

Verify the following:

the accuracy of the system information regarding the number of months for which cash assistance has been received,
the number of months in which support services, other than childcare, were received by an AU in which no one was employed,
the number of months for which cash assistance was received in another state, and the date TANF was implemented in the other state, if applicable.
the number of months for which cash assistance received in another state was paid solely out of state funds.

Document this information and correct the tracking system, if necessary.

Procedures

Use the following chart to determine the number of months an AU has used toward its lifetime limit when the AU has received TANF in another state.

Chart 1390.1 - DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF MONTHS USED TOWARD THE LIFETIME LIMIT FOR AN AU MOVING TO GEORGIA
IF	THEN
the applicant states s/he did not receive TANF in another state in January 1997 or thereafter	accept the applicant’s statement unless it is questionable.
the applicant states s/he received TANF in another state in January 1997 or thereafter or the applicant’s statement is questionable	contact the previous state of residence to verify the following: the number of months for which the applicant received TANF from January 1, 1997, or from the date TANF was implemented in the other state, whichever is later, and the date of TANF implementation. Count the months for which the AU received TANF from January 1, 1997, or from the date TANF was implemented in the other state, whichever is later.
the applicant first received TANF in Georgia and subsequently received TANF assistance in another state	count the months for which the AU received TANF in Georgia from January 1, 1997, and the months for which the AU received TANF in the other state after January 1, 1997, or from the date TANF was implemented in the other state, whichever was later.
the applicant received TANF in more than one state prior to moving to Georgia	count the months for which the AU received TANF in the other states from January 1, 1997, or from the date TANF was implemented in the other states, whichever is later, and the months for which the AU received TANF in Georgia after January 1, 1997.
the applicant received state funded TANF in more than one state prior to moving to Georgia	Disregard the months for which the AU had received state funded TANF in the other states.