1815 TANF Family Service Plan Development | TANF

Every client who has personal responsibilities and/or work requirements must cooperate in the development of his or her own TFSP, based on the assessment. Every client who has personal responsibilities or a work requirement must meet the requirements stipulated in the TFSP.

It is the case manager’s responsibility to use every resource to assist the client as needed and to discuss the following:

A refusal by an applicant, without good cause, to participate in the development of the TANF Family Service Plan or to sign the plan will result in denial of the application.

A failure by an applicant, without good cause, to keep a scheduled appointment concerning development of the TFSP will result in denial of the application.

A refusal by a recipient, without good cause, to participate in the development of the TANF Family Service Plan or to sign the TANF Family Service plan will result in termination of the TANF case.

A refusal by a recipient, without good cause, to keep a scheduled appointment concerning the development or amendment of the TFSP will result in closure of the TANF case for failure to keep an appointment.

A refusal or failure to meet the requirements of the TFSP without good cause may result in the imposition of a sanction against the assistance unit (AU).

Refer to Section 1351 Sanctions for information on sanctions and good cause.

Development of the TFSP is to begin with an initial contact. It must be completed prior to final approval of the application.

Work activities or personal responsibility requirements can begin before eligibility has been established and the application is approved, if the client agrees. However, childcare and transportation funds may only be provided for job search.

The case manager and the client must work together to develop a plan that moves the client toward self-sufficiency as soon as possible and utilize the least number of months.

The following must be used in developing or amending a TFSP with the client:

The ADA’s definition of a person with a disability is: an individual who (a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (b) has a record of such impairment, or (c) is regarded as having such impairment.

Persons discriminated against because they have a known association or relationship with an individual who has a disability are also protected by the ADA.

The ADA requires that a person with a disability be given meaningful access to all programs and services. Providing meaningful access to a client with a disability means that the client must be given the opportunity to benefit from all available resources to the same extent as provided to a person without a disability.

The TFSP must be developed in a way that provides individualized treatment and meaningful opportunities for a client with a limitation to succeed in achieving the goals of the TFSP.

The TFSP must not be developed in a way that places barriers on the client based on a false assumption that there are certain work activities to which a person with a disability/limitation must never be assigned.

A client with a disability/limitation is not exempt from work requirements or personal responsibilities. Work requirements are mandated based on the presupposition that an individual will be better off if provided with job and training opportunities rather than continuing to receive public assistance.

A client with a disability may need to receive additional training and/or support services before s/he is ready to succeed at work. The case manager must be particularly attentive to the potential need for accommodations necessitated by a disability/limitation.

A client with a disability may require additional time in order to achieve not only the final goal of full-time employment, but also in order to meet intermediate goals specified in the plan.

The TFSP is developed in coordination with other agencies that provide services to the client. Any TFSP that is developed prior to the completion of a comprehensive assessment will probably need to be updated when the results of the assessment are received.

In some instances, it may not be possible to complete the TFSP within the established time parameters. There may be a valid reason to delay not only the development of the TFSP, but also the referral for the client’s comprehensive assessment.

For example, a client may have unresolved domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or stalking issues that require a stabilization of the family’s living arrangements before the client is able to engage in a work activity. Any existing child welfare service plan is to be incorporated into the TFSP.

The initial TFSP, and each subsequent TFSP, must contain:

When feasible, the TFSP may reflect the client’s preferences for certain work activities. However, the client’s skill levels, local employment opportunities, and his/her TANF clock must take precedence in the completed service plan.

The case manager must review each client’s TFSP to ensure that it continues to be appropriate and that the client is meeting the plan’s requirements. This structured review is part of the ongoing assessment process.

This review can be a face-to-face meeting or a contact by other means, such as a telephone call. This requirement is to determine the client’s level of engagement in the activity and if it is time for movement to occur.

If the face-to-face meeting is deemed necessary, it should be in a manner and at a location, which is most supporting to the client’s goals and does not interfere with the client’s participation in scheduled activities.

The TFSP must also be reviewed:

A review of the TFSP that is completed when a phase of the plan is concluded and a new phase begins is regarded as one review, not two separate reviews.

Documentation of the outcome of progress reviews must be entered in the case notes screens in IES. Updates to the TFSP are completed on the Activity Employment Services screens in IES when changes are made to the plan.

The client’s signature on TFSP indicating that the client understands and agrees with all changes made to the TFSP, is required even when documentation of the changes is entered on the system.

In an event that the client is not making satisfactory progress, the case manager must schedule a case staffing to document TANF client’s progress in participation of employment services activities. The intent is to re-evaluate the participant’s potential for employment and identify if the client has incurred any additional service needs.

A case staffing will assist the case manager and the client in reviewing potential barriers and ensuring the client’s movement towards a successful career as quickly as possible.

Form 199, TANF Employment Services Case Staffing Form, in IES, is used to document the client’s progress in achieving the goal of self-sufficiency. Documentation should be updated in Case Notes screens to support information from the staffing.

At application, the case manager must:

Following approval of the application, the case manager must:

Document assessment results on Employment Services Family Assessment and Applicant Services Employment Assessment screen in IES.

Following the completion of an assessment, the case manager must revise the existing TFSP based on the information provided by the assessment.

Individuals participating in the TANF Family service plan’s revision should include:

The representative need not be physically present for the TFSP development process.

Include in the plan any specific recommendations for training, etc. provided by the assessing entity.

Place the client in appropriate work or training activities after assessments have been completed. Place the client in appropriate work activities after assigned training activities have been completed.

Placement in appropriate work activities may require a referral to a partner agency if job placement responsibilities have been assigned to a contractor.