Appendix E Glossary | TANF

ACF

Administration for Children and Families

ADA

Americans With Disabilities Act

ADH

Administrative Disqualification Hearing

AE

Agency Error

AFB

Apply for Benefits

AFDC

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Replaced by TANF)

AFDC-UP

AFDC-Unemployed Parent (Replaced by two-parent household)

ALJ

Administrative Law Judge

AP

Absent Parent

APO

Adult Probation Office

AR

Appeals Reviewer

A/R

Applicant/Recipient

ARM

AFDC-Related Medicaid

ASVI

Alien Status Verification Index

AU

Assistance Unit

BAD

Begin Authorization Date

BEERS

Beneficiary Earnings Exchange Record System

BENDEX

Benefit Data Exchange System

BC

Birth Certificate

BG

Budget Group (also referred to as EDG)

CAA

Community Action Agency

CAPS

Childcare and Parent Services

CDR

Caseworker Distribution Report

DOL

Department of Labor

DRS

Division of Rehabilitative Services

DRS

Disqualified Recipient Subsystem

DV

Domestic Violence

E&R

Evaluation & Reporting

E&T

Employment and Training

EBT

Electronic Benefits Transfer

EDC/EDD

Estimated Date of Confinement/Estimated Date of Delivery

EIS

Employment Intervention Services

EITC/EIC

Earned Income Tax Credit/Earned Income Credit

EMA

Emergency Medical Assistance

EPSDT

Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment

ESL

English as a Second Language

ESS

Economic Support Services

EV

Equity Value

EW/CW/CM

Eligibility Worker/Caseworker/Case Manager

FC

Foster Care

FAST

Free and Secure Trade Card

FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FMV

Fair Market Value

FNS

Food and Nutrition Service

FPL

Federal Poverty Level

FRP

Family Resettlement Program

FS

Food Stamps (See SNAP)

FSP

Food Stamp Program (See SNAP)

FVO

Family Violence Option

GA

General Assistance

GED

General Educational Development Certificate

GIC

Gross Income Ceiling

GRG

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

HIPP

Health Insurance Premium Payment Program

HUD

Housing and Urban Development

IDA

Individual Development Account

IEI

Intake Eligibility Investigator

IEVS

Income and Eligibility Verification System

IES

Integrated Eligibility System

IHE

Inadvertent Household Error

INA

Immigration and Naturalization Act

INS

Immigration and Naturalization Service(obsolete)

IPV

Intentional Program Violation

IRS

Internal Revenue Service

IT

Information & Technology

JOBS

Job Opportunities and Basic Skills

JTPA

Job Training Partnership Act

LPR

Lawful Permanent Resident

LSO

Legal Services Office

MAO

Medical Assistance Only

MH/DD/AD

Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases, Division of (formerly, the Division of MH/MR/SA)

MEO

Medicaid Eligible Only

MIS

Management Information Systems

MH/MR/SA

Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse, Division of

MMC

Merchant Mariner’s Credential

MN

Medically Needy

MNIL

Medically Needy Income Level

MPG

Maintenance, Physical Care and Guidance

MR

Monthly Reporting

MSP

Monthly Subsidy Payment

NLA

Newly Legalized Alien

NVRA

National Voter Registration Act

OFA

Office of Fraud and Abuse

OI/OP

Over-issuance/Overpayment

OIS

Office of Investigative Services (formerly, the Office of Fraud and Abuse)

OJT

On-the-Job Training

ORR

Office of Refugee Resettlement

OSAH

Office of State Administrative Hearings

PA

Public Assistance

PAC

Prosecuting Attorney Consent Agreement

PCET

Pending Case Entry Transaction

PHASE

Encompasses job readiness levels

PIC

Private Industry Council

PRUCOL

Permanently Residing Under Color of Law

PRWORA

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

NCP

Non-custodial Parent

PRP

Personal Responsibility Plan (Included in TANF Family Service Plan Section A)

PWP

Personal Work Plan (replaced by TANF Family Service Plan)

QC

Quality Control

RAW

Replenishment Agricultural Worker

RCA

Refugee Cash Assistance

RFW

Ready for Work

RMB

Renew my Benefits

RMC

Report my Change

RRP

Refugee Resettlement Program

RSDI

Retired, Survivors, Disability Insurance

RSM

Right from the Start Medicaid

SAVE

Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements

SAW

Special Agricultural Worker

SENTRI

Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection

SFU

Standard Filing Unit

SMEU

State Medical Evaluation Unit

SNAP

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

SON

Standard of Need

SOP

Standard of Promptness

SSA

Social Security Administration

SSI

Supplemental Security Income

SSN

Social Security Number

SSW

Social Service Worker

SVES

State Verification and Exchange System

TANF

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

TCC

Transitional Child Care

TCN

Transaction Control Number

TFSP

TANF Family Service Plan

TMA

Transitional Medical Assistance

TPL

Third Party Liability

TPR

Third Party Resource

TSS

Transitional Support Services

TSA

Transitional Shelter Assistance

UCB

Unemployment Compensation Benefits

USDA

United States Department of Agriculture

USCIS

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

VA

Veterans Administration

VR

Vocational Rehabilitation Program

WDH

Waiver of Disqualification Hearing

WEC

WebCenter Enterprise Capture

WIA

Workforce Investment Act

WIC

Women, Infants and Children program

WSP

Work Support Payments

WTW

Welfare to Work

Absent Parent (see non- custodial parent)

A parent whose continued absence from the home interrupts or terminates the parent’s ability to provide maintenance, physical care, or guidance for the child.

Adequate Notice

A written communication provided by the agency to the AU no later than the date on which the action is taken. The notice must specify the action taken, the effective date of the action, and a manual reference as a basis for the action.

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

The federal agency that administers and provides funding for TANF, child support, childcare, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs relating to children and families.

ACF is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services (HHS).

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

The legal officer responsible for dismissing a hearing request or conducting a hearing and issuing a decision based on the hearing findings.

Adoption Assistance

A cash subsidy paid to adoptive parents for children who meet the DHR definition of special needs. The income is excluded for TANF budgeting purposes.

Aid to Families with Dependent Children

State-administered cash assistance program for low-income families with minor dependent children. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 eliminated the AFDC program and its open-ended entitlement.

The PRWORA created the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant. However, some AFDC policies and procedures continue to be used in Medicaid classes of assistance.

Alien

An individual residing in the United States who is not a U.S. citizen.

Allocated Income

A portion of the total income of the TANF caretaker or eligible adult, set aside for the purpose of meeting the needs of individuals ineligible for inclusion in the TANF AU.

Allocation Budget

A budget computed to show the amount to deduct from the total income of the TANF caretaker or eligible adult as the allocated share for an ineligible household member for whom the caretaker or adult is financially responsible.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

Federal legislation giving civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities. These protections are similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of, for example, race, color, gender, age and religion.

Applicant/Recipient (A/R)

The applicant for or recipient of TANF, Food Stamps or Medical Assistance.

Application

A written request for assistance.

OR

The action by which an individual indicates in writing a desire to receive assistance. The date of an application is the date on which a local DFCS office receives a signed application.

Arrears

Unpaid child support payments for past periods owed by a parent who is obligated to pay.

Assistance

Cash payments, vouchers, and other forms of benefits that are paid for with TANF funds and are designed to meet a family’s ongoing basic needs (for food, clothing, shelter, utilities, household goods, etc.), including support services such as transportation and childcare provided to families who are not employed. Some TANF requirements apply when federal TANF or state MOE funds pay for “assistance” provided under the TANF program.

Assistance Unit (AU)

A group of individuals who are eligible to receive TANF. These individuals may be members of the standard filing unit or may be non-SFU individuals who are related to and living with the grantee relative.

Assistance Unit Delay

A delay in the disposition of a case action beyond established timeliness standards that is caused by the AU’s failure to report a change, keep an appointment, or provide requested information.

Assistance Unit ID Number

A unique nine-digit number assigned by the system to each AU.

Asylee

An alien who is seeking entry into or who may already be in the U.S., and who seeks asylum in the U.S. because of an inability or unwillingness to return to his/her country of nationality, or to seek the protection of that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution.

Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Asylum status and refugee status are closely related, differing only in the place where a person asks for the status. Asylum status is requested in the U.S., while refugee status is asked for outside of the U.S. In order to be granted asylum, a person must meet the definition of a refugee.

Authorized Representative (Auth Rep)

Someone who you choose to act on your behalf, like a family member or other trusted person. Some authorized representatives may have legal authority to act on your behalf.

Beneficiary Data Exchange System (BENDEX)

A file that contains RSDI benefit information on individuals who are current or past recipients of public assistance.

Blended Family

A family comprised of two parents with at least one mutual child, with at least one of the parents also having a child from another relationship.

Boarder

An individual to whom lodging and meals are furnished and who pays a reasonable compensation in exchange for the lodging and meals.

Bona fide effort to sell

An effort made in good faith and without an intent to deceive or commit fraud, to sell real or personal property that would otherwise be a countable resource. The property is an excluded resource while an AU is making a bona fide effort to sell it.

Budget Group (BG)

A term that refers to all AU members and the financially responsible parents who live with them.

Capital Gains

A profit realized from the sale of financial assets, whether they be stocks, goods or equipment.

Caretaker

An individual who meets the specified degree of relationship for TANF, and who is included in the AU as a recipient of cash assistance. A parent living with a child for whom TANF is requested must be included as a caretaker, unless ineligible, penalized or disqualified. A non-parent can be included or not included in the AU. The caretaker receives cash assistance in his/her name.

Cash Surrender Value (CSV)

The equity value, or the amount of money an owner of a life insurance policy will receive upon cashing the policy. The CSV may or may not be an excluded resource.

Cash Value

The value of a liquid resource.

Child

A person less than 18 years of age or considered to be a minor under State law, including a fetus with a detectable human heartbeat.

OR

An individual who is neither married nor the head of household and is (1) under the age of 18, or (2) under the age of 20 and a student regularly attending a school, college, or university or a course of vocational or technical training designed to prepare him/her for gainful employment.

Child-Only Case

A TANF case in which no eligible adult is included in the AU.

Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)

CHIP was established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and enacted by adding Title XXI to the Social Security Act and amending the Medicaid statute. CHIP provides funds to enable states to initiate and expand the provision of child health assistance to uninsured, low-income children.

Citizen

An individual born in one of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands; was born abroad to two U.S. citizens; who has fulfilled the requirements and completed the process of naturalization. See section 1310 in the policy manual for additional citizenship criteria.

Civilian Health and Medical Plan for Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS)

Health insurance available to veterans of the armed services and their dependents.

Claim

An overpayment of benefits that has been scheduled for recovery.

Collateral Contact

A written or verbal confirmation of an AU’s circumstances by an individual who is not a part of the AU but who is knowledgeable of the AU and its circumstances.

Commingled Funds

The inclusion or combination of both excluded and countable assets within a single financial account.

OR

State funds that are spent within the TANF program and are commingled with federal funds. These expenditures may count toward both the State’s maintenance-of-effort (MOE) and are subject to federal TANF rules.

Common-Law Marriage

A marriage that exists by mutual agreement without benefit of a religious or civil ceremony in which two adults live together, consider themselves to be married to each other, present themselves to the community as husband and husband, wife and wife or husband and wife, and are legally free to marry.

As of 1997, Georgia law does not recognize new common-law marriages. Relationships that met common-law marriage criteria prior to the change in Georgia law continue to be recognized as such.

Community Action Agency (CAA)

A nonprofit organization, which can be either private or public, that is part of a network of entities established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 for the purpose of combating poverty.

Funded by the Federal government, CAAs are approved by the Governor’s Office and administered locally. The programs and services provided by CAAs may differ from one local agency to another. Services can include Head Start, employment services, emergency assistance, transportation, home weatherization, and assistance with utility bills.

Compliance

The act of successfully completing a requirement that the client had previously failed to fulfill, that failure having resulted in the commission of a material violation and the application of a first sanction.

Conciliation

The process by which, irrespective of the existence of good cause, the case manager and the client reconcile the reason the client committed a material violation.

Conciliated Material Violation

A first material violation of a PRP or PWP that has been successfully reconciled, so that no sanction is applied.

Continued Absence

A basis of deprivation, whereby the absence of a parent from the home is of an indefinite duration and has been found to interrupt the parent’s ability to function as a parent.

Conversion Factor

The numerical factor used to convert income received more frequently than monthly to a monthly amount.

For income received weekly, multiply by 4 1/3 or 4.3333

For income received biweekly (every two weeks), multiply by 2 1/6, or 2.1666.

For income received semimonthly (twice a month), multiply by 2.

Core (Primary) Activities

Core Activities count towards the Federal Work Participation Rate.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)

A scheduled increase in federal benefit amounts, based on a formula that accounts for various economic factors.

Changes are typically effective in January of a new calendar year.

Court Order

A legally binding edict issued by a court of law. An order related to child support can dictate how often, how much, what kind of support a non-custodial parent is to pay, how long he or she is to pay it, and whether an employer must withhold support from their wages.

Crisis Intervention Service Payment (CRISP)

A one-time cash payment that is available to a grandparent, who is exercising care and control of his/her grandchild and who needs this assistance to meet the extra expenses associated with the grandchild (ren)'s living in the home.

Cuban/Haitian entrant

A status accorded to 1) Cubans who entered illegally or were paroled into the U.S. between 4/15/80 and 10/10/80, and 2) Haitians who entered illegally or were paroled into the country before 1/1/81. Cubans and Haitians meeting these criteria and who have lived continuously in the U.S. since before 1/1/82 may attain permanent residence status under a special provision.

Current Market Value (CMV)

The resale value of a non-liquid resource. Also, refer to Equity Value (EV).

Custodial Parent

The parent who lives in the home and cares for his/her child.

Custody Order

A legally binding determination that establishes with whom a child shall live.

Deduction

An amount of money subtracted from an AU’s countable gross income in order to determine the AU’s countable net income.

Deeming

The budget process by which the income of a non-AU member is considered available to the AU to meet the financial needs of an AU member for whom the non-AU member has financial responsibility. Income is deemed from a stepparent or a parent of a minor caretaker.

Deemed Income

The amount of income of a stepparent or a parent of a minor caretaker that is counted as unearned income in the TANF AU’s budget.

Deemed Meeting

A special provision that allows certain TANF clients to meet federal work requirements by averaging fewer than thirty hours per week in countable work activities.

Department of Community Health (DCH)

The agency responsible for maximizing Georgia’s health care resources, planning health coverage for uninsured Georgians, coordinating health planning for state agencies, and insuring individuals under the State Health Benefit Plan and various Medicaid programs and DCH initiatives.

Department of Human Resources, Georgia

The Georgia state agency responsible for the delivery of Health and Social Services. One of the largest agencies in state government, it serves Georgia through regulatory inspection, direct service and financial assistance programs.

Department of Medical Assistance (DMA)

The division under DCH that is responsible for administering the Medicaid program in Georgia.

Dependent Care

Expenses paid by an AU for the care of a child or incapacitated household member.

Depreciation

A decrease in the value of business property.

Deprivation

A condition that must exist in order for a child to be potentially eligible for TANF. Deprivation can be caused by the following factors: a parent’s absence from the home, death, incapacity, or recent connection to the workforce.

Disability

Disability Adjudication Section (DAS)

A part of the Division of Rehabilitative Services (see below), DAS staff make decisions on disability claims filed with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Persons who have limited income and resources may file Supplemental Security (SSI) disability claims for consideration by the same medical standards as used for the SSA insured worker. The SSA provides the rules and regulations that govern the decision-making process, the appeals process, and all funding.

Disabled

A disabled individual is one with a physical or mental impairment that limits the individual’s ability to engage in gainful employment making it impossible for the disabled individual to support him/herself.

Disqualification

The consequence of an action taken to remove the needs of an individual from the assistance unit for an adjudicated intentional program violation or adjudicated misrepresentation of residency.

Division of Child Support Services (DCSS)

A division within DHS that administers the child support enforcement program that federal law requires all states to operate in order to enforce an absent parent’s obligation to support his/her child.

The federal office was created by Title IV-D of the Social Security Act in 1975 and is responsible for the administration of the child support program and for the development of child support policy. Federal DCSS is part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), which is within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS)

A division within the Georgia Department of Human Services, DFCS is responsible for the TANF, Food Stamp, and Medicaid programs. The division is also responsible for child and adult protective services, foster care, adoption assistance and other social services intended to assist families in crisis.

Division of Rehabilitative Services (DRS)

The Division of Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) operates a variety of programs for persons with disabilities. One of the largest programs is the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program.

The VR Program is intended to assist people with disabilities to work and to provide employers with dependable, qualified employees.

DRS also operates the Disability Adjudication Section (DAS) and Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.

Domestic Violence Assessor (DVA)

A trained individual who meets with a family for the purpose of completing an assessment of the family’s circumstances if someone in that family which is applying for or receiving TANF is suffering from domestic violence.

The DVA develops a service plan, makes referrals for the family as needed, and makes recommendations to the DFCS case manager in order to assist the family in extricating itself from its dangerous situation.

Earned Income

Money received in exchange for services rendered by the individual who receives the money.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), or Earned Income Credit (EIC)

A refundable Federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. Originally approved in 1975, the EITC was intended to help offset the burden of social security taxes and to provide an incentive to work. For a qualified individual, the credit reduces the amount of Federal income tax owed and can also result in a cash payment for a working person who does not earn enough to pay any income tax.

Employment Intervention Services (EIS)

Used to assist TANF recipients in meeting the goal of becoming independent of the need for government assistance. It is available to applicants who have full-time jobs but are temporarily on unpaid leave due to a temporary illness, scheduled to return to work within 4 months and the AU meets the gross income ceiling (GIC) test.

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)

The method used to distribute benefits to eligible assistance units (AU) A debit card and PIN are issued to the AU. The AU uses the card and PIN at points of sale to purchase food.

Eligibility Determination

The process of determining, based on the correct application of policies and procedures, whether an AU and/or member of an AU are eligible to begin or continue to receive assistance.

Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA)

A class of assistance that provides medical coverage to individuals who meet all requirements for a Medicaid COA except for citizenship/alienage and enumeration requirements and who require or have received an emergency medical service.

Emergency Payee

An individual, acting on behalf of an AU in an emergency, to whom TANF benefits are made payable for a period not to exceed three months.

Enumeration

The process by which a Social Security number (SSN) is obtained and validated.

Estimated Date of Delivery (EDD)

The date estimated by a qualified medical professional to be the date on which a pregnant woman will give birth.

Equity Value (EV)

The fair market value of a resource less encumbrances or legal debts.

Expunged Benefits

Benefits that have not been accessed by an AU are eventually deleted from the AU’s EBT account. For TANF benefits, expungement occurs 270 days from the last debit. Correctly expunged benefits cannot be returned to the AU.

Face Value (FV)

The amount of money payable to the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

Fair Hearing

A request by an AU to have an opportunity to dispute an action taken by the agency.

Fair Market Value

The amount of money for which an item can sell on the open market.

Family

A group of one or more custodial parents and their child(ren), or a child(ren) living with an adult caretaker relative, or a pregnant individual.

Family Maximum

The maximum amount of monthly cash assistance that can be paid to an AU based on the number of individuals in the AU.

Family Medicaid (FM)

The maximum amount of monthly cash assistance that can be paid to an AU based on the number of individuals in the AU. Comprised of a variety of COAs, each with its own specific eligibility criteria, it provides Medicaid benefits for a low-income family or for an individual who is not receiving SSI or any ABD Medicaid COA.

Family Resettlement Program (FRP)

A program that can provide housing assistance to a TANF AU (including an AU whose cash assistance has been recently closed) that is already homeless or in immediate danger of becoming homeless.

Family Violence Option (FVO)

The Family Violence Option permits a state to waive program requirements for a victim of domestic violence if complying with the requirements would make it more difficult for the victim to escape domestic violence or would unfairly penalize the individual. Under the FVO, a state must also develop a system to screen for victims of domestic violence and refer them to appropriate counseling and supportive services.

Georgia has elected to exercise the FVO.

Federal Benefit Rate (FBR)

The maximum SSI benefit based on an individual’s living arrangement and marital relationship. The FBR is used as the income limit in determining eligibility for SSI and some ABD COAs.

Federal Countable Income (FCI)

Net income, consisting of gross income less income exclusions and deductions, used to determine eligibility when employing the FBR as the income limit.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA is an independent federal agency that reports to the President. It often works in partnership with other organizations that are part of the nation’s emergency management system. These partners include state and local emergency management agencies, as well as other federal agencies and the American Red Cross.

Federal Poverty Level (FPL)

The Federal Government’s official income level for establishing poverty, called the Federal Poverty Guidelines or the Federal Poverty Level. The benefit levels of many low-income assistance programs are based on these poverty figures. The FPL is updated in February of each year.

Official poverty data are collected by the Census Bureau, which uses a set of income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who the government will regard as poor. Poverty thresholds are updated annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index.

Federal Tax Refund Offset Program

A program that collects past due child support amounts from non-custodial parents through the interception of their Federal income tax refund, or an administrative payment, such as Federal retirement benefits.

The cooperation of states in the submittal of cases for tax interception is mandatory. The program is operated in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Management Service (FMS), the U.S. Department of State, and the Division of

Child Support Services (DCSS) Agencies.

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)

The agency that administers the nutrition assistance programs of the

U.S. Department of Agriculture. These programs include the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Fetus/Fetuses

An unborn child or children.

Food Stamp Program

The Food Stamp Program is administered by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service and is intended to enable low-income families to buy nutritious food via Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. A food stamp recipient can spend benefits to buy eligible food in authorized retail food stores.

The FS Program provides crucial support to needy households and to those making the transition from welfare

Food Stamp Disaster Plan (DSNAP)

A written plan for the State of Georgia that provides policy and procedures for issuing food stamp benefits during times of declared state and federal disasters.

Foster Care

A Federal-State program that provides financial support to a person, family, or institution that is raising a child or children that are not their own.

The Free and Secure Trade (FAST)

The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program is a federal program. It is commercial clearance designed to ensure safety and security while expediting legitimate trade across the Canada–U.S. border.

The United States citizens who wish to become members of FAST must verify their citizenship and identity prior to approval of their request. After approval, they can use their FAST membership card as an alternative to their passport when entering the United States by land or water or when verifying their identity or citizenship for any other reason.

Gap Budgeting

Budgeting that allows for a filling of the gap that exists between the standard of need and the family maximum grant amount for an AU.

Gap Payment

The amount of child support that is paid by DCSS to a TANF- eligible child and that is limited to the difference between the AU’s standard of need and its maximum grant amount.

When an absent parent pays child support to DCSS for a child who receives TANF, DCSS retains the child support received that exceeds the gap amount and it is reimbursed to the state.

Georgia Benefit Amount (GBA)

The amount of cash assistance an AU receives based on the AU’s circumstances while residing in Georgia and using Georgia’s standard of need, income limits, and family maximum.

Good Cause

The inability of an AU, for reasons outside of the control of the AU, to provide requested information or meet deadlines.

Good Cause (DCSS-specific)

A legal reason for which a TANF recipient is excused from cooperating with the child support enforcement process.

Valid reasons include past physical harm by the child’s parent, situations in which rape or incest resulted in the conception of the child, and situations in which a parent is considering placing her child for adoption.

Grantee Relative

An individual who meets the specified degree of relationship for TANF, assumes responsibility for the children for whom TANF is requested, and receives cash assistance in his/her name on behalf of the children. The grantee relative may be included in the assistance unit as a caretaker, or may be a payee only, or a pregnant woman or pregnant minor with no dependent children.

Gross Income Ceiling (GIC)

A number, based on a percentage of the federal poverty level for an AU size, which if exceeded by an AU’s gross income causes the AU to be ineligible for assistance.

Gross Income Ceiling test

A budget procedure by which an AU’s gross income is compared to a percentage of the federal poverty level to determine eligibility.

Hardship Waiver

A temporary waiver to the TANF lifetime limit, based on the existence of a hardship as defined by the State, that has been or continues to be a barrier to an AU’s attainment of self-sufficiency.

Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA)

The section within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which has the primary administrative responsibility for the Medicaid program.

Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The HIPAA, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1996, is designed to protect health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs.

HIPAA is also intended to ensure patient confidentiality for all health care related information, the act’s requirements applying to any entity storing and/or transmitting patient identifiable information on electronic media.

Another intent of HIPAA is the reduction of health care costs by transferring administrative and financial transactions from paper to electronic media. Simplification efforts mandate the establishment of standards for safeguarding the transmission and storage of private medical information.

A failure to comply with the mandates contained in the HIPAA can result in civil and criminal penalties.

Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (HIPP)

A Medicaid program that can pay for the cost of private health insurance premiums when doing so can enable DMA to shift some of the cost of medical care to a third party.

Hearing

A formal, legal investigatory session conducted by an Administrative Law Judge who evaluates testimony provided by DFCS and AU members and/or representatives of the AU to determine whether correct policies and/or procedures were implemented in the course of actions having been taken on a case.

Home-Place

The dwelling in which an AU lives and the surrounding land and outbuildings.

Integrated Eligibility System (IES)

Eligibility system that integrates multiple programs such as TANF, Food Stamps, Medical Assistance, Peach care, Childcare, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and WIC.

IV-A Case

A child support case in which a caretaker, or custodial parent, and a child are receiving public assistance benefits under Georgia’s IV-A program, which is funded under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act; i.e., TANF. Applicants for assistance from IV-A programs are automatically referred to Georgia’s IV-D agency, i.e., Child Support Enforcement (DCSS), in order to identify and locate the absent, or non-custodial, parent, establish paternity and/or a child support order, and/or obtain child support payments. This allows Georgia to recoup or defray some of its public assistance expenditures with funds from the non-custodial parent.

IV-B Case

A child welfare IV-B case refers to Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, a small but integral part of State social service systems for families who need assistance in order to stay together. IV_B are directed to accomplish the following purposes: protect and promote the welfare of all children; prevent the neglect, abuse or exploitation of children; support at-risk families through services which allow children, where appropriate, to remain with their families or return to their families in a timely manner; promote the safety, permanence and well-being of children in foster care and adoptive families; and provide training, professional development and support to ensure a well-qualified workforce.

IV-D Case

A child support case in which either the custodial parent (CP) or the non-custodial parent (NCP) has requested or received IV-D services from the IV-D agency (DCSS). An IV-D case is composed of a custodial party, non-custodial parent, or putative father, and at least one dependent child. IV-D refers to Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, which requires that each state create a program to locate non-custodial parents, establish paternity, establish and enforce child support obligations, and collect and distribute support payments. All TANF recipients must be referred to (DCSS). Applications from families who do not receive public assistance must be accepted, if requested, to assist in collection of child support.

IV-E Case

A foster care case. Title IV-E of the Social Security Act established a Federal-State program known as Foster Care that provides financial support to a person, family, or institution that is raising a child or children that is not their own. The funding for IV-E Foster Care programs is primarily from Federal sources.

Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA)

Created in 1952, the INA collected and codified many existing provisions and reorganized the structure of immigration law. Though amended many times over the years, the Act still constitutes the basic body of immigration law.

Incapacity

A condition in which a parent’s ability to support or care for his/her child is eliminated or substantially reduced because of the debilitating nature of a mental or physical impairment.

Income

As defined by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), income is any periodic form of payment to an individual, including wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, worker’s compensation, disability, pension, or retirement program payments and interest.

Income Based on Need

Payments based on financial need that are paid either in entirety or in part from federal funds, or from private charitable organizations, such as TANF, SSI and VA pensions.

Income Eligibility Verification System (IEVS)

A federally operated system through which government agencies request personal data and wage and benefit information from other state and federal agencies on applicants for and recipients of federal means-tested assistance programs.

Incompetent

A person regarded as being incapable of managing his/her affairs including, but not limited to, the process of applying for assistance, caring for dependents or managing one’s finances.

Ineligible individual

An individual who lives in the home with AU members, and who may be a member of the SFU, but who does not meet one of the essential TANF eligibility criteria.

Intentional Program Violation (IPV)

A deliberate action by an individual in which false or misleading information is provided or information is withheld for the purpose of establishing or maintaining eligibility when eligibility does not exist or establishing or maintaining benefits at a level higher than policy requires.

Interface

The process which one computer database matches with another computer database in order to compare information

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) match

An interface system that provides data on leads for investigating unreported unearned income and/or undisclosed resources.

Intervening Months

A period beginning in the month in which an application for assistance is filed, extending through the month in which the application is dispositioned.

Job Readiness Level

An assessment result that establishes a TANF client’s current job-readiness level. The three levels are 1) not job-ready, 2) near job-ready and, 3) job-ready.

Jointly Owned Resource

A resource owned by an AU member and a non-AU member.

Lawbreaker

An individual who cannot be included in a TANF AU because s/he has been convicted of certain crimes, is fleeing to avoid prosecution for a felony, is fleeing to avoid being taken into custody or being confined due to a felony conviction, or who is violating a condition of parole or probation.

Legal Guardian

An individual granted authority by a court to provide parental care daily for another individual.

Legal Father

The man married to a woman at the time the woman gives birth.

Legal Services Office (LSO)

The office within DHS that is responsible for receiving and processing all hearing requests.

Lifetime Limit

A reference to the time-limited period during which an AU may receive cash assistance.

Liquid Resources

Property in the form of cash, saving account, checking account, money readily available that has been entrusted to others, stocks, bonds, IRA and/or money market certificates, deferred compensation plan accounts, etc., that are convertible to cash.

Low Income Medicaid (LIM)

A Medicaid class of assistance that provided benefits to minor and dults who do not receive SSI.

Lump Sum

Nonrecurring income that exceeds the federal poverty level.

Maintenance

Financial support paid directly to a child’s AU or substantial in- kind contributions enough to meet the pro rata share of the child’s monthly needs.

Maintenance of Effort (MOE)

The minimum amount of money Georgia must spend every year for qualified expenditures on behalf of families who meet the eligibility criteria under Georgia’s TANF plan. The state must spend 80% of the amount of money it spent in FY 1994 (75% if it meets work participation requirements) under title IV- A (which included AFDC) and title IV-F (which included JOBS).

Managed Account

An EBT account that has been made accessible to a third party (protective payee, emergency payee, or personal representative) designated to manage the AU’s benefits.

Master Benefits Record (MBR)

The MBR is the SSA response to a DFCS query card request for verification of a client’s RSDI benefits. The MBR contains data not available on either BENDEX or SDX.

Material Violation

A failure by a client, without good cause, to meet a personal responsibility, work requirement, or the requirement to report the absence of a child from the home.

Meaningful Access

The ADA requires that persons with disabilities must be afforded meaningful access to the TANF program. To provide meaningful access means that individuals with disabilities must be given the opportunity to benefit from all available resources, services, and activities to the same extent as that given to persons without disabilities.

Medicaid

A jointly funded, federal-state health insurance program for certain low-income and needy individuals and families.

Medicaid was established under Title XIX of the Social Security Act and became law in 1965.

Medicaid Number

A number assigned to each Medicaid recipient that must be presented to Medicaid providers for the submission of claims. Each number has a unique identifier at the end that confirms the type of Medicaid coverage and whether the number was generated by IES or DMA. Refer to Appendix C, Medicaid Issuance.

Medical Assistance Only (MAO)

Public assistance that provides benefits to recipients only in the form of medical, rather than financial, assistance.

Medicare

A federal health insurance program administered by the SSA for people 65 or older and certain disabled people.

Part A – Hospital insurance. There is no premium for this coverage for persons who have adequate credits for work under Social Security.

Part B – Supplemental medical insurance. Eligible persons must pay a monthly premium.

Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases, Division of (DBHDD)

The Division of Behavioral Health and Development/Disabilities (DBHDD) provides treatment to people who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse problems. (DBHDD) also provides substance abuse prevention services and support services for people with developmental disabilities. (DBHDD) was previously known as the Division of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse (MH/MR/SA).

Merchant Mariner Credential or MMC

The Merchant Mariner Credential or MMC is an allowable document to verify the TANF applicants/recipients' identity. The MMC credential is issued by the United States Coast Guard in accordance with the standards of Training; The process begins with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA verifies a mariner’s identity, takes fingerprints and a photograph, The information is sent electronically to the Coast Guard for use in processing the MMC application. The MMC also contains professional qualification information listed on a merchant mariner license or Certificate of Registry as an officer

Middle Class Tax Act

Prohibits the use of cash assistance funds or TANF Debit Card to withdraw cash or perform transactions at casinos, liquor stores, adult-oriented entertainment facilities, poker rooms, bail bonds, night clubs/salons/taverns, bingo halls, racetracks, gaming establishments, gun/ammunition stores, cruise ships, psychic readers, smoking shops, tattoo/piercing shops, and spa/massage salons. The use of cash assistance funds or the TANF Debit Card at these businesses will constitute an intentional program violation (fraud) on the part of the recipient.

Minor

A child under the age of eighteen years old.

Minor Parent

A parent under the age of eighteen years old.

Monthly Subsidy Payment (MSP)

Monthly Subsidy is cash assistance available for Grandparents, who are 50 years of age and older, or any age and disabled, and are raising their grandchild(ren) on a fixed income in their homes.

Month of Authorization

The month in which all programs are approved for assistance.

Net Income

An AU’s total countable income after all allowable deductions have been applied in the budget process. The AU’s gross income less all applicable deductions.

NEXUS Card

The NEXUS card is an approved form of document that can be used to verify identity in the TANF program. It has been approved as an alternative to the passport for the US and Canadian citizens. The holders of the Nexus card may travel by air, land, and sea into the United States under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The Nexus card includes a photo-identification and the proximity Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) of the holder.

Non-Core (secondary) Activities

Non-Core Activities are the activities that do not count towards the first 20 hours of the Federal Work Participation.

Non-Custodial, Non-Supporting Parent of a Minor Child

A parent who receives TANF in one AU while his or her minor child is living with and receiving cash assistance in another AU, and who does not support his/her child, as established by DCSS.

Non-Custodial Parent (see absent parent)

The parent who does not have primary care, custody, or control of a child, and who has an obligation to pay child support.

Non-Financial Criteria

Factors not related to income and/or resources that are used in the determination of eligibility for assistance.

Non-Immigrant

An alien who seeks temporary entry to the United States for a specific purpose. The alien must have a permanent residence abroad and qualify for the non-immigrant classification sought.

Non-Liquid Resources

Personal possessions that, while sellable, are not readily convertible to cash.

Non-Parent

An adult in the home who is not a biological, adoptive, or legal parent of a child.

Office of Inspector General (OIG)

A unit within the Department of Human Services, OIG investigates fraud in public assistance programs.

OIG was formerly known as the (OIS) and the Office of Fraud and Abuse (OFA) when it was established in 1979.

Ongoing Month

The month that follows the current month.

Other Eligible Adult

An adult, in addition to the caretaker, who is eligible to be included in the AU and has a child included in the AU.

Overpayment

Benefits paid to an AU for which the AU was not eligible.

Parent

Biological, adoptive, or legal mother or father of a child.

Parolee

An alien who would otherwise not be admissible into the U.S., but who is allowed into the country for urgent humanitarian reasons or because the alien’s entry is determined to be of significant public benefit.

The granting of parolee status does not constitute a formal admission to the U.S. but confers temporary status only, requiring parolees to leave when the conditions supporting their parole cease to exist.

Paternity Establishment

The legal determination of fatherhood by court order, administrative order, acknowledgment, or other method provided for under state law.

Payee

An individual who accepts responsibility for receiving cash assistance and spending the funds on behalf of the AU. A payee may or may not be an AU member.

Payee Only

A payee who is not included as an AU member.

Penalty

An action taken to remove the needs of an individual from the assistance unit for failure or refusal to comply with a non-financial eligibility requirement.

Periodic Review

A review due once annually and covering all potential points of eligibility of an AU’s continuing eligibility for TANF.

Permanent Resident Alien

An alien admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident. Lawful permanent residents are legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States.

A permanent resident alien may also be known as a “permanent resident”, “lawful permanent resident”, “resident alien permit holder”, or a “green card holder”.

Personal Representative (PR)

A person who is in a position to know the financial and non-financial circumstances of a client, but who is not necessarily "financially responsible" for the client. A PR may make an application for a client.

Personal Responsibility Plan (PRP) (See also TFSP)

A PRP is developed for each TANF family. Every parent with children receiving TANF and every caretaker relative who receives TANF on behalf of children in the home must complete his or her own PRP. The plan defines the individual’s personal responsibilities, emphasizes the contractual nature of assistance, and focuses on the goal of attainment of self-sufficiency. (see also TFSP)

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) (Public Law 104-193) eliminated the open-ended entitlement of 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 significant changes to childcare, the Division of Child Support Service program and benefits for legal immigrants.

Personal Work Plan (PWP) (See also TFSP)

A PWP must be developed for each recipient who has a work requirement. Section B of TFSP specifies the recipient’s employment goal and the steps necessary for the achievement of the goal. TFSP specifies the responsibilities of both the recipient and agency in achieving the goal. (see TFSP) The form 196A is used to document the work plan.

Phase

It refers to job readiness level. When the client completes one level and moves to another level, a phase is completed and documented.

Pregnant Individual

A pregnant adult or pregnant minor.

Prior Month

Any one of the three months prior to the month of application for SSI, ABD Medicaid or Family Medicaid.

Pro-Rata Share

The amount of household expenses divided by the number of people in the household.

Protective Payee

A third party designated to manage the AU’s cash assistance when the grantee relative is unable, unwilling, or not allowed by policy to do so.

Qualified Alien

An immigrant alien who meets certain criteria established by the U.S. government. An alien must be a qualified alien in order to be potentially eligible for TANF.

Qualified Individual

As defined by the ADA, a person with a disability who meets legitimate skill, experience, education, or other requirements for a specific job that s/he holds or seeks.

Railroad Retirement (RR)

A benefit paid to disabled or retired employees of the railroad. The surviving spouse of a former railroad employee may also qualify for RR.

Ready-for-Work (RFW)

A program that is intended to put hard-to-place TANF recipients to work. RFW participants often have drug and alcohol problems, no work history, and no job skills.

Consequently, many participants are admitted to residential treatment facilities to begin treatment programs that may last several months.

Reasonable Accommodation

What must be provided, under the ADA, to a TANF applicant or recipient with a disability so that the individual is able to fully participate in all programs and receive all the benefits or services provided by the agency for which the individual is otherwise eligible.

If, because of the existence of a disability, a client cannot receive benefits and services or participate in all programs for which s/he would be otherwise eligible, then reasonable accommodations must be provided to make full participation and full receipt of benefits possible. Reasonable accommodation is not defined by the ADA but can take many forms as procedures and/or policies are modified.

Recent Connection to the Workforce

The sole basis of deprivation in a two-parent family in which both parents are able-bodied. At least one parent must have a recent connection to the work force as defined by policy in order for the AU to be potentially eligible for cash assistance.

Recoupment

The process by which a part of a regular monthly cash assistance benefit is withheld from the AU in order to repay an overpayment received in a previous month.

Refugee

A person living outside of his/her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of actual persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution.

Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Asylum status and refugee status are closely related, differing only in the place where a person asks for the status. Asylum status is requested in the U.S., while refugee status is asked for outside of the U.S. In order to be granted asylum, a person must meet the definition of a refugee.

Repatriation

The final step in a process by which U.S. citizens who are living overseas are returned to the U.S. because of war, natural disasters or other conditions that place Americans at risk.

State and local governments have operational responsibilities, providing temporary assistance to U.S. citizens who are destitute or without access to their personal resources.

Resident Alien

An alien currently residing in the United States.

Resource

Cash, property, or assets owned by members of the family that are available to be converted into cash to meet financial obligations.

Restricted Access

A term indicating that the signatures of all co-owners of a checking or savings account are required for each co-owner to withdraw funds.

Restricted accounts are not countable resources unless the only co-owners are spouses or parents and their minor children.

Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (RSDI)

The program of cash benefits administered by the Social Security Administration. Entitlement is based upon the individual’s employment history or the employment history of the recipient’s spouse or parent.

For an individual with enough Social Security credits, benefits are payable at full retirement age or sooner if the individual has a severe physical or mental impairment. Benefits can also be paid to the spouse and certain family members of an RSDI recipient. RSDI payments are not means-based.

Benefits are commonly referred to as Social Security.

Right from the State Medicaid (RSM)

A class of Medicaid provided to eligible children through the month in which the child turns 19 years of age and to pregnant women who meet all RSM eligibility criteria.

Right to Same Day Filing

The right of an individual to file an application for benefits on the same day a request for assistance is made.

Sanction

The application of a 25% reduction or the termination of cash assistance for the commission of a material violation by an individual without good cause.

School

A government school, private school, vocational school, technical or adult education school, alternative school program, valid home school study program registered with the local government school system or a course of study granting a GED.

Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI)

SENTRI is another form of document that can be used to verify identity of the TANF applicants/recipients. The SENTRI card is issued to holders of a U.S. Passport Book or Card, the Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), the Enhanced Tribal Card (ETC), Trusted Traveler Cards; NEXUS and FAST cards, the new Enhanced Permanent Resident Card (PRC) or new Border Crossing Card (BCC).

Separate State Program (SSP)

An assistance program funded completely with state money.

Eligible families assisted through a separate state program are not generally subject to TANF requirements, including work participation requirements, child support collection requirements, and the time limit on receipt of assistance.

By operating an SSP, a state has more flexibility to use the funds available in these programs to help eligible families. Money spent in an SSP can be applied toward meeting a state’s MOE, and a state can avoid federal data collection and reporting requirements.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

The federal agency responsible for administering and providing RSDI, SSI, and Medicare to eligible individuals.

Social Security Numbers

Social Security numbers were introduced by the Social Security Act of 1935. Beginning in 1936, it was required that an SSN be issued to every employed person covered by the Social Security program.

A 1943 Executive Order required federal agencies to use the number when creating new record-keeping systems, and in 1961, the IRS began to require every taxpayer to provide the number as a means of identification. The Privacy Act of 1974 required authorization for government agencies to use SSNs in their databases and required disclosures when government agencies request the number.

The Tax Reform Act of 1976 gave authority to state or local tax, welfare, driver’s license, or motor vehicle registration authorities to use the number in order to verify a person’s identity. The provision of an SSN is an eligibility requirement for all AU members.

Standard of Need (SON)

An amount of money, established by the Georgia General Assembly, that is a compilation of the cost of basic needs indexed to the number of persons in the SFU.

Standard of Promptness (SOP)

A specified period of time established for the completion of a particular case action. Standards may be established at the federal, state, or local levels.

Standard Work Expense Deduction

A $250.00 deduction applied to the earned income of any employed AU member. There is no time limit for this deduction.

State Data Exchange (SDX)

An SSA interface system that provides information about SSI transactions. Information is provided through Federal SDX tapes and is available through IES inquiry.

State Medical Eligibility Unit (SMEU)

A unit responsible for making a determination of a disability for an applicant for ABD Medicaid who is under the age 65 if the determination is not made by the Disability Adjudication Section.

Stepparent

The current or former spouse of a child’s mother or father.

Supplemental Payment

An additional cash assistance benefit issued to an AU for the ongoing month when a change that causes an increase in benefits is processed in the window period.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Monthly payments to persons with low income and few assets and who are 65 years of age or older or are disabled. SSI benefits are financed by general tax revenues. They are not paid from the Social Security trust fund and are not based on the recipient’s past earnings. Instead, SSI benefits are financed by general tax revenues and ensure a minimum monthly income for elderly and disabled persons.

SSI payments are means-based and are regarded as a form of public assistance.

Support Order

A judgment, decree, or order, whether temporary, final, or subject to modification, issued by a court or an administrative agency, for the support and maintenance of a child. Support orders can include various forms of support, including monetary support, health care and payment of arrearages.

Support Service

A service or tangible item that is intended to assist a TANF applicant or recipient in meeting the requirements of the work plan, in obtaining employment and in helping a client make the transition from TANF to self-sufficiency

TANF- (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)

Time-limited public assistance payments made to needy families, based on Title IV-A of the Social Security Act. TANF replaced AFDC, otherwise known as welfare, when the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was signed into law in 1996.

TANF provides parents and other able-bodied adult recipients with job preparation, work, and support services to help them become self-sufficient. TANF applicants are referred to a state’s IV-D agency in order to establish paternity and child support for their children from the non-custodial parent, allowing the government to recoup or defray some of its public assistance expenditures with funds from the non-custodial parent.

TANF replaced AFDC as a cash assistance program for needy families.

TANF Clock

Refers to 48-month lifetime limit for TANF recipients.

TANF Disaster Plan (DTANF)

A written plan for the State of Georgia that provides policy and procedures for issuing TANF benefits during times of declared state and federal disasters.

TANF Family Service Plan (TFSP)

Third Party Resource / Third Party Liability

A category under which the state pays the difference between the amount of a medical bill and the amount paid by an insurance company. This can only occur when a public assistance recipient has medical insurance separate from the coverage provided by the public assistance program

Timely Notice

A 14-day advance notification to advise recipients that benefits will be decreased or terminated. Timely notice must include all information required for an adequate notice.

If the AU appeals a negative action prior to the expiration of timely notice, benefits can be continued at the current level at the AU’s request.

Timely Reporting

A report of a change made by an AU within ten days of the date on which the change occurred.

Title XIX

The section of the Social Security Act that provides grants to states for establishing medical assistance programs for low-income individuals and families.

Transitional Child Care (TCC)

Childcare assistance that is available to former TANF recipients who become ineligible for cash assistance because of the receipt of earned income.

Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA)

A Medicaid category that provides continued coverage for up to 12 months for an AU that becomes ineligible for Low Income Medicaid because of an increase in countable earned income.

Trial Budget

A budget completed, after a change in circumstances, to determine if eligibility will continue for the ongoing month.

Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA)

The purpose is to help stabilize the TANF families who are eligible for WSP as they transition from TANF to employment. The TSA funds will be used to pay permanent housing deposits, utility deposits or other essential deposits

Transitional Support Services (TSS)

A support payment, which is available to an applicant or a recipient whose employment causes the AU to become ineligible for cash assistance, or who voluntarily, chooses to close the TANF case to preserve TANF months because employment has significantly reduced the AU’s TANF benefits. The TSS consists of Transportation, Child Care and all other relevant incidental expenses. It is available for three months period after TANF eligibility ends.

Participants may be eligible for TSS once in a 12- month period.

Two-Parent Assistance

An assistance unit that includes two able-bodied parents.

Underpayment (Supplement)

Benefits paid to an AU that are less than the amount for which the AU is eligible.

Unearned Income

Income received which is not for services rendered. Examples include SSI, RSDI, TANF, unemployment compensation, or capital gains or dividends paid on stock

Unreimbursed Public Assistance (UPA)

Money paid in the form of public assistance (for example, TANF or older AFDC expenditures) that has not yet been recovered from the non-custodial parent.

USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services)

Formerly known as Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS)

An agency of the Department of Justice, it is responsible for enforcing the laws regulating the admission of foreign-born persons to the United States and for administering various immigration benefits, including the naturalization of qualified applicants for U.S. citizenship. The USCIS also works in the admission and resettlement of refugees.

The USCIS is headed by a commissioner who reports to the Attorney general

Veterans Affairs, Department of (Veterans Administration)

One of the Cabinet departments, it superseded the Veterans Administration and is responsible for providing federal benefits to veterans and their dependents.

Way2Go Debit Card

The State of Georgia has implemented a convenient Electronic Payment Card (EPC) for TANF recipients called the Way2Go Debit Card. The debit card will include an EMV chip “smart chip” to increase safeguards for TANF customers against credit card fraud. Under this payment option money is deposited in the recipient’s account on the first calendar day of the month. The recipient has immediate access to his or her funds because the funds are electronically loaded to the EPC Branded MasterCard.

Welfare-to-Work (WtW)

Welfare-to-Work grants provide a funding stream to states and local communities to finance job readiness, employment and job placement activities, post-employment services, job retention, and support services that are designed to move hard-to-employ TANF recipient into unsubsidized employment. Local communities are given flexibility in the design of programs that fit their needs.

Window period

The period that begins on the date on which IES authorizes benefits to be issued to an active case for the ongoing month, and which extends through the last calendar day of the current month. The dates for each month’s window period are established by the IES processing schedule. A change to affect the benefit amount for the ongoing month must be processed on IES prior to the first day of the window period.

Benefits are issued for the ongoing month in the amount determined by the last case action that processed on IES prior to the beginning of the window period.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Provides food, nutrition counseling, and access to health services for low-income women, infants, and children. WIC is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Work Activity

An activity in which a TANF recipient with a work requirement must participate. Countable work activities are defined as either primary or secondary. Primary and secondary activities are specified in the federal TANF regulations.

Work Eligible Individual

A work eligible individual is an adult (or minor child head-of- household) receiving assistance under TANF or a Separate State Program (SSP) or a non-recipient parent living with a child receiving cash assistance.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

WIOA supersedes The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 and was passed into law July 22, 2014 to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with skilled workers.

Work Support Program

The Work Support Program provides post-employment support to former TANF recipients in the form of cash payments, transitional support services and job coaching/ job monitoring for up to 12 months.

Work Support Payments (WSP)

Work Support Payment is a time limited cash supplement that is provided to employed TANF recipients who become ineligible for TANF because of employment, or who voluntarily closes his/her TANF case after becoming gainfully employed and remaining eligible for a reduced check up to 12-months.