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GA Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - TANF

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is the major cash assistance program for families with needy children who have very limited income and resources. It replaced the old AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children ) program in January of 1997. TANF is run by county offices of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

TANF provides money for children and the relatives caring for them, and places new work requirements on most parents. TANF families that include an adult in the grant with the children have a 48-month LIFETIME TIME LIMIT. Parents who are living with their children have to be included in the grant. Non- parent relatives (such as grandparents or aunts) can CHOOSE whether they want to be in the grant with the children.

If they decide NOT to be in the TANF grant, then there is no lifetime time limit for the "child only" grant. Legal guardians can also receive TANF for the children they are caring for in Georgia.

Eligibility

In order to receive TANF in Georgia...

1. One or both parents must be absent from the home or deceased or disabled...or both parents are in the home but the primary wage earner is unemployed;

NOTE: An individual who is eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can not receive both SSI and TANF support.

2. You must cooperate with child support enforcement by identifying the absent parent of your children

3. You must insure that your pre-school age children get immunized.

4. You must make sure your children attend school

5. You must participate in work activities, unless you have a child under 12 months of age.

Personal Work Plan (PWP) and Personal Responsibility Plan (PRP):

These agreements contain all the things DFCS requires you to do, in order to keep getting TANF, as well as what support services (child care, transportation, etc.) DFCS will provide. If you do not comply with the PWP and the PRP, you can be SANCTIONED or penalized.

For the first sanction, your monthly TANF benefit is reduced by 25% for up to 3 months. For the second sanction, the whole family goes off of TANF permanently. This is known as "2 Strikes and You're Off".

GOOD CAUSE. If you had a good reason or "good cause" for not doing what the PWP or PRP says, then you will not be sanctioned. What's good cause? If you or another household member is sick, your child care or transportation plans fell through, you are a victim of domestic violence, you have a court appearance, etc.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO A HEARING, if you disagree with a decision by DFCS to turn you down for TANF, reduce your benefits, or cut them off, but you must do so with 30 days.

TANF Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)

Many States have enacted legislation that authorizes the use of TANF funds to match the savings of TANF recipients for IDAs that help them save for education, home buying, or starting a business. Georgia has not enacted such legislation. See Individual Development Accounts for more information.

NOTE: Much of the above information about TANF was drawn from the website of the Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP), available at: http://www.lawhelp.org/program/574/programresources.cfm?pagename=Program%20Resources. Much more information is available at that site.

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) of the Department of Human Resources (DHR) develops and distributes state policy for the TANF program to all 159 county DFCS offices. Unlike other state agencies, Georgia TANF state policy is NOT available online from a state agency. However, the GLSP makes it available at: http://www.lawhelp.org/program/574/LocalResources.cfm?pagename=The%20Rules%20that%20DFCS%20Has%20To%20Follow.

Back To:

Georgia Benefit Information System Overview

Source

http://dfcs.dhr.georgia.gov/portal/site/DHR-DFCS/menuitem.5d32235bb09bde9a50c8798dd03036a0/?vgnextoid=80fa2b48d9a4ff00VgnVCM100000bf01010aRCRD

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