SSP-MOE Data Report - Section One

Disaggregated Data Collection

for Families Receiving Assistance

under the Separate State Program(s)

 

INSTRUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS

 

General Instruction:  If a State claims MOE expenditures for separate State programs (SSPs) and for persons served by those programs, it must collect and report this information on the SSP-MOE Data Report on SSP-MOE families receiving assistance only as follows:  (1) If the State wishes to receive a high performance bonus, it must file the information in sections one and three of the SSP-MOE Data Report; and (2) if the State wishes to quality for caseload reduction credit, it must file the information in all three sections of the SSP-MOE Data Report.

 

The State agency should collect and report data for each data element.  The data must be complete (unless explicitly instructed to leave the field blank) and accurate (i.e., correct).

 

An "Unknown" code may appear only on four sets of data elements ([#28 and #61] Date of Birth, [#29 and #62] Social Security Number, [#37 and #68] Educational Level, and {#38 and #69] Citizenship/Alienage).  For these data elements, unknown is not an acceptable code for individuals who are members of the eligible family (i.e., family affiliation code "1").

 

There are six data elements for which States have the option to report based on either the budget month or the reporting month.  These are:  #14 Amount of Food Stamps Assistance; #17 Amount of Child Support; #18 Amount of Families Cash Resources; #58 Amount of Earned Income; and [#59 and #70] Amount of Unearned Income.    Whichever choice the State selects must be used for all families reported each month and must be used for all months in the fiscal year.

 

The data elements in the SSP-MOE Data Report are similar to those in the TANF Data Report for the TANF Program.  This will give us comparable information on the SSP programs.  It will allow us, for example, to calculate a SSP-MOE work participation rate.  Because a State's definitions and eligibility requirements for its SSPs may be different from those in its TANF Program, the data required in its SSP-MOE Data Report may not precisely correspond to the information collected by the State in its SSP-MOE Data Report.  We encourage States to provide the best possible information.

 

1.         State FIPS Code: Enter your two-digit State code from the following listing.  These codes are the standard codes used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

 

 

 

2.         County FIPS Code:  Enter the three-digit code established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for classification of counties and county equivalents.  Codes were devised by listing counties alphabetically and assigning sequentially odd integers; e.g., 001, 003, 005.  A complete list of codes is available in Appendix F of the TANF Sampling and Statistical Methods Manual.

 

3.         Reporting Month:  Enter the four-digit year and two-digit month codes that identify the year and month for which the data are being reported.

 

4.         Stratum:

            Guidance:  All families that receive assistance under separate State Programs (i.e., SSP-MOE families) and are selected in the sample from the same stratum must be assigned the same stratum code.  Valid stratum codes may range from "00" to "99."  States with stratified samples should provide the ACF Regional Office with a listing of the numeric codes utilized to identify any stratification.  States that use stratified samples must file section four of the SSP-MOE Data Report, which contains the caseload size by stratum for each report month. If a State opts to provide data for its entire caseload, enter the same stratum code (any two-digit number) for each SSP-MOE family.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the two-digit stratum code.

 

 

                                                   FAMILY-LEVEL DATA

 

Definition: For reporting purposes, the SSP-MOE family means  (a) all individuals receiving assistance as part of a family under the separate State program(s); and (b) the following additional persons living in the household, if not included under (a) above:

 

(1)        Parent(s) or caretaker relative(s) of any minor child receiving assistance;

 

(2)        Minor siblings of any child receiving assistance; and

 

(3)        Any person whose income or resources would be counted in determining the family's eligibility for or amount of assistance.

 

5.         Case Number - Separate State MOE:

            Guidance:  If the case number is less than the allowable eleven characters, a State may use lead zeros to fill in the number.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the number assigned by the State agency to uniquely identify the case.

 

6.         ZIP Code:  Enter the five-digit ZIP code for the SSP-MOE family's place of residence for the reporting month.

 

7.         Disposition:

            Guidance:  A family that did not receive any assistance for the reporting month but was listed on the monthly sample frame for the reporting month is "listed in error."  States are to complete data collection for all sampled cases that are not listed in error.

 

            Instruction:  Enter one of the following codes for each SSP-MOE sampled case.

            1 =           Data collection completed

            2 =           Not subject to data collection/listed in error

 

8.         Number of Family Members:  Enter two digits that represent the number of members in the family (include all individuals with Family Affiliation codes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for data element #26 and #60) under the separate State program(s).  Include in the number of family members, the noncustodial parent whom the State has opted to include as part of the eligible family, who is receiving assistance as defined in §260.31, or who is participating in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act.

 

9.         Type of Family for Work Participation:

            Guidance:  This data element identifies whether the family will be used to calculate both the all families (i.e., overall) and two-parent work participation rates, will be used to calculate only the overall work participation rate, or will not be used to calculate either work participation rate.

 

            To determine how to code this data element, the State must first determine the number of work-eligible individuals.  If there are two or more work-eligible individuals the State needs to determine if there are two parents that meet the definition of a two-parent family.  The correct coding for this data element is as follows: Use code "3" to identify families with no work-eligible individuals (See data element #41, Work-eligible Individual Indicator.)  Use code "2" to identify two-parent families.  Use code "1" to identify all remaining families (i.e., families with one or more work-eligible individuals that are not two-parent families.)

 

            A family with a work-eligible individual is included in the overall work participation rate unless explicitly disregarded.  The "Work Participation Status" (data element #42) will be used to disregard families from the work participation rates.  See data element #42 "Work Participation Status" for reasons for disregarding a family.

 

            For purposes of calculating the two-parent  families work participation rates, a two-parent family includes, at a minimum, all families with two natural or adoptive parents (of the same minor child) who are work-eligible individuals and living in the home, unless both are minors and neither is a head-of-household.  The State (Tribe) may use a broader definition of "two-parent family", but must at least include these families.  All two-parent families must be included in the two-parent work participation rate unless the family is explicitly disregarded.  The "Work Participation Status" (data element #42) will be used to disregard families from the work participation rates, including a two-parent family with a disabled parent.

 

            The correct coding of a two-parent family with a disabled parent is as follows:  Coded data element #9, Type of Family for Work Participation, with a “2”; for each parent code data element #26, Family Affiliation, with a “1” or “2” whichever is appropriate and code data element #35, Parent with a Minor Child, with a “1”; and for the disabled parent code data element #42, Work Participation Status, with a “07”.  If properly coded, a two-parent family with a disabled parent will be excluded from the two-parent work participation rate.

 

            A family with a minor child head-of-household should be coded as either a single-parent family or two-parent family, whichever is appropriate.

 

            A noncustodial parent is defined in §260.30 as a parent of a minor child who: (1) lives in the State and (2) does not live in the same household as the minor child.    The State must report information on the noncustodial parent if the noncustodial parent: (1) is receiving assistance as defined in §260.31; (2) is participating in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act; or (3) has been designated by the State as a member of a family receiving assistance.  If the noncustodial parent is the only member of the family receiving assistance, the State (Tribe) must report the disaggregated and aggregated information on the entire family.  If the noncustodial parent is only participating in work activities that do not constitute assistance (as defined in §260.31) and the other members of the family are not receiving assistance, the State (Tribe) must report only the aggregated information on the noncustodial parent.

 

            A noncustodial parent, who is receiving assistance, is a work-eligible individual and a non-recipient, noncustodial parent is not.   A family with two parents, who are work-eligible individuals, one of whom is a noncustodial parent, does not meet the minimum definition of a two-parent family.  However, the State may use an expanded definition of two-parent family which could include this family within the definition and thus, choose whether a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent (who is receiving assistance) as one of the two parents is a two-parent family for the purposes of calculating the two-parent work participation rate.  If a State chooses to exclude such a family with a noncustodial parent as one of the parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the State must code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1."

 

            Instruction:  Enter the one-digit code that represents the type of family for purposes of calculating the work participation rates.

            1 =           Family included only in overall work participation rate (i.e., family includes one or more work-eligible individuals but does not meet definition of a two-parent family)

            2 =           Two-Parent Family included in both the overall and two-parent work participation rates (i.e., family includes two work-eligible parents and meets the definition of a two-parent family)

            3 =           Family with no work-eligible individual

 

10.       Has the Family Received Assistance Under a State (Tribal) TANF Program Within the Past Six Months:  If the SSP-MOE family has received assistance under a State (Tribal) TANF Program within the past six months, enter code "1” or “2."  Otherwise, enter "3."

            1 =           Yes, family is received assistance under a State (Tribal) TANF program for the report month.

            2 =           Yes, family has received assistance under a State (Tribal) TANF program within the past six months, but not for the report month.

            3 =           No  

 

11.       Receives Subsidized Housing:

            Guidance:  Subsidized housing refers to housing for which money was paid by the Federal, State, or local government or through a private social service agency to the family or to the owner of the housing to assist the family in paying rent.  Two families sharing living expenses does not constitute subsidized housing.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the SSP-MOE family received subsidized housing for the reporting month.

            1 =           Public housing

            2 =           Rent subsidy

            3 =           No housing subsidy

 

12.       Receives Medical Assistance:

            Guidance:  The purpose of this data element is to identify families that are eligible to receive medical assistance under the State plan approved under Title XIX.  This will include children served by the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) when it is a part of the Title XIX program.

 

            Instruction: Enter "1" if, for the reporting month, any SSP-MOE family member is enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP and thus eligible to receive medical assistance under the State plan approved under Title XIX or "2" if no SSP-MOE family member is enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP.

            1 =           Yes, enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP

            2 =           No  

 

13.       Receives Food Stamps:

            Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the SSP-MOE family is receiving food stamp assistance.

            1 =           Yes, receives food stamp assistance

            2 =           No

 

14.       Amount of Food Stamp Assistance:

            Guidance:  For situations in which the food stamp household differs from the SSP-MOE family, code this element in a manner that most accurately reflects the resources available to the SSP-MOE family.  One acceptable method for calculating the amount of food stamp assistance available to the SSP-MOE family is to prorate the amount of food stamps equally between each food stamp recipient then add together the amounts belonging to the SSP-MOE recipients to get the total amount for the SSP-MOE family.  It is unacceptable to assign the total amount of food stamp assistance received by the household to the SSP-MOE family when there are members of the food stamp household that are not members of the SSP-MOE family.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the SSP-MOE eligible family's authorized dollar amount of food stamp assistance for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.  If the SSP-MOE family did not receive any food stamps for the reporting month, enter "0."

 

15.       Receives Subsidized Child Care:

            Instruction:  If the SSP-MOE family receives subsidized child care for the reporting month, enter code "1" or "2," whichever is appropriate.  Otherwise, enter code "3."

            1 =           Yes, receives child care funded entirely or in part with Federal funds (e.g., receives either TANF, CCDF, SSBG, or other federally funded child care)

            2 =           Yes, receives child care funded entirely under a State, Tribal, and/or local program

            3 =           No subsidized child care received

 

16.       Amount of Subsidized Child Care:

            Guidance:  Subsidized child care means a grant by the Federal, State or local government to or on behalf of a parent (or caretaker relative) to support, in part or whole, the cost of child care services provided by an eligible provider to an eligible child.  The grant may be paid directly to the parent (or caretaker relative) or to a child care provider on behalf of the parent (or caretaker relative).

 

            A State must make every effort to identify the total dollar amount of subsidized child care from all sources (e.g., CCDF, TANF, SSBG, State, local, etc.).  When a State knows the authorized amount of child care but does not know the actual amount of subsidized child care because claims for payment are not received until after TANF reporting is due, the State should code the authorized amount.  However, the State needs to provide the actual (i.e., correct) data by the end of the quarter in which the data is due.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the dollar amount of subsidized child care that the SSP-MOE family has received from all sources (e.g., CCDF, TANF, SSBG, State, local, etc.) for services in the reporting month.  If SSP-MOE family did not receive any subsidized child care for services in the reporting month, enter "0" as the amount.

 

17.       Amount of Child Support:  Enter the total dollar value of child support received on behalf of the SSP-MOE family in the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.  This includes current payments, arrearages, recoupment, and pass-through amounts whether paid to the State or the family.

 

18.       Amount of the Family's Cash Resources

            Guidance:  Cash resources are defined by the State for the purpose of determining eligibility for and amount of benefits.  Such resources may includes cash on hand, bank accounts (e.g., saving and checking accounts), and certificates of deposit.  Other assets (e.g., stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRAs, IDAs, etc.) are not included.  Motor vehicles are not included.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the total dollar amount of the SSP-MOE family's cash resources as the State defines them for determining eligibility and/or computing benefits for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

 

 

            AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE RECEIVED AND THE NUMBER OF MONTHS THAT THE FAMILY HAS RECEIVED EACH TYPE OF ASSISTANCE UNDER THE SEPARATE STATE PROGRAM:

 

Guidance:  The term "assistance" includes cash, payments, vouchers, and other forms of benefits designed to meet a family's ongoing basic needs (i.e., for food, clothing, shelter, utilities, household goods, personal care items, and general incidental expenses).  It includes such benefits even when they are provided in the form of payments by a TANF agency, or other agency on its behalf, to individual recipients and conditioned on their participation in work experience, community service, or other work activities (i.e., under §261.30).

 

Except where excluded as indicated in the following paragraph, it also includes supportive services such as transportation and child care provided to families who are not employed.

 

The term "assistance" excludes:

(1)        Nonrecurrent, short-term benefits (such as payments for rent deposits or appliance repairs) that:

            (i)             Are designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need;

            (ii)            Are not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and

            (iii)           Will not extend beyond four months.

(2)        Work subsidies (i.e., payments to employers or third parties to help cover the costs of employee wages, benefits, supervision, and training);

(3)        Supportive services such as child care and transportation provided to families who are employed;

(4)        Refundable earned income tax credits;

(5)        Contributions to, and distributions from, Individual Development Accounts;

(6)        Services such as counseling, case management, peer support, child care information and referral, transitional services, job retention, job advancement, and other employment-related services that do not provide basic income support; and

(7)        Transportation benefits provided under an Access to Jobs or Reverse Commute project, pursuant to section 404(k) of the Act, to an individual who is not otherwise receiving assistance.

 

The exclusion of nonrecurrent, short-term benefits under (1) of this paragraph also covers supportive services for recently employed families, for temporary periods of unemployment, in order to enable continuity in their service arrangements.

 

Instruction:  For each type of assistance provided under the separate State program, enter the dollar amount of assistance that the SSP-MOE family received or that was paid on behalf of the SSP-MOE family for the reporting month and the number of months that the SSP-MOE family has received the type of assistance under the State's Separate MOE programs.  In determining the number of months for each type of assistance, begin counting with the month the State began its SSP-MOE program.    For SSP-MOE Child Care, also enter the number of children covered by the child care.  If, for a "type of assistance," no dollar amount of assistance was provided during the reporting month, enter "0" as the amount.  If, for a "type of assistance," no assistance has ever been received by the eligible family, enter "0" as the number of months of assistance.

 

19.       Cash and Cash Equivalents:

            Guidance:  Included in this data element cash (and cash equivalents) assistance provided under the SSP-MOE program.  Do not included WtW cash assistance.

 

            A. Amount       B.         Number of Months

 

20.       Child Care:

            Guidance:  By definition, a SSP-MOE child care benefit that is received by an employed family is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element.  Unless excluded as a non-recurring, short-term benefit, a SSP-MOE child care benefit that is received by an non-employed family is assistance and should be reported in this data element.  Include only the child care funded directly by the separate State programs.  Do not include child care funded under the TANF Program or the Child Care and Development Fund.

 

                    Number of

            A. Amount         B. Children Covered   C. Number of Months

 

21.       Transportation:

            Guidance:  By definition, a transportation benefit that is received by an employed family is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element.  Unless excluded as a non-recurring, short-term benefit, a transportation benefit that is received by a non-employed family is assistance and should be reported in this data element.

 

            States may use estimates for transportation assistance that is provided through the Access to JOBS or Reverse commute projects.  Use of an estimate is limited to the situation in which the individual does not receive a specific identifiable amount of assistance for his/her transportation needs.  However, if a specific amount of transportation assistance is identifiable, the State must report the actual (identifiable) amount rather than an estimated amount.

 

            A. Amount       B.         Number of Months

 

22.       Transitional Services:

            Guidance:  By definition, a transitional service benefits that is received by an employed family is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element.  Unless excluded as a non-recurring short-term benefit, a transitional supportive service that is received by an non-employed family is assistance and should be reported here.

 

            A. Amount       B.         Number of Months

 

23.       Other:      

            Guidance:  By definition, an "Other" benefit that is received by an employed family is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element.  Unless excluded as a non-recurring, short-term benefit, an "Other" supportive service that is received by an non-employed family is assistance and should be reported here.

 

            A. Amount       B.         Number of Months

 

24.       Reason for and Amount of Reduction in Assistance

            Instruction:  The amount of assistance received by a SSP-MOE family may be reduced for one or more reasons.  For each reason listed below, indicate whether the SSP-MOE family received a reduction in assistance.  Enter the total dollar value of the reduction(s) for each group of reasons for reductions in assistance for the reporting month.  If for any reason there was no reduction in assistance, enter "0."

 

            a.             Sanctions:

                            i.      Total Dollar Amount of Reductions due to Sanctions:

                                    Enter the total dollar value of reduction in assistance due to sanctions.

                            ii.      Work Requirements Sanction

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            iii.     Family Sanction for an Adult with No High School Diploma or Equivalent

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            iv.     Sanction for Teen Parent not Attending School

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            v.                 Non-Cooperation with Child Support

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            vi.     Failure to Comply with an Individual Responsibility Plan

                                                Guidance:  Work requirements, school attendance requirements, and cooperation with child support requirements may be provisions of an individual responsibility plan.  If an individual is sanctioned for failure to comply with  work requirements, school attendance requirements, and/or cooperation with child support requirements, code the sanction in 24a.ii., 24a.iii., 24a.iv, or 24a.v. whichever is appropriate.  Other sanctions for failure to comply with an individual responsibility plan are coded in 24a.vi.

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            vii.    Other Sanctions

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

            b.             Recoupment of Prior Overpayment:

                            Enter the total dollar value of reduction in assistance due to recoupment of a prior overpayment.

 

            c.             Other:

                            i.                  Total Dollar Amount of Reductions due to Other Reasons (exclude the amounts for sanction and recoupment):  Enter the total dollar value of reduction in assistance due to reasons other than sanctions and recoupment.

 

                            ii.      Family Cap

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            iii.     Reduction Based on Length of Receipt of Assistance

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

                            iv.                 Other, Non-sanction

                                                1 =       Yes

                                                2 =       No

 

25.       Waiver Evaluation Experimental and Control Groups:

                                    Guidance:  This data element is no longer applicable for States as all welfare reform 1115 waivers have expired.  This data element is reserved as a place holder.  We did this to preserve the current numbering of the succeeding data elements so States would not have to revise their edits based on renumbering of these data elements.

 

                                    Instruction:   Leave this data element blank or code with a “9” for not applicable.

 

PERSON-LEVEL DATA

 

Person-level data has two sections: (1) the adult and minor child head-of-household characteristic section and (2) the child characteristics section.  An adult is an individual that is not a minor child.  A minor child is an individual who (a) has not attained 18 years of age or (b) has not attained 19 years of age and is a full-time student in a secondary school (or in the equivalent level of vocational or technical training.)

 

Detailed data elements must be reported on all individuals unless, for a specific data element, the instructions explicitly give States an option to not report for a specific group of individuals.

 

    ADULT AND MINOR CHILD HEAD-OF-HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS

 

This section allows for coding up to six adults (or a minor child who is either a head-of-household or married to the head-of-household and up to five adults) in the SSP-MOE family.  A minor child who is either a head-of-household or married to the head-of-household should be coded as an adult and will hereafter be referred to as a "minor child head-of-household."  For each adult (or minor child head-of-household) in the SSP-MOE family, complete the adult characteristics section.  As indicated below, reporting for certain specified data elements in this section is optional for certain individuals (whose family affiliation code is a 2, 3, or 5).

 

If there are more than six adults (or a minor child head-of-household and five adults) in the SSP-MOE family, use the following order to identify the persons to be coded: (1) the head-of-household; (2) parents in the eligible family receiving assistance; (3) other adults in the eligible family receiving assistance; (4) Parents not in the eligible family receiving assistance; (5) caretaker relatives not in the eligible family receiving assistance; and (6) other persons, whose income or resources count in determining eligibility for or amount of assistance of the eligible family receiving assistance, in descending order the person with the most income to the person with least income.

 

26.       Family Affiliation:

            Guidance:  This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-of-household section and (2) the minor child section.  The same coding schemes are used in both sections.  Some of these codes may not be applicable for adults.

 

            Code the Family Affiliation of a noncustodial parent who is receiving assistance as defined in §260.31 or has been designated by the State as a member of a family receiving assistance with a "1."  Code the Family Affiliation of a noncustodial parent who is participating in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act, but is not receiving assistance with a code "2."

 

            Instruction:  Enter the one-digit code that shows the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) relation to the eligible family receiving assistance.

            1 =           Member of the eligible family receiving assistance

 

            Not in eligible family receiving assistance, but in the household

            2 =           Parent of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance

            3 =           Caretaker relative of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance

            4 =           Minor sibling of child in the eligible family receiving assistance

            5 =           Person whose income or resources are considered in determining eligibility for or amount of assistance for the eligible family receiving assistance

 

 

27.       Noncustodial Parent Indicator:

            Guidance:  A noncustodial parent is defined in §260.30 as a parent of a minor child who: (1) lives in the State and (2) does not live in the same household as the minor child.  The State must report information on the noncustodial parent if the noncustodial parent: (1) is receiving assistance as defined in §260.31; (2) is participating in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act; or (3) has been designated by the State as a member of a family receiving assistance.  If the noncustodial parent is the only member of the family receiving assistance, the State must report the disaggregated and aggregated information on the entire family.  If the noncustodial parent is only participating in work activities that do not constitute assistance (as defined in §260.31) and the other members of the family are not receiving assistance, the State must report only the aggregated information on the noncustodial parent.

 

A noncustodial parent, who is receiving assistance, is a work-eligible individual and a non-recipient, noncustodial parent is not.   A family with two parents, who are work-eligible individuals, one of whom is a noncustodial parent, does not meet the minimum definition of a two-parent family.  However, the State may use an expanded definition of two-parent family which could include this family within the definition and thus, choose whether a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent (who is receiving assistance) as one of the two parents is a two-parent family for the purposes of calculating the two-parent work participation rate.  If a State chooses to exclude such a family with a noncustodial parent as one of the parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the State must code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1."

 

            Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) noncustodial parent status.

            1 =           Yes, a noncustodial parent

            2 =           No, not a noncustodial parent

 

28.       Date of Birth:  Enter the eight-digit code for date of birth for the adult (or minor child head-of-household) under the separate State program in the format YYYYMMDD.  If the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) date of birth is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1," enter the code "99999999".

 

29.       Social Security Number:  Enter the nine-digit Social Security Number for the adult (or minor child head-of-household) in the format nnnnnnnnn.  If the social security number is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1," enter "999999999".

 

30.       Race/Ethnicity:

            Guidance: The intent of this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and ethnicity characteristic applicable to each person.  States should code at least one of the race categories "YES" in addition to coding ethnicity.

 

            Instruction:  To allow for the multiplicity of race/ethnicity, please enter a one-digit code for each race and for ethnicity of the adult (or minor child head-of-household).  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.

 

            Ethnicity

            a.             Hispanic or Latino

                            1 =   Yes, Hispanic or Latino

                            2 =   No

 

            Race:

            b.             American Indian or Alaska Native

                            1 =   Yes, American Indian or Alaska Native

                            2 =   No

 

            c.             Asian

                            1 =   Yes, Asian

                            2 =   No

 

            d.             Black or African American

                            1 =   Yes, Black or African American

                            2 =   No

 

            e.             Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

                            1 =   Yes, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

                            2 =   No

 

            f.              White

                            1 =   Yes, White

                            2 =   No

 

 

31.       Gender:  Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) gender.

            1 =           Male

            2 =           Female

 

32.       Receives Disability Benefits

            The Act specifies five types of disability benefits.  For each type of disability benefits, enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the adult (or minor child head-of-household) received the benefit.

            a.             Receives Federal Disability Insurance Benefits Under the Social Security OASDI Program (Title II of the Social Security Act):

                            Guidance:  States and Territories must complete this data element.

                            1 =   Yes, received Federal disability insurance

                            2 =   No      

 

            b.             Receives Benefits Based on Federal Disability Status Under Non-Social Security Act Programs:

                            Guidance:  States and Territories must complete this data element.  These programs include Veteran's disability benefits, Worker's disability compensation, and Black Lung Disease disability benefits.

                            1 =   Yes, received benefits based on Federal disability status

                            2 =   No      

 

            c.             Receives Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled Under Title XIV-APDT of the Social Security Act:

                            Guidance:  Title XIV-APDT is applicable only in the Territories.  States may leave this data element blank or use code "2."  The Territories must complete this data element.

 

                            1 =   Yes, received aid under Title XIV-APDT

                            2 =   No      

 

            d.             Receives Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled Under Title XVI-AABD of the Social Security Act:

                                    Guidance:  Title XVI-AABD is applicable only in the Territories.  States may leave this data element blank or use code "2."  The Territories must complete this data element.

                            1 =   Yes, received aid under Title XVI-AABD

                            2 =   No      

 

            e.             Receives Supplemental Security Income Under Title XVI-SSI of the Social Security Act:

                            Guidance:  States must complete this data element.  The Territories may leave this data element blank or use code "2."

                            1 =   Yes, received aid under Title XVI-SSI

                            2 =   No      

 

33.       Marital Status:

            Guidance: A noncustodial parent who is remarried should be coded a "2" or "3" depending if (s)he is living with his/her current spouse.

 

            Instruction: Enter the one-digit code for the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) marital status for the reporting month.  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.

            1 =           Single, never married

            2 =           Married, living together

            3 =           Married, but separated

            4 =           Widowed

            5 =           Divorced

 

34.       Relationship to Head-of-Household:

            Guidance:  This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-of-household section and (2) the minor child section.  The same coding schemes are used in both sections.  Some of these codes may not be applicable for adults.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the two-digit code that shows the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) relationship (including by marriage) to the head of the household, as defined by the Food Stamp Program or as determined by the State, (i.e., the relationship to the principal person of each person living in the household.)  If a minor child head-of-household, enter code "01."

            01 =         Head-of-household

            02 =         Spouse

            03 =         Parent

            04 =         Daughter or son (Natural or adoptive)

            05 =         Stepdaughter or stepson

            06 =         Grandchild or great grandchild

            07 =         Other related person (brother, niece, cousin)

            08 =         Foster child

            09 =         Unrelated child

            10 =         Unrelated adult

 

35.       Parent With Minor Child In the Family:

Guidance: A parent with a minor child in the family may be a natural parent, adoptive parent, or step-parent of a minor child in the family.    If data element #9, Type of Family for Work Participation, is coded "2", there should be two adults (and/or minor child heads-of-household) with this data element coded "1" (regardless of whether the family is disregarded from the two-parent families work participation rate via data element #42, Work Participation Status.)  For the purpose of calculating the two-parent families work participation rate, a two-parent family includes, at a minimum, all families with two natural or adoptive parents (of the same minor child) who are work-eligible individuals and living in the home, unless both are minors, and neither is a head-of-household.  A State may choose whether a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of the two parents is a two-parent family for the purposes of calculating the two-parent work participation rate.  If a State chooses to exclude a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of the parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the State must code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1", code this data element with a "2",  and code the data element "Work Participation Status" for the noncustodial parent with a "99".Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3 or 5.

 

            Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) parental status.

            1 =           Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family and used in two-parent participation rate

            2 =           Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family, but not used in two-parent participation rate

            3 =           No

 

36.       Needs of a Pregnant Woman:  Some States consider the needs of a pregnant woman in determining the amount of assistance that the SSP-MOE family receives.  If the adult (or minor child head-of-household) is pregnant and the needs associated with this pregnancy are considered in determining the amount of assistance for the reporting month, enter a "1" for this data element.  Otherwise enter a "2" for this data element.  This data element is applicable only for individuals whose family affiliation code is 1.

            1 =           Yes, additional needs associated with pregnancy are considered in determining the amount of assistance

            2 =           No

 

37.       Educational Level:  Enter the two-digit code to indicate the highest level of education attained by the adult (or minor child head-of-household).  Unknown is not an acceptable code for an individual whose family affiliation code is "1".  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.

            01-11  =  Grade level completed in primary/secondary school including secondary level vocational school or adult high school

            12 =         High school diploma, GED, or National External Diploma Program

            13 =         Awarded Associate's Degree

            14 =         Awarded Bachelor's Degree

            15 =         Awarded graduate degree (Master's or higher)

            16 =         Other credentials (degree, certificate, diploma, etc.)

            98 =         No formal education

            99 =         Unknown

 

38.       Citizenship/Alienage:

            Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) citizenship/alienage.  Unknown is not an acceptable code for an individual whose family affiliation code is "1".  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.

            1 =           U.S. citizen, including naturalized citizens

            2 =           Qualified alien

            3 =           Non qualified alien

            9 =           Unknown

 

39.       Cooperation with Child Support:  Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether this adult (or minor child head-of-household) has cooperated with child support.  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.

            1 =           Yes, adult (or minor child head-of-household) cooperated with child support

            2 =           No

            3 =           Not applicable

 

40.       Employment Status:

            Guidance:  An employed adult (or minor child head-of-household) should have earned income (See data element #58.)

 

            Instruction:  Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) employment status.  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.

            1 =           Employed

            2 =           Unemployed, looking for work

            3 =           Not in labor force (i.e., unemployed, not looking for work, includes discouraged workers)

 

41.       Work-Eligible Individual Indicator:

Definition:  Work-eligible individual means an adult (or minor child head-of-household) receiving assistance under TANF or a separate State program or a non-recipient parent living with a child receiving such assistance unless the parent is: (1) A minor parent and not the head-of-household; (2) A non-citizen who is ineligible to receive assistance due to his or her immigration status; or (3) At State option on a case-by-case basis, a recipient of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled in the Territories.  The term also excludes: (1) A parent providing care for a disabled family member living in the home, provided that there is medical documentation to support the need for the parent to remain in the home to care for the disabled family member; (2) At State option on a case-by-case basis, a parent who is a recipient of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits; and (3) An individual in a family receiving MOE-funded assistance under an approved Tribal TANF program, unless the State includes the Tribal family in calculating work participation rates, as permitted under section 261.25.

 

Guidance:  This data element is designed to identify all work-eligible individuals, i.e., anyone whose participation in work activities is required in the calculation of the work participation rate.  A work-eligible individual is either:  (1) an adult (or minor child head-of household) receiving assistance under TANF or a separate State program; or (2) a non-recipient parent living with a child receiving assistance.  This means that the definition excludes non-recipient noncustodial parents and non-recipient caretaker relatives.  Generally, unless specifically excluded, a parent living with a child receiving assistance is work-eligible.  For example, a parent  whose needs have been removed from the grant, such as due to a work or other sanction, is a work-eligible individual, whether that parent is a recipient or not.

 

Noncustodial parents: Noncustodial parents who receive assistance are not explicitly excluded from being work-eligible individuals.  However, States continue to have the option to include or exclude them from the two-parent work participation rate based on the definition of a two-parent family.  If a State wants to include a noncustodial parent receiving assistance in the two-parent work participation rate, the State should code the noncustodial parent as follows: Type of Family for Work Participation (data element #12) with a “2,” Family Affiliation Code (data element #30) with a “1,” Noncustodial Parent Indicator (data element #31) with a “1,” Parent with Minor Child (data element #39) with a “1” for each parent,  Work-Eligible Individual Indicator (data element #48) with a “1,”and Work Participation (data element #49) with the appropriate code “1” through “19.”  If the State opts to exclude the noncustodial parent receiving assistance from the two-parent work participation rate, the State should code the noncustodial parent as follows: the Type of Family for Work Participation with a ‘1,” the Noncustodial Parent Indicator with a “1”, the Parent with Minor Child with a “2”, the Work-Eligible Individual Indicator with a “1”, and the Work Participation Status code with a “1” through “19,” whichever is appropriate.

 

Change in Circumstance:  If an individual’s status changes from work-eligible to non work-eligible or vice versa during the report month, the State must code the individual as a work-eligible individual for the report month and the family will be included in the denominator of the work participation rate.  However, in determining the average number of hours of participation per week for the report month, State may apply the same approach we use for partial months of receipt of assistance.  The preamble to the original TANF rule stated that “the participation rates are based on monthly data of families receiving assistance that include an adult.  Therefore, a family that receives assistance for even one day contributes to the total number of families receiving assistance in that month.”  Under the new rules, the rates are based on monthly data of families that include a work-eligible individual, so the same discussion applies to families with a work-eligible individual that applied before to families receiving assistance that include an adult.

 

Although the family will be in the denominator for the month if an adult is “work-eligible” for any time in that month, it may also be possible to include the family in the numerator that month and count it toward the participation rate even if the work-eligible status of the adult changes in the course of the month.  As under prior TANF rules, the new rules make accommodation for partial months of receipt of assistance.  Section 261.22(d)(1) says “If a family receives assistance for only part of a month, we will count it as a month of participation if a work-eligible individual is engaged in work for the minimum average number of hours in each full week that the family receives assistance in that month.”  Similarly, if a family includes a work-eligible individual for only part of a month, we will consider the family to have met the participation standard for the month and include it in the numerator if the adult engaged in work for the minimum average hours required in each full week that he or she was a work-eligible individual in that month.

 

In some cases, there may have been a change in circumstances that took place prior to the report month, but the State did not learn of the change until a subsequent month.  In such a situation, the State should revise its data to the extent possible.  For example, the definition of a work-eligible individual does not explicitly refer to a deceased individual, but it is clear that such an individual cannot meet the work requirements and is not “work-eligible.”  If an adult (or minor child head-of-household) who was receiving assistance died prior to the report month, the deceased individual is not a work-eligible individual for the report month.  This is true even if the family’s grant for the report month included the needs of the deceased individual, for example because the State must provide timely notification to a family before reducing the grant or the family failed to report the death to the TANF agency.  However, if a work-eligible individual died in the report month, the State should treat it as it would any other change in circumstances, following the guidance above.

 

Instructions:  Enter the two-digit code that indicate if the adult (or minor child head-of-household) is a work-eligible individual.

01 =     Yes, an adult (or minor child head-of-household) receiving assistance

            02 =     Yes, a non-recipient parent due to a sanction

            03 =     Yes, a non-recipient parent due to a time limit

04 =     Yes, a non-recipient parent receiving SSI, SSDI, or Adult Program assistance (aid to the needy aged, blind and disabled in the Territories) or a recipient parent receiving SSDI; and State or Territory opts to include

            05 =     Yes, a non-recipient parent due to other reasons

            06 =     No, a non-recipient, but not a parent

            07 =     No, an ineligible non-citizen due to his/her immigration status

            08 =     No, a non-recipient parent receiving SSI or Adult Program assistance (aid to the needy aged, blind and disabled) in the Territories

09 =     No, parent caring for a disabled family member in the home

10 =     No, a parent receiving SSDI (and State or Territory opts to exclude)

11 =     No, a non-recipient, noncustodial parent

12 =     No, a deceased individual who died in a month preceding the report month and, due to State requirements to provide timely notification to the family before reducing the grant or other reasons (e.g., the family failed to report the death to the TANF agency), the family’s grant for the report month included the deceased individual’s needs

 

42.       Work Participation Status:

            Guidance:  This item is used in calculating the work participation rates.  The following two definitions are used in reporting this item and in determining which families are included in and excluded from the calculations.

 

            "Disregarded" from the participation rate means the TANF family is not included in the calculation of the work participation rate.

 

            "Exempt" means that the individual will not be penalized for failure to engage in work (i.e., the individual has a good cause exception); however, the TANF family is included in the calculation of the work participation rate.

 

            A State is not required to disregard all families that could be disregarded.  For example, a family with a single custodial parent with child under 12 months (and the family has not been disregarded for 12 months due to a child under age one) may be disregarded.  However, if the single custodial parent is meeting the work requirements, the State may want to include the family in its work participation rate.  In this situation, the State should use work participation status code "19" rather than code "01".

 

                                    Instruction:  Enter the two-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) work participation status.  This data element is designed to capture the status of the individual as relates to the overall rate.   For the two parents in a two-parent family complete the data element for the overall rate.

 

            If the State chooses to include a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of the two parents in the two-parent work participation rate, the State must code data element #9 "Type of Family for Work Participation Rate" with a "2," code data element #26 "Family Affiliation" with a "1,"  code data element #35 "Parent with Minor Child" with a "1," and enter the applicable code for this data element. If a State chooses to exclude a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of the two parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the State must code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1" and code the data element "Work Participation Status" for the noncustodial parent with a "99".  This data element is not applicable for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5 (i.e., use code "99" or leave blank).

            01 =         Disregarded from participation rate, single custodial parent with child under 12 months. There is a 12-month lifetime limit on disregarding a family from the all families work participation rate (i.e., the overall work participation rate) for this reason.

 

            02 =         Disregarded from participation rate because both of the following apply: required to participate, but not participating; and subject to sanction for refusing to participate in work activities for the reporting month, but not subject to sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period (Note: “subjected to a sanction” for refusing to participate in work activities means the State has actually imposed a penalty to reduce or terminate assistance.    During a conciliation or notice period, before the State actually reduces or terminates the family’s grant, a family is not “subjected to a sanction.”)

 

            03 =         Code no longer in use

 

            04 =         Code no longer in use

 

            05 =         Disregarded from participation rate based on participation in a Tribal Work Program

 

            06 =         Exempt, single custodial parent with child under age 6 and child care unavailable

 

            07 =         Exempt, disabled (not using an extended definition under a State waiver).

 

            08 =         Exempt, caring for a severely disabled child (not using an extended definition under a State waiver).

 

            09 =         Exempt, under a federally recognized good cause domestic violence waiver.

 

            10 =         Exempt, State waiver.

 

            11 =         Exempt, other.

 

            12 =         Required to participate, but not participating; subject to sanction for refusing to participate in work activities for the reporting month; and subject to such a sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period.

 

            13 =         Required to participate, but not participating; and subject to sanction for refusing to participate in work activities for the reporting month, but not subject to such a sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period.

 

            14 =         Required to participate, but not participating; and not subject to a work sanction for the reporting month.

 

            15 =         Deemed engaged in work -- single teen head-of-household or married teen who maintains satisfactory school attendance.

 

            16 =         Deemed engaged in work -- single teen head-of-household or married teen who participates in education directly related to employment for an average of at least 20 hours per week during the reporting month.

 

            17 =         Deemed engaged in work -- parent or relative (who is the only parent or caretaker relative in the family) with child under age 6 and parent engaged in core work activities for at least 20 hours per week.

 

            18 =         Required to participate and participating, but not meeting minimum participation requirements.

 

            19 =         Required to participate and meeting minimum participation requirements.

 

            99 =         Not applicable (e.g., not a work-eligible individual; person living in household and whose income or resources are counted in determining eligibility for or the amount of assistance for the family receiving assistance, but is not in the eligible family receiving assistance or noncustodial parent that the State opted to exclude in determining participation rate).

 

                              ADULT WORK PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES:

 

Guidance:  A State must report the actual hours that an individual participates in an activity, subject to the qualifications in 45 CFR § 261.60 paragraphs (b) and (c) and § 261.61(c).  It is not sufficient to report the hours an individual is scheduled to participate in an activity.

 

45 CFR § 261.60 paragraph (b) reads as follows: For the purposes of calculating the work participation rates for a month, actual hours may include the hours for which an individual was paid, including paid holidays and sick leave.  For participation in unpaid work activities, it may include excused absences for hours missed due to a maximum of 10 holidays in the preceding 12-month period and up to 80 hours of additional excused absences in the preceding 12-month period, no more than 16 of which may occur in a month, for each work-eligible individual.  Each State must designate the days that it wishes to count as holidays for those in unpaid activities.  It may designate no more than 10 such days.  In order to count a holiday or an additional  excused absence as actual hours of participation, the individual must have been scheduled to participate in a countable work activity for the period of the absence that the State reports as participation.  A State must describe its holiday and additional excused absence policies and definitions as part of its Work Verification Plan, specified at § 261.62.

 

45 CFR § 261.60 paragraph (c) reads as follows: For unsubsidized employment, subsidized employment, and OJT, a State may report projected actual hours of employment participation for up to six months based on current, documented actual hours of work.  Any time a State receives information that the client’s actual hours of work have changed, or no later than the end of any six-month period, the State must re-verify the client’s current actual average hours of work, and may report these projected actual hours of participation for another six-month period.

 

A State may not count more hours toward the participation rate for a self-employed individual than the number derived by dividing the individual’s self-employment income (gross income less business expenses) by the Federal minimum wage.  A State may propose an alternative method of determining self-employment hours as part of its Work Verification Plan.

 

A State may count supervised homework time and up to one hour of unsupervised homework time for each hour of class time.  Total homework time counted for participation cannot exceed the hours required or advised by a particular educational program.

 

A State must support each individual’s hours of participation through documentation in the case file.  In accordance with § 261.62, a State must describe in its Work Verification Plan the documentation it uses to verify hours of participation in each activity.

 

For an employed individual, the documentation may consist of, but is not limited to pay stubs, employer reports, or time and attendance records substantiating hours of participation.  A State may presume that an employed individual participated for the total number of hours for which that individual was paid.

 

The State must document all hours of participation in an activity; however, if a State is reporting projected hours of actual employment in accordance with § 261.60(c), it need only document the hours on which it bases the projection.

 

For an individual who is self-employed, the documentation must comport with standards set forth in the State’s approved Work Verification Plan.  Self-reporting by a participant without additional verification is not sufficient documentation.

 

For an individual who is not employed, the documentation for substantiating hours of participation may consist of, but is not limited to, time sheets, service provider attendance records, or school attendance records.  For homework time, the State must also document the homework or study expectations of the educational program.

 

To ensure accuracy in the reporting of work activities by work-eligible individuals on the TANF Data Report and, if applicable, the SSP-MOE Data Report, each State must:

(1) Establish and employ procedures for determining whether its work activities may count for participation rate purposes; (2) Establish and employ procedures for determining how to count and verify reported hours of work; (3) Establish and employ procedures for identifying who is a work-eligible individual; (4) Establish and employ internal controls to ensure compliance with the procedures; and (5) Submit to the Secretary for approval the State’s Work Verification Plan in accordance with 45 CFR § 261.62 (b).

 

To calculate the average number of hours per week of participation in a work activity, add the number of hours of participation across all weeks in the month and divide by the number of weeks in the month.  Round the result to the nearest whole number.

 

Some weeks have days in more than one month.  Include such a week in the calculation for the month that contains the most days of the week (e.g., the week of August 27 - September 2, 2006 would be included in the August calculation).  Acceptable alternatives to this approach must account for all weeks in the fiscal year.  One acceptable alternative is to include the week in the calculation for the month in which the Friday falls (i.e., the JOBS approach).  A second acceptable alternative is to count each month as having 4.33 weeks.  The same method of calculating the average number of hours per week of participation for the report month must be used for each month in the fiscal year.

 

During the first or last month of any spell of assistance, a family may receive assistance for only part of the month.  If a family receives assistance for only part of a month, the State (Tribe) may count it as a month of participation if an adult (or minor child head-of-household) in the family (both adults, if they are both required to work) is engaged in work for the minimum average number of hours for any full week(s) that the family receives assistance in that month.

 

Use of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Data: UI data provides an employee's total earnings for a quarter.  It does not indicate in which month(s) of the quarter the employee earned the income, the hourly wage the employee received, or the number of hours the employee worked in each month of the quarter.  Individuals do not necessarily work the same number of hours or days each week or month of a quarter, nor do they all earn the minimum wage.  Since the actual average number of hours per week of participation must be furnished, UI data alone cannot be used to compute the average hours of participation per week for each month in the quarter.

 

The best use of UI data is to identify individuals of whose employment the State agency was unaware.  The State agency should then follow up with the employer and/or TANF recipient to collect the hours of participation in each week of the report month for the work activity.

 

Instruction:  For the four paid countable work activities (i.e., Unsubsidized Employment, Subsidized Private-Sector Employment, Subsidized Public-Sector Employment, and On-the–Job Training) enter the average number of hours of participation per week for the report month.  If the adult (or minor child head-of-household) did not participate in the paid work activity, enter zero.  Each of the eight non-paid countable work activities has three components: (A) Hours of Participation; (B) Excused Absences; and (C) Holidays.   For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) participated during the reporting month, enter in the “Hours of Participation” component the average number of hours per week of participation, except as noted for “Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance” and “Vocational Educational Training” below.  For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) did not participate, enter zero as the average number of hours per week of participation.

 

For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) was given an excused absence, enter in the “Excused Absences” component the average number of hours per week for the reporting month of excused absences.  Otherwise, enter zero for this component.

 

For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) is excused from participation in schedule hours due to a holiday, specified in the State’s Work Verification Plan, enter in the “Holidays” component the average number of hours per week of scheduled participation that was excused due to holidays in the reporting month.  Otherwise, enter zero for this component.

 

These work activity data elements are applicable only for individuals whose family affiliation code is 1 or 2.

 

43.       Unsubsidized Employment

Definition:  Unsubsidized employment means full- or part-time employment in the public or private sector that is not subsidized by TANF or any other public program.

Guidance:  The determination of whether employment is subsidized, or not, depends on whether the employer, rather than the recipient, receives a subsidy. If an employer receives a direct subsidy from TANF or other public funds for hiring a recipient, that recipient would be considered to be in subsidized public or private sector employment. This does not apply to recipients whose employers claim a tax credit for hiring economically disadvantaged workers.  While such tax credits are designed to foster the employment of low-income families, they have traditionally not been treated as “subsidized employment” in the context of welfare.

 

All TANF recipients in unsubsidized employment are, by definition, receiving a subsidy – their TANF assistance grant. The receipt of this grant, however, does not constitute subsidized employment, as long as the employer receives no direct subsidy for employing the recipient. Recipients in unsubsidized employment may also receive work-related subsidies, such as child care, transportation, and other support services.

 

44.       Subsidized Private-Sector Employment

Definition:  Subsidized private sector employment means employment in the private sector for which the employer receives a subsidy from TANF or other public funds to offset some or all of the wages and costs of employing an individual.

Guidance:  Subsidized employment is distinguished from unsubsidized employment, because the employer receives an ongoing subsidy to offset some or all of the wages and costs of employing a recipient. It is distinguished from work experience, because the participant is paid wages and receives the same benefits as a non-subsidized employee who performs similar work.   Subsidized private sector or public sector employment does not include employment subsidies provided through the tax code, including employment subsidized by Federal tax credits, such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). These tax credits subsidize employers who hire welfare recipients or other hard-to-employ groups. TANF agencies, however, may not know whether employers use such tax credits and, indeed, employers may not file for them until well after recipients have been hired. Participants in these programs shall be considered to be in “unsubsidized employment.” However, State-created employer tax credits that are funded by TANF dollars would be considered subsidized employment.  Subsidized private or public sector employment also does not include “on-the-job training” programs, where employers are subsidized to offset the costs of training.

 

45.       Subsidized Public-Sector Employment

 

Definition:  Subsidized public sector employment means employment in the public sector for which an employer receives a subsidy from TANF or other public funds to offset some or all the wages and costs of employing an individual.

 

46.       Work Experience

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition: Work experience (including work associated with the refurbishing of publicly assisted housing) if sufficient private sector employment is not available means a work activity, performed in return for welfare, that provides an individual with an opportunity to acquire the general skills, knowledge, and work habits necessary to obtain employment.  The purpose of work experience is to improve the employability of those who cannot find unsubsidized employment.  This activity must be supervised by an employer, work site sponsor, or other responsible party on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

 

47.       On‑the‑job Training

Definition: On-the-job training means training in the public or private sector that is given to a paid employee while he or she is engaged in productive work and that provides knowledge and skills essential to the full and adequate performance of the job.

 

48.       Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

           

Definition:  Job search and job readiness assistance means the act of seeking or obtaining employment, preparation to seek or obtain employment, including life skills training, and substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, or rehabilitation activities.  Such treatment or therapy must be determined to be necessary and documented by a qualified medical, substance abuse, or mental health professional.  Job search and job readiness assistance activities must be supervised by the TANF agency or other responsible party on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

 

Limitations:  The four limitations concerning job search and job readiness are: (1) Job search and job readiness assistance only counts for 6 weeks in the preceding 12-month period; (2) An individual's participation in job search and job readiness assistance counts for no more than 4 consecutive weeks; (3) If the State's (Tribe's) total unemployment rate is at least 50 percent greater than the United States' total unemployment rate or the State is a needy State (within the meaning of section 403 (b)(6)), then an individual's participation in job search and job readiness assistance counts for up to 12 weeks in the 12-month period; and (4) A State may count 3 or 4 days of job search and job readiness assistance during a week as a full week of participation, but only once for any individual in a 12-month period.

 

For each week in which an adult (or minor child head-of-household) exceeds any of these limitations, use "0" as the number of hours in calculating the average number of hours per week of job search and job readiness, even if (s)he may be engaged in job search or job readiness activities.

 

            Instruction:  As noted above, the statute limits participation in job search and job readiness training in four ways.  Enter, in this data element, the average number of hours per week of participation in job search and job readiness assistance that are within the statutory limitations.

 

            States may report the hours of work participation that are beyond the statutory limits on job search and job readiness assistance under the work activity "Other Work Activities."

 

49.       Community Service Programs

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition:  Community service programs mean structured programs and embedded activities in which individuals perform work for the direct benefit of the community under the auspices of public or nonprofit organizations.  Community service programs must be limited to projects that serve a useful community purpose in fields such as health, social service, environmental protection, education, urban and rural redevelopment, welfare, recreation, public facilities, public safety, and child care.  Community service programs are designed to improve the employability of individuals not otherwise able to obtain unsubsidized full-time employment, and must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.  A State agency shall take into account, to the extent possible, the prior training, experience, and skills of a recipient in making appropriate community service assignments.

 

50.       Vocational Educational Training

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition:  Vocational educational training (not to exceed 12 months with respect to any individual) means organized educational programs that are directly related to the preparation of individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations.  Vocational educational training must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

 

Special Rules:  Each adult (or minor child head-of-household) has a life-time limit for vocational educational training.  Vocational educational training may only count as a work activity for a total of 12 months.  For any adult (or minor child head-of-household) that has exceeded this limit, enter "0" as the average number of hours per week of participation in vocational education training, even if (s)he is engaged in vocational education training.  The additional participation in vocational education training may be coded under "Other Work Activities."

 

            Instruction:  As noted above, the statute contains special rules limiting an adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) participation in vocational educational training to twelve months.  Enter, in this data element, the average number of hours per week of participation in vocational educational training that are within the statutory limits.

 

            Do not count hours of participation in vocational educational training beyond the TANF 12-month life-time limit in this item.  Instead, count the hours of participation beyond the TANF limit in the item "Other Work Activities."

 

50.       Job Skills Training Directly Related to Employment

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition:  Job skills training directly related to employment means training or education for job skills required by an employer to provide an individual with the ability to obtain employment or to advance or adapt to the changing demands of the workplace.  Job skills training must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

 

52.       Education Directly Related to Employment for an Individual with NO High School Diploma or Certificate of High School Equivalency

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition:  Education directly related to employment, in the case of a recipient who has not received a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency means education related to a specific occupation, job, or

job offer.  Education directly related to employment must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the work-eligible individual is scheduled to participate.

 

53.       Satisfactory School Attendance for Individuals with No High School Diploma or Certificate of High School Equivalency

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition:  Satisfactory school attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate means regular attendance, in accordance with the requirements of the secondary school or course of study, at a secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a work-eligible individual who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate.  This activity must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

 

            Guidance: States should report actual hours (as opposed to scheduled hours) in participation in secondary school.

 

54.       Providing Child Care Services to an Individual Who Is Participating in a Community Service Program

            A. Hours of Participation   B. Excused Absences   C. Holidays

 

Definition:  Providing child care services to an individual who is participating in a community service program means providing child care to enable another TANF or SSP recipient to participate in a community service program.  It does not include providing child care to enable a TANF or SSP-MOE recipient to participate in any of the other eleven allowable work activities.  This activity must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

 

55.       Other Work Activities

            Guidance:  This data element collects information on work activities that are beyond the requirements of the statute.  Reporting on this data element is optional.  States may want to demonstrate their additional efforts at helping individuals become self-sufficient even though these activities are not considered in the calculation of the work participation rates.

 

51.       Number of Deemed Core Hours for Overall Rate

Guidance: 45 CFR §§ 261.31 and 261.32 permit States to “deem” and count hours of work experience and/or community service program activities under specified circumstances.  If a work-eligible individual participates in these activities the maximum number of hours permitted under the minimum wage provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and these hours do not meet the “core” hour participation requirement, we will “deem” the core hour requirement met.  This policy is limited to States that combine their TANF and food stamp benefit amounts when calculating maximum hours.  This can be done by adopting the mini-Simplified Food Stamp Program (mini-SFSP) option that simply permits States to count the value of food stamps in determining maximum hours.

 

To determine the maximum allowable number of hours of participation in work experience or community service programs for a month permitted under the minimum wage laws, States must combine the monthly TANF grant (as adjusted by the amount of child support collections retained by the State to offset the amount of the grant) and the food stamp allotment for the family and divided by the appropriate minimum wage (the State’s minimum wage or the Federal minimum wage, whichever is higher).  This result is compared to the actual total number of hours of participation in community services programs and/or work experience that is subject to the FLSA requirements to determine if the State may deem core hours.  If the total number of hours of participation in work experience and/or community services programs for the report month is equal to or exceeds the maximum allowable under the minimum wage laws and if less than the number needed to meet the core hour requirement (i.e., for the overall rate an average of 20 hours per week for the report month), then the State may deem the remaining core hours as met.  If the State has met the above criteria to deem core hours, the State should calculate the number of deemed core hours per week for the report month by subtracting the actual average number of hours of participation in community services programs and/or work experience subject to the FLSA requirements from the core hour participation requirement.     State should use the same method for determining the number of weeks in the month for this purpose as it uses to calculate the average number of hours of participation per week in the work activities.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) average number of deemed core hours per week for the report month.  Otherwise, enter “0.”  This data element is not applicable for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5.

 

52.       Number of Deemed Core Hours for Two-Parent Rate:

            Guidance:  A State that deems core hours for a two-parent family may code the total number of deemed core hours per week for a two-parent family in one of the two parents record and code “0” hours per week for the other parent; or the State may split the total number of deemed core hours per week between the two parents, so long as the sum of the deemed core hours per week for the two parents is the total number of deemed core hours for the two-parent rate for the report month.

 

            Instruction:  If applicable, enter the number of deemed core hours per week for the two-parent work participation rate.  Otherwise, enter “0.”  This data element is not applicable for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5.

 

53.       Amount of Earned Income

            Guidance: An adult (or minor child head-of-household) with earned income should generally be coded as employed (see data element #40.)  There may be exceptions, in months where an individual stopped working in a previous month but received a paycheck in the current month for the prior month]s work.

 

            Instruction: Enter the dollar amount of the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) earned income for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

 

54.       Amount of Unearned Income

            Unearned income has five  categories.  For each category of unearned income, enter the dollar amount of the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) unearned income.

 

            a.             Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC):

                            Guidance:  Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit for families and dependent children.  EITC payments are received monthly (as advance payment through the employer), annually (as a refund from IRS), or both.

 

                            Instruction:  Enter the total dollar amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit actually received, whether received as an advance payment or a single payment (e.g., tax refund), by the adult (or minor child head-of-household) during the reporting month or the month used to budget for the reporting month.  If the State counts the EITC as a resource, report it here as unearned income in the month received (i.e., the reporting month or budget month).  If the State assumes an advance payment is applied for and obtained, only report what is actually received for this item.

 

            b.             Social Security: Enter the dollar amount of Social Security benefits (RSDI benefits) that the adult in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.  Include the Federal payment plus any State supplemental payment.

 

            c.             SSI: Enter the dollar amount of SSI benefits that the adult in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

 

            d.             Worker's Compensation: Enter the dollar amount of Worker's Compensation that the adult in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

 

            e.             Other Unearned Income:

                            Guidance: Other unearned income includes Veterans benefits, Unemployment Compensation, other government benefits, housing subsidy, contribution/income-in-kind, deemed income, Public Assistance or General Assistance (e.g., benefits provided under the TANF program and under separate State programs for which MOE is not claimed), educational grants/scholarships/loans, other.  Do not include the amount of SSP-MOE assistance, EITC, Social Security, SSI, Worker's Compensation, value of food stamp assistance, the amount of the Child Care subsidy, and the amount of Child Support.

 

                            Instruction:  Enter the dollar amount of other unearned income that the adult in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

 

 

                                              CHILD CHARACTERISTICS

 

This section allows for coding the child characteristics for up to ten children in the SSP-MOE family.  A minor child head-of-household should be coded as an adult, not as a child.  The youngest child should be coded as the first child in the family, the second youngest child as the second child, and so on.

 

If there are more than ten children in the SSP-MOE family, use the following order to identify the persons to be coded: (1) children in the eligible family receiving assistance in order from youngest to oldest; (2) minor siblings of child in the eligible family receiving assistance from youngest to oldest; and (3) any other children.

 

55.       Family Affiliation:

            Guidance:  This data element is found in both for (1) the adult or minor child head-of-household characteristics section and (2) the minor child characteristics section.  The same coding schemes are used in both sections.  Some of these codes may not be applicable for children.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the one-digit code that shows the child's relation to the eligible family receiving assistance.

            1 =           Member of the eligible family receiving assistance

 

            Not in eligible family receiving assistance, but in the household

            2 =           Parent of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance

            3 =           Caretaker relative of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance

            4 =           Minor sibling of child in the eligible family receiving assistance

            5 =           Person whose income is considered in determining eligibility for and amount of assistance for the eligible family receiving assistance

 

56.       Date of Birth: Enter the eight-digit code for date of birth for this child under the separate State programs in the format YYYYMMDD.  If the child's date of birth is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1," enter the code "99999999".

 

57.       Social Security Number:  Enter the nine-digit Social Security Number for the child in the format nnnnnnnnn.  If the child's social security number is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1," enter the 9-digit code "999999999".  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4.

 

58.       Race/Ethnicity

            Guidance: The intent of this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and ethnicity characteristic applicable to each person.  States should code at least one of the race categories "YES" in addition to coding ethnicity.

 

            Instruction:  To allow for the multiplicity of race/ethnicity, please enter a one-digit code for each race and for ethnicity of the child.  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4.

 

            Ethnicity

            a.             Hispanic or Latino

                            1 =   Yes, Hispanic or Latino

                            2 =   No

 

            Race:

            b.             American Indian or Alaska Native

                            1 =   Yes, American Indian or Alaska Native

                            2 =   No

 

            c.             Asian

                            1 =   Yes, Asian

                            2 =   No

 

            d.             Black or African American

                            1 =   Yes, Black or African American

                            2 =   No

 

            e.             Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

                            1 =   Yes, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

                            2 =   No

 

            f.              White

                            1 =   Yes, White

                            2 =   No

 

59.       Gender: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the child's gender.

            1 =           Male

            2 =           Female

 

60.       Receives Disability Benefits

            The Act specifies five types of disability benefits.  Two of these types of disability benefits are applicable to children.  For each type of disability benefits, enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the child received the benefit.

 

            a.             Receives Benefits Based on Federal Disability Status Under Non-Social Security Act Programs:

                            Guidance:  States and Territories must complete this data element.

                            These programs include Veteran's disability benefits, Worker's disability compensation, and Black Lung Disease disability benefits.

                            1 =   Yes, received benefits based on Federal disability status

                            2 =   No      

 

            b.             Receives Supplemental Security Income Under Title XVI-SSI of the Social Security Act:

                            Guidance:  States must complete this data element.  The Territories may leave this data element blank or use code "2."

                            1 =   Yes, received aid under Title XVI-SSI

                            2 =   No      

 

61.       Relationship to Head-of-Household:

            Guidance:  This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-of-household section and (2) the minor child section.  The same coding schemes are used in both sections.  Some of these codes may not be applicable for children.

 

            Instruction:  Enter the two-digit code that shows the child's relationship (including by marriage) to the head of the household, as defined by the Food Stamp Program or, principal person of each person living in the household.

            01 =         Head-of-household

            02 =         Spouse

            03 =         Parent

            04 =         Daughter or son (Natural or adoptive)

            05 =         Stepdaughter or stepson

            06 =         Grandchild or great grandchild

            07 =         Other related person (brother, niece, cousin)

            08 =         Foster child

            09 =         Unrelated child

            10 =         Unrelated adult

 

62.       Parent With Minor Child In the Family:

            Guidance:  This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-of-household characteristics section and (2) the minor child characteristics section.  The same coding schemes are used in both sections.  Code "1" is not applicable for children.  A parent with a minor child in the family may be a natural parent, adoptive parent, or step-parent of a minor child in the family.  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4 or 5.

 

            Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the child's parental status.

            1 =           Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family and used in two-parent participation rate

            2 =           Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family, but not used in two-parent participation rate

            3 =           No

 

 

63.       Educational Level:

            Enter the two-digit code to indicate the highest level of education attained by the child.  Unknown is not an acceptable code for an individual whose family affiliation code is "1".  Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4.