TANF Data Report - Section One

Disaggregated Data Collection

For Families Receiving Assistance under the TANF Program

INSTRUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS

General Instruction: The State agency or Tribal grantee 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: ([#32 and #68] Date of Birth, [#33 and #69] Social Security Number, [#41 and #75] Educational Level, and [#42 and #76] Citizenship/Alienage). However, 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 five data elements for which States have the option to report based on either the budget month or the reporting month. These are: #16 Amount of Food Stamps Assistance; #19 Amount of Child Support; #20 Amount of the Family's Cash Resources; #65 Amount of Earned Income; and [#66 and #77] 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.

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. Tribal grantees should leave this field blank.

State	Code	State	Code
Alabama	01	Montana	30
Alaska	02	Nebraska	31
American Samoa	60	Nevada	32
Arizona	04	New Hampshire	33
Arkansas	05	New Jersey	34
California	06	New Mexico	35
Colorado	08	New York	36
Connecticut	09	North Carolina	37
Delaware	10	North Dakota	38
Dist. of Columbia	11	Ohio	39
Florida	12	Oklahoma	40
Georgia	13	Oregon	41
Guam	66	Pennsylvania	42
Hawaii	15	Puerto Rico	72
Idaho	16	Rhode Island	44
Illinois	17	South Carolina	45
Indiana	18	South Dakota	46
Iowa	19	Tennessee	47
Kansas	20	Texas	48
Kentucky	21	Utah	49
Louisiana	22	Vermont	50
Maine	23	Virgin Islands	78
Maryland	24	Virginia	51
Massachusetts	25	Washington	53
Michigan	26	West Virginia	54
Minnesota	27	Wisconsin	55
Mississippi	28	Wyoming	56
Missouri	29

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., 01, 03, 05. A complete list of codes is available in Appendix F of the TANF Sampling and Statistical Methods Manual. Tribal grantees should leave this field blank.

3. Tribal Code: For Tribal grantees, enter the three-digit Tribal code that represents your Tribe (See Appendix E of the TANF Sampling and Statistical Methods Manual for a complete listing of Tribal Codes.) State agencies should leave this field blank.

4. 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.

5. Stratum:

Guidance: All TANF families 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 and Tribes 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 TANF Data Report, which contains the caseload size by stratum for each report month. If a State or Tribe opts to provide data for its entire caseload, enter the same stratum code (any two-digit number) for each TANF family.

Instruction: Enter the two-digit stratum code.

FAMILY-LEVEL DATA

Definition: For reporting purposes, the TANF family means (a) all individuals receiving assistance as part of a family under the State's TANF Program; 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.

6. Case Number - TANF:

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

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

7. ZIP Code: Enter the five-digit ZIP code for the TANF family's place of residence for the reporting month.

8. Funding Stream:

Guidance: The TANF Data Report collects information on families receiving assistance as defined in §260.31. We do not collect information on families receiving benefits and services that do not meet the definition of assistance. A family that receives TANF assistance funded, entirely or in part, with Federal funds is subject to the Federal time limits. A family that receives assistance under a segregated State TANF program funded solely with State funds is not subject to the Federal time limits. We will collect information on families who receive assistance under a separate State program in the SSP-MOE Data Report.

Instructions: For States that bifurcate their caseloads, enter the appropriate code for the funding stream used to provide assistance to this TANF family. If the State (Tribe) does not bifurcate its caseload, enter code "1."

1 = Funded, in whole or in part, with Federal TANF block grant funds. This includes programs funded with commingled State and Federal funds.

2 = Funded entirely from State-only funds (segregated State TANF expenditures) which are subject to most, but not all, TANF rules.

9. 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 must collect and report complete data for all sampled cases that are not listed in error. If the family is "listed in error, code this data element with a "2" and do not complete data elements #10 through #77.

Instruction: Enter one of the following codes for each TANF sampled case.

1 = Data collection completed

2 = Not subject to data collection/listed in error

10. New Applicant:

Guidance: A newly-approved applicant means the current reporting month is the first month in which the TANF family receives TANF assistance (and thus has had a chance to be selected into the TANF sample). This may be either the first month that the TANF family has ever received assistance or the first month of a new spell on assistance. A TANF family that is reinstated from a suspension is not a newly, approved applicant.

In forming the monthly frame for data collection and reporting, a State (Tribe) must include all families that receive assistance for the month through the end of the month. We do this because States (Tribes) have only 45 days after the close of the quarter to report the data. For a State (Tribe) that provides assistance to newly approved applicants back to the date of application, the initial assistance issued may include assistance for one or more prior months. However, the month in which the State (Tribe) issued the initial assistance is the first month the State (Tribe) is required to include the family on the monthly frame. Thus, it is the month in which the family is a new applicant.

At State (Tribe) option, the family could be included on a prior monthly frame for a month that assistance was issued retroactively. If the State (Tribe) included the family on a prior month frame, then the prior month would be the month in which the family is a new applicant. For example, a family applies for assistance on March 25 and is approved to receive assistance on May 10. The States provides cash assistance back to date of application and issues a check for March, April, and May on May 11. The State (Tribe) must include the family on the May frame, but is not required to include the family on the March or April frames. If the family is not on the March or April frame, the family is a new applicant for May. However, if the State (Tribe) opts to include the family on the April frame, the family is a new applicant for April, not May.

Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the TANF family is a newly-approved applicant.

1 = Yes, a newly-approved application

2 = No

11. Number of Family Members: Enter two digits that represent the number of members in the family (i.e., include all individuals with Family Affiliation codes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for data elements #30 and #67) under the State's (Tribe's) TANF Program during the reporting month. Include in the number of family members, the noncustodial parent who the State (Tribe) 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.

12. 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 child-only families with no work-eligible individuals (See data element #48, 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 one or more work-eligible individuals is included in the overall work participation rate unless explicitly disregarded. The "Work Participation Status" (data element #49) will be used to disregard families from the work participation rates. See data element #49 "Work Participation Status" for reasons for disregarding a family.

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. 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 #49) 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 #12, Type of Family for Work Participation, with a “2”; for each parent code data element #30, Family Affiliation, with a “1” or “2” whichever is appropriate and code data element #39, Parent with a Minor Child, with a “1”; and for the disabled parent code data element #49, 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

13. 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 TANF family received subsidized housing for the reporting month.

1 = Public housing

2 = Rent subsidy

3 = No housing subsidy

14. 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 TANF 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 TANF family member is enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP.

1 = Yes, enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP

2 = No

15. Receives Food Stamps: Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the TANF family is receiving food stamp assistance.

1 = Yes, receives food stamp assistance

2 = No

16. Amount of Food Stamp Assistance:

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

Instruction: Enter the TANF family's authorized dollar amount of food stamp assistance for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

17. Receives Subsidized Child Care:

Instruction: If the TANF 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 TANF, CCDF, SSBG, or other federally funded child care)

2 = Yes, receives child care funded entirely under a State, Tribal, and/or local program (i.e., no Federal funds used)

3 = No subsidized child care received

18. 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 (Tribe) 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 (Tribe) 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 (Tribe) 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 total dollar amount of subsidized child care from all sources (e.g., CCDF, TANF, SSBG, State, local, etc.) that the TANF family has received for services in the reporting month. If the TANF family did not receive any subsidized child care for services in the reporting month, enter "0."

19. Amount of Child Support: Enter the total dollar value of child support, received on behalf of the TANF 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.

20. Amount of the Family's Cash Resources:

Guidance: Cash resources are defined by the State for purposes of determining eligibility for and amount of benefits. Such resources may include cash on hand, bank accounts (e.g., saving and checking accounts), and certificates of deposit. Other assists (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 TANF 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 STATE (TRIBAL) TANF 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 are conditioned on their participation in work experience or community service (or any other work activity (i.e., under §261.30).

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 State's (Tribe's) TANF Program, enter the dollar amount of assistance that the TANF family received or that was paid on behalf of the TANF family for the reporting month and the number of months that the TANF family has received the type of assistance under the State's (Tribe's) TANF program. In determining the number of months for each type of assistance, begin counting with the month the State (Tribe) began its TANF program. For TANF Child Care also enter the number of children covered by the dollar amount of 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 been received (since the State began its TANF Program) by the TANF eligible family, enter "0" as the number of months of assistance.

21. Cash and Cash Equivalents:

Guidance: Include in this data element cash (and cash equivalents) assistance provided under the TANF program. Do not include WtW cash assistance.

A. Amount B. Number of Months

22. TANF Child Care:

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

Instruction: For TANF Child Care, enter the dollar amount, the number of children covered by the dollar amount of child care, and the total number of months that the family has received TANF child care assistance for families not employed. For example, a TANF family may receive a total of $500.00 in TANF child care assistance for two children for the reporting month. Furthermore, the family may have received TANF child care for one or more child(ren) for a total of six months under the State (Tribal) TANF Program. In this example, the State (Tribe) would code 500, 2, and 6 for the amount, number of children and number of months respectively. Include only the child care funded directly by the State (Tribal) TANF Program. Do not include child care funded under the Child Care and Development Fund, even though some of the funds were transferred to the CCDF from the TANF program.

Number of

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

23. 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 here.

States (Tribes) may use estimates for transportation assistance that is provided to recipients of assistance 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

24. 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 a non-employed family is assistance and should be reported here.

A. Amount B. Number of Months

25. 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 a non-employed family is assistance and should be reported here.

A. Amount B. Number of Months

26. Reason for and Amount of Reductions in Assistance Instruction: The amount of assistance received by a TANF family may have been reduced for one or more of the following reasons. For each reason listed below, indicate whether the TANF family received a reduction in assistance. Enter the total dollar value of the reduction(s) for each group of reasons for the reporting month. If 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 26a.ii., 26a.iii., 26a.iv, or 26a.v. whichever is appropriate. Other sanctions for failure to comply with an individual responsibility plan are coded in 26a.vi.

1 = Yes

2 = No

vii. Other Sanction

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 amounts for sanctions 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

27. Waiver Evaluation Experimental and Control Groups:

Guidance: If the State (Tribe) does not have an approved 1115 welfare reform waiver or this data element is otherwise not applicable, either code this element "9" or leave this data element blank. In connection with waivers that are approved to allow States to implement Welfare Reform Demonstrations, a State assigned a portion of its cases to control groups (subject to the provisions of the regular, statutory AFDC program as defined by prior law) and experimental groups (subject to the provisions of the regular, statutory AFDC program as defined by prior law as modified by waivers). A State may choose, for the purpose of completing impact analyses, to maintain applicable control and experimental group treatment policies as they were implemented under their welfare reform demonstration (including prior law policies not modified by waivers), even if such policies are inconsistent with TANF. However, cases not assigned to an experimental or control group, but subject to waiver policies in accordance with terms and conditions of the waiver approval, may not apply prior law policies inconsistent with TANF unless such policies are specifically linked to approved waivers. When a State continues waivers, but does not maintain experimental and control groups for impact evaluation purposes, all cases in the demonstration site will be treated as cases subject to waiver policies in accordance with the terms and conditions regardless of their original assignment as control group cases (i.e., prior law policies may only apply to the extent they are specially linked to approved waivers and former control group cases will now be subject to waiver policies.)

Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the family's waiver evaluation case status.

1 = Control group case (for impact analysis purposes)

2 = Experimental group case

3 = Other cases subject to waiver policies

9 = Not applicable (no waivers apply to this case)

28. Is the TANF Family Exempt from the Federal Time-Limit Provisions:

Guidance: Under TANF rules, an eligible family that does not include a recipient who is an adult head-of-household, a spouse of the head-of-household, or a minor child head-of-household who has received federally-funded assistance for 60 countable months may continue to receive assistance. A countable month is a month of assistance for which the head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household is not exempt from the Federal time-limit provisions.

TANF rules provide for two categories of exceptions. Certain families are exempt from the accrual of months of assistance (i.e., the clock is not ticking). Certain families with a head-of-household or a spouse of a head-of-house who has received 60 countable months of assistance may be exempt from termination of assistance. Exemptions from termination of assistance include a hardship exemption that allows up to 20% of the families to receive assistance beyond the 60-month time limit. In lieu of the 20% hardship exemptions, States with prior-approved welfare reform waivers may choose to employ extension policies prescribed under their waivers.

Instruction: If the TANF family has no exemption from the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month, enter code "01." If the TANF family does not include a head-of-household or a spouse of the head-of-household who is receiving federally-funded assistance for the reporting month, enter "02." If the TANF family includes a head-of-household or a spouse of the head-of-household who has not received federally-funded assistance for 60 countable months and the family is exempt from the accrual of months of assistance, enter "03," "04," or "05," whichever is appropriate. If the TANF family includes a head-of-household or a spouse of the head-of-household who has received assistance for 60 countable months and the family is exempt from termination of assistance, enter code "06" "07," "08," "09," "10," or "11," whichever is appropriate. If there is more than one applicable exemption, the State may code the exemption it deems most appropriate.

01 = Family is not exempt from Federal time limit.

Family does not include a head-of-household or a spouse of the head-of-household who is receiving federally-funded assistance

02 = Yes, family is exempt from accrual of months and termination of assistance under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month because no head-of-household or spouse of the head-of-household in the eligible family is receiving assistance.

Family includes a head-of-household or a spouse of the head-of-household, but has accrued less than 60 months of assistance

03 = Yes, family is exempt from accrual of months under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month because assistance to family is funded entirely from State-only funds (See data element #8, Funding Stream, code 2.)

04 = Yes, family is exempt from accrual of months under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month because the family is living in Indian country or an Alaskan native village, where at least 50 percent of the adults living in the Indian country or Alaskan native village are not employed.

05 = Yes, family is exempt from accrual of months under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month based on an approved welfare reform waiver policy.

Family includes a head-of-household or a spouse of the head-of-household, who has received federally-funded assistance for 60 countable months

06 = Yes, family is exempt from termination of assistance under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month because assistance to the family is funded entirely from State-only funds (See data element #8, Funding Stream, code 2.)

07 = Yes, family is exempt from termination of assistance under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month due to a hardship exemption, battery, or extreme cruelty (i.e., victims of domestic violence who were not given a Federally recognized domestic violence waiver).

08 = Yes, family is exempt from termination of assistance under State policy for the reporting month based on a federally recognized good cause domestic violence waiver of time limits.

09 = Yes, family is exempt from termination of assistance under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month because the head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household is living in Indian country or an Alaskan native village, where at least 50 percent of whose adults are not employed.

10 = Yes, family (including adults) is exempt from termination of assistance under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month in accordance with extension policies prescribed under approved welfare reform waivers.

11 = Yes, the children in the family are receiving assistance beyond the 60 countable months and the family is exempt from termination of assistance under the Federal five-year time limit for the reporting month in accordance with extension policies prescribed under approved welfare reform waivers (i.e., under an adult-only time limit).

29. Is the TANF Family A New Child-Only Family?:

Guidance: A child-only family is a TANF family that does not include a minor child head-of-household or an adult who is receiving TANF assistance. For purposes of this data element, a new child-only family is a TANF family that: (a) has received TANF assistance for at least two months (i.e., the reporting month and the month prior to the reporting month); (b) received benefits in the prior month, but not as a child-only case; and (c) is a child-only family for the reporting month. All other families--including those that are not a child-only case during the reporting month--get coded as "not a new child-only family," i.e., as code 2.

Instructions: If the TANF family is a new child-only family, enter code "1." Otherwise, enter code "2."

1 = Yes, a new child-only family

2 = No, not a new child-only family

PERSON-LEVEL DATA

Person-level data is found in two sections: (1) the adult and minor child head-of-household characteristic section and (2) the child characteristics section. Section 419 of the Act defines adult and minor child. 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 (Tribes) 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 TANF 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 TANF family, complete the adult characteristics section.

A noncustodial parent is defined in §260.30 as a parent who lives in the State and does not live with his/her child(ren). 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.

The State has the option to count a family with a noncustodial parent receiving assistance as a two-parent family for work participation rate purposes. If the State (Tribe) opts to include the non-custodial parent in the two-parent work participation rate, the State (Tribe) must code the "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "2" and the non-custodial parent as follows: The "Family Affiliation" is coded "1," the "Parent with a Minor Child" is coded "1," and the "Work Participation Status" with the appropriate code in the range of "06" to "19."

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 TANF 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 from the person with the most income to the person with least income.

30. Family Affiliation:

Guidance: This data element is found in both (1) the adult and minor child head-of-household characteristic 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 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 TANF 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

31. 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 (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 indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) noncustodial parent status.

1 = Yes, a noncustodial parent

2 = No

32. Date of Birth: Enter the eight-digit code for date of birth for the adult (or minor child head-of-household) under the State (Tribal) TANF 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” or “2," enter the code "99999999".

33. Social Security Number: Enter the nine-digit Social Security Number (SSN) for the adult (or minor child head-of-household) in the format nnnnnnnnn. If the SSN is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1” or “2," enter "999999999". If the Family Affiliation code is "1” or “2", the State (Tribe) must make every effort to provide the SSN. For those few individuals that the State (Tribe) cannot obtain the SSN in time to meet the reporting due date, the State (Tribe) should use "000000000" with the understanding that the State (Tribe) must replace this number with the correct SSN once the SSN is obtained.

34. Race/Ethnicity:

Guidance: The intent of this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and ethnicity characteristic applicable to each person. States (Tribes) 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 TANF 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

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

1 = Male

2 = Female

36. 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 (Tribes) 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 (Tribes) 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 (Tribes) 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

37. 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

38. Relationship to Head-of-Household:

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. Some of these codes may not be applicable for adults.

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

01 = Head-of-household

02 = Spouse

03 = Parent

04 = Daughter or son

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

39. 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.

This data element is used in determining the two-parent work participation rate. If data element #12, Type of Family for Work Participation, is coded "2", there should be two parents coded "1" for this data element (regardless of whether the family is disregarded from the two-parent families participation rate via data element #49, 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 (Tribe) 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 (Tribe) 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

40. Needs of a Pregnant Woman: Some States (Tribes) consider the needs of a pregnant woman in determining the amount of assistance that the TANF 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

41. 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 individuals 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

42. 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 individuals 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

9 = Unknown

43. Cooperation with Child Support: Enter the one-digit code that indicates if the 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) has cooperated with child support

2 = No

9 = Not applicable

44. Number of Months Countable toward Federal Time Limit:

Guidance: A countable month is a month for which the head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household receives assistance and is not exempt from the Federal five-year time limit. Continue accumulating countable months beyond the 60 months as long as the head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household continues to receive assistance. For an adult who is not the head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household the number of months on assistance does not count toward the Federal five-year time limit.

Instruction: Enter the number of months countable toward the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) Federal five-year time limit based on the cumulative amount of time the individual has been either the head-of-household or the spouse of the head-of-household and has received Federal TANF assistance from both the State (Tribe) and other States or Tribes. Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 2, 3, or 5.

45. Number of Countable Months Remaining Under State's (Tribe's) Time Limit:

Guidance: If a State (Tribe) did not opt to have a time limit other than the Federal five-year time limit, the State (Tribe) may leave this data element blank.

Instruction: Enter the number of months that remain countable toward the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) State (Tribal) time limit. Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 2, 3, or 5.

46. Is Current Month Exempt from the State's (Tribe's) Time Limit:

Guidance: If a State (Tribe) did not opt to have a time limit other than the Federal five-year time limit, the State (Tribe) may leave this data element blank.

Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) current exempt status from State's (Tribe's) time limit. Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 2, 3, or 5.

1 = Yes, adult (or minor child head-of-household) is exempt from the State's (Tribe's) time limit for the reporting month

2 = No

3 = Not applicable, no State (Tribal) time limit

47. Employment Status:

Guidance: An employed adult (or minor child head-of-household) should have earned income (See data element #65.)

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)

48. 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 or spouse of the head-of-household; (2) An alien 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. The term also excludes: (1) A parent providing care for a disabled family member living in the home who does not attend school on a full-time basis, provided that the need for such care is supported by medical documentation; and (2) An individual 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 §261.25.

Guidance: The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 amended the work participation requirements by directing HHS to improve the verification and oversight of work participation. One provision extends work participation requirements to some non-recipient parents of children receiving assistance by requiring us to “ensure consistent measurement of work participation rates” including information on “the circumstances under which a parent who resides with a child who is a recipient of assistance should be included in the work participation rates.” This would primarily affect child-only cases, but could include some two-parent cases as well, where one of the parents is living in the household but not part of the assistance unit. This data element is designed to identify all work-eligible individuals. The definition excludes non-recipient noncustodial parents, non-recipient caretaker relatives, and some non-recipient parents who are aliens (and ineligible due to their immigration status) or, at State option, SSI recipients. Families receiving MOE-funded assistance under a Tribal TANF program are not reported in the TANF Data Report and, thus there is no specific code to identify such individuals. States have the option to include or exclude a non-recipient parent who is receiving SSI as a work-eligible individual on a case-by-case basis. A non-recipient parent (or minor child head-of-household), whose needs have been removed from the grant due to a sanction (i.e., sanctioned for any reason, not just a work sanction) or any other reason is a work-eligible individual.

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

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

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

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

4 = Yes, a non-recipient parent receiving SSI (and State opts to include)

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

6 = No, a non-recipient and not a parent; or a non-recipient noncustodial parent

7 = No, an ineligible alien due to immigration status

8 = No, a non-recipient parent receiving SSI (and State opts to exclude)

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

49. 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 parent has not been disregarded for 12 months) 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. 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 #12 "Type of Family for Work Participation Rate" with a "2," code data element #30 "Family Affiliation" with a "1," code data element #39 "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." 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 the reporting month for refusing to participate in work activities, but not subject to such a sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period. (Note: this code should be used only in a month for which the family is disregarded from the participation rate. While one or more adults may be subject to a sanction in more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period, the family may not be disregarded from the participation rate for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period.)

03 = Disregarded, family is part of an ongoing research evaluation (as a member of a control group or experimental group) approved under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act.

04 = Disregarded from the work participation rate based on an inconsistency under an approved welfare reform waiver that exempts the family from participation.

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 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 sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period.

14 = Required to participate, but not participating; and not subject to 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 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., non 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: For each work activity in which an adult or minor child head-of-household participates, a State must report the actual hours that an individual participates, subject to the qualification in the following paragraph. It is not sufficient to report the hours an individual is scheduled to participate in an activity.

The qualification is as follows: For the purposes of calculating the work participation rates, actual hours may include excused absences due to holidays and temporary illness, not to exceed two days a month or 10 days in any 12-month period. A State must describe its excused absence policies and definitions as part of its Work Verification Plan, specified at §261.62.

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 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.

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.

Documenting Hours of Participation

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 in unsubsidized employment for the total number of hours for which that individual was paid.

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.

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.

Instruction: For each work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) participated during the reporting month, enter 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 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. These work activity data elements are applicable only for individuals whose family affiliation code is 1 or 2.

50. 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.

51. 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 a recipient.

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) and the Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit (WWTC). 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.

52. 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 a recipient.

53. Work Experience

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, training, 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 daily.

54. 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.

55. Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance

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 short-term substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, or rehabilitation activities for those who are otherwise employable. Such treatment or therapy must be determined to be necessary and certified by a qualified medical 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 daily.

Limitations: The four limitations concerning job search and job readiness are: (1) Job search and job readiness assistance only count for 6 weeks in any fiscal year; (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 for a fiscal year is at least 50 percent greater than the United States' total unemployment rate for that fiscal year or the State is a needy State (within the meaning of section 403 (b)(6)), then an individual's participation in job search or job readiness assistance counts for up to 12 weeks in that fiscal year; 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.

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.

If a State is operating its TANF Program under a waiver that permits broader rules for participation in job search and job readiness training, the TANF rules apply. Any additional participation in job search and job readiness training permitted under the waiver rules should be coded under data element #62 "Additional Work Activities Permitted Under Waiver Demonstration."

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 training that are within the statutory limitations.

Some State waivers permit participation in job search and job readiness training beyond the statutory limits. Do not count hours of participation in job search and job readiness training beyond the TANF limit where allowed by waivers in this item. Instead, count the hours of participation beyond the TANF limit in the item "Additional Work Activities Permitted Under Waiver Demonstration." Otherwise, count the additional hours of work participation under the work activity "Other Work Activities."

56. Community Service Programs

Definition: Community service programs mean structured programs and embedded activities in which TANF recipients 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 recipients not otherwise able to obtain employment, and must be supervised on an ongoing basis, but under no circumstances less frequently than daily. 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.

57. Vocational Educational Training

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 paid or unpaid positions in current or emerging occupations requiring training other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree. Vocational educational training must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than daily.

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."

The only exception to the above 12-month rule is for a State that received a waiver that is inconsistent with the provision limiting vocational education training. In this case the State would adhere to the terms and conditions of the waiver.

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.

Some State waivers permit participation in vocational educational training beyond the statutory limits. Do not count hours of participation in vocational educational training beyond the TANF 12-month life-time limit where allowed by waivers in this item. Instead, count the hours of participation beyond the TANF limit in the item "Additional Work Activities Permitted Under Waiver Demonstration." Otherwise, count the additional hours of work participation under the work activity "Other Work Activities."

58. Job Skills Training Directly Related to Employment

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 daily.

59. Education Directly Related to Employment for Individuals with no High School Diploma or Certificate of High School Equivalency

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 daily.

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

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 recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate. This activity must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than daily.

Guidance: States should report actual hours (as opposed to scheduled hours) in participation in secondary school. Individuals scheduled to attend classes but who do not attend classes should not be credited with hours of participation.

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

Definition: Providing child care services to an individual who is participating in a community service program means providing child care to enable another TANF 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 daily.

62. Additional Work Activities Permitted Under Waiver Demonstration

Instruction: Some States' waivers permit participation in work activities that are not permitted under the statute. Enter the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) average number of hours per week of participation in such work activities in this data element. Some State waivers permit participation in vocational educational training and job search beyond the TANF statutory limits. Count hours of participation in these activities beyond the TANF limits where allowed by the State waivers in this item. Otherwise, count the additional hours of work participation in the activity "Other Work Activities."

63. Other Work Activities

Guidance: This data element collects information on work activities provided that are not permitted under a State waiver and 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.

64. Required Hours of Work Under Waiver Demonstration:

Guidance: In approving waivers, ACF specified hours of participation in several instances. One type of waiver permitted, as part of a change in work activities and/or exemptions, the hours individuals had to work to be consistent with their abilities and in compliance with employability or personal responsibility plan or other criteria in accordance with the waiver terms and conditions. If the hours requirement in such a case was part of a specific work component waiver, the State could show inconsistency and could use the waiver hours requirement instead of the hours requirement in section 407.

Instruction: If applicable, enter the two-digit number that represents the average number of hours per week of work participation required of the individual under a work component waiver. If the State (Tribe) does not have an approved 1115 welfare reform waiver or if the data element is otherwise not applicable, leave blank or enter "0." This data element is not applicable for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5.

65. Amount of Earned Income:

Guidance: An adult (or minor child head-of-household) with earned income should be coded as employed (See data element #47.)

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. Include wages, salaries, and other earned income in this item.

66. 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 for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

a. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC):

Guidance: Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable Federal, State, or local 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., reporting month or budget month, whichever the State is using). 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 State (Tribal) TANF 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 that the adult in the State (Tribal) TANF 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 State (Tribal) TANF 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 (but is not limited to) Veterans benefits, Unemployment Compensation, other government benefits, a housing subsidy, a contribution or income-in-kind, deemed income, Public Assistance or General Assistance (e.g., benefits provided under separate State programs, regardless of whether MOE is claimed or not claimed), educational grants/scholarships/loans, and other. Do not include the amount of TANF assistance, EITC, Social Security, SSI, Worker's Compensation, value of food stamp assistance, the amount of a Child Care subsidy, or the amount of Child Support.

Instruction: Enter the dollar amount of other unearned income that the adult in the State TANF 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 TANF 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 TANF 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.

67. Family Affiliation:

Guidance: This data element is found in both (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 or resources are considered in determining eligibility for or amount of assistance for the eligible family receiving assistance

68. Date of Birth: Enter the eight-digit code for date of birth for this child under the State (Tribal) TANF Program 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".

69. Social Security Number: Enter the nine-digit Social Security Number (SSN) for the child in the format nnnnnnnnn. Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4. If the SSN is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1," enter "999999999". If the Family Affiliation code is "1", the State (Tribe) must make every effort to provide the SSN. For those few individuals that the State (Tribe) cannot obtain the SSN in time to meet the reporting due date (e.g., a new born for whom the parent has applied for but not yet received a SSN), the State (Tribe) should use "000000000" with the understanding that the State (Tribe) must replace this number with the correct SSN once the SSN is obtained.

70. Race/Ethnicity

Guidance: The intent of this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and ethnicity characteristic applicable to each person. States (Tribes) 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 TANF child. Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4 or 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

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

1 = Male

2 = Female

72. 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 (Tribes) 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

73. Relationship to Head-of-Household:

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. 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 as determined by the State (Tribe), (i.e., the relationship to the principal person of each person living in the household.)..................

01 = Head-of-household

02 = Spouse

03 = Parent

04 = Daughter or son

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

74. 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 coded in the Child Characteristics Section. 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

75. 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 individuals whose family affiliation code is "1". Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4.

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

76. Citizenship/Alienage:

Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the child'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 4.

1 = U.S. citizen, including naturalized citizens

2 = Qualified alien

9 = Unknown

77. Amount of Unearned Income

Unearned income has two categories. For each category of unearned income, enter the dollar amount of the child's unearned income.

a. SSI: Enter the dollar amount of SSI that the child in the State (Tribal) TANF family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

b. Other Unearned Income: Enter the dollar amount of other unearned income that the child in the State (Tribal) TANF family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.