Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
Information Memorandum

U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Administration for Children & Families
Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation
Washington, D.C. 20447

Memorandum No. TANF-ACF-IM-99-3

Date: August 17, 1999

TO:

State Agencies Administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and Other Interested Parties

SUBJECT:

Edits and Transmission File Layouts for the TANF Data Report and the SSP-MOE Data Report

BACKGROUND:

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) established data reporting requirements for States operating the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. On April 12, 1999 the Department of Health and Human Services issued final regulations on TANF data reporting requirements. States are required to collect monthly and report quarterly disaggregated data on families and individuals receiving assistance under the State TANF program, disaggregated data on families and individuals no longer receiving assistance under the State TANF program, and aggregated data on applications, active TANF families and recipients, closed cases, etc. At State option, if the State wants to receive a high performance bonus or qualify for caseload reduction credit, the State must also submit data on its separate State programs. The SSP-MOE Data Report collects data similar to data on the TANF Data Report. The data are to be reported electronically. The Administration for Children and Families will provide States with a computer software package that will permit States to enter the required TANF and SSP-MOE data into the system, edit the data and create the transmission files. States may use this software package to create their transmission files or may pull the required data directly from their mainframe computers and place the data into the required transmission formats. We are providing the edits and transmission file layouts to facilitate the latter approach. The edits are basic and directly reflect the instructions for completing the TANF Data Report and the SSP-MOE Data Report as published with the final TANF rules.

CONTENT:

This memorandum transmits the edits and transmission file layouts used in the TANF Data Report and the SSP-MOE Data Report.

ATTACHMENT:

Edits and Transmission File Layouts for the TANF Data Report, Edits and Transmission File Layouts for the SSP-MOE Data Report.

INQUIRES:

Inquires should be directed to the appropriate ACF Regional Administrator

                                  /s/
_____________________________________

Howard Rolston
Director
Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation