Introduction
Research Questions
- How did policy changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic vary across states?
- How did states change work and activity requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
- How did states treat additional pandemic unemployment insurance benefits?
- How did policy changes made to sanctions and time limits affect families’ eligibility for TANF benefits?
The COVID-19 pandemic created sudden and substantial hardships for many families with low incomes and also created unprecedented challenges for the operation of benefit programs. The primary program that provides cash aid to families in need is called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. TANF is a block grant, meaning the federal government provides each state with a set amount of money that the state combines with its own funding to meet the program’s goals. Each state establishes its own policies for exactly who can get help, how much they can receive, and for how long. Although no TANF policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were mandated at the federal level, states were able to use the TANF program’s existing flexibility to modify their policies if they felt such changes would better support families.
This brief provides a graphical overview of selected TANF policy changes states made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policies described in this brief were in effect for all or a portion of the time between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and July 1, 2021. It includes information about changes to work and activity requirements, sanctions, time limits, benefit computation policies, and the treatment of unemployment insurance benefits.
Purpose
The Welfare Rules Database tracks state TANF policies over time, from 1996 to the present. The database includes hundreds of variables related to initial eligibility, benefit amounts, work and activity requirements, and ongoing eligibility and time limits. The database is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)/ and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and maintained by the Urban Institute. This brief provides a graphical overview of selected state TANF policy changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for families receiving or applying for TANF benefits between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and July 1, 2021.
Key Findings and Highlights
Key findings for state TANF policies at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic (up until July 2021) include:
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Thirty-three states did not count at least some portion of UI benefits at some point during the pandemic. As of May 1, 2021, all of the 33 states continued to exclude at least some portion of UI benefits.
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Forty-one states made changes so that families either were not expected to comply with work requirements or were not sanctioned for not complying at some point during the pandemic. As of July 1, 2021, 27 states had these policies in place.
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Nine states suspended up-front job search requirements at some point during the pandemic and seven states had this policy in place as of July 1, 2021.
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At some point during the pandemic, nine states temporarily stopped counting months towards a state time limit, and 13 states did not stop counting months but granted an extension to families reaching a time limit. One state allowed families that had previously reached the time limit to reapply and receive state-funded benefits if otherwise eligible. As of July 1, 2021, eight states stopped counting months towards a state time limit, and eight states continued to grant extensions.
Methods
The policies discussed in this brief are a small subset of the policies available from the Welfare Rules Database. The database tracks TANF policies for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are collected primarily from the caseworker manuals and documents used to administer the TANF program in each state. State administrators are also asked to review a subset of the policies annually to ensure accuracy of the data collection and coding. The full database containing all of the variables and longitudinal details is also made available for public use at https://wrd.urban.org .
Citation
Shantz, Katie, Linda Giannarelli, Ilham Dehry, Sarah Knowles, and Sarah Minton (2022). State TANF Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic. OPRE Report 2021-233, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- TANF:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families