2008-2011
This project is designed to help States improve the effectiveness of their TANF programs and to bolster their ability to conduct program evaluation and research. To achieve this goal, ACF will provide selected states with technical assistance and grants to improve their capacity to analyze and link databases. In particular, States were encouraged to incorporate data from the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) into their existing databases. ACF awarded grants to four States: South Carolina, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Indiana.
Each is described below:
South Carolina Department of Social Services
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SC DSS) will use its grant to develop new procedures to examine longitudinal participant data. In addition SC DSS will expand data linkages to include earnings history information from the Unemployment Insurance program and National Directory of New Hires. With these advances SC DSS will have the capacity to develop new reports and data analysis tools for state and county administrators.
Wisconsin Department of Families and Children
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) in Wisconsin will use its grant to integrate administrative data from a variety of programs: TANF, Foodshare (Wisconsin’s food stamp program), Medicaid/BadgerCare, child welfare, child support, Unemployment Insurance, and the National Directory of New Hires. In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, the DCF will use this integrated data to better assess earnings, income, and multiple program participation of current and former TANF participants and applicants.
Connecticut Department of Labor
The Department of Labor (DOL) in Connecticut will use its grant to build an administrative database to link its Job First Employment Services (JFES) program with: the Unemployment Insurance program, employer information from the Quarterly Causes of Employment and Wages, demographic data from the Department of Motor Vehicles, and employment and earnings information from the National Directory of New Hires. In addition the DOL will construct longitudinal outcome measures to assess long term outcomes of JFES program participants.
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Family Resources (DFR) will use its grant to track pre- and post-TANF eligibility employment. To evaluate its TANF employment and training program, the Indiana Manpower Placement and Comprehensive Training program, the DFR will link the National Directory of New Hires and Work Number databases with its state administrative database.
ACF also awarded a contract to provide technical assistance to the grantees and facilitate collaborative information sharing and learning among grantees so that they may benefit from each other’s experiences.
The point of contact is Michael Dubinsky.