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P.O. Box 91920, 64 New York Avenue, NE • Washington DC 20002 P 202.671.4200 F 202.671.4326 • DHS.DC.GOV

DRAFT FOR COMMENTS TANF State Plan Effective October 1, 2020

January 7, 2021

Public Posting Announcement: Draft TANF State Plan

The District of Columbia (“District” or “D.C.”) prepared the draft Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) State plan renewal effective October 1, 2020, in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and in accordance with Title IV-A, Section 402 of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended.

The District’s new State Plan has been updated to reflect new policies that went into effect on April 1, 2018, along with additional changes that went into effect as a result of the current COVID -19 public health emergency.

Brief Overiew of Changes

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, at the direction of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, DHS convened a TANF Hardship Working Group to recommend a Hardship Extension Policy for customers who received TANF in D.C. for 60-months or longer. The TANF Hardship Working Group included D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS) staff, local advocate organizations, members and staff of the D.C. Council, TANF Education and Employment Program (TEP) providers, and most importantly, TANF customers. When the working group was convened, the TANF policy at the time called for a termination of TANF cash assistance benefits in October 2017 for customers who had reached the Federal 60-month TANF cash assistance benefit time limit.

The culmination of both activities led to the development of the current TANF Policy that took effect April 1, 2018 along with revisions to the TEP service delivery model that took effect on October 1, 2018. The new TANF Policy in D.C. accomplished three critical goals:

• No Time Limit: Time limit for families who receive TANF was eliminated; • Increased Benefits: DHS restored the reduced benefits to the appropriate levels for families who had received TANF for longer than 60 months; and • Reduced Sanction: The maximum sanction level for non-participation in work activities is 6% of the total TANF grant. o 80% is the child protection grant o 20% is the parental portion of the grant which is subject to sanction