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Delaware TANF State Plan 10-1-23 to 09-30-26 Page 44 of 59

When Delaware eliminated these special deprivation requirements as part of our welfare reform waiver, the numbers of two-parent families receiving TANF soared, and we believe that, without the TANF change, many of these households would have applied for and been found eligible for benefits as single mother families. These never formed two-parent households would have had profound effects on the ability of the family to exit welfare and on the future success of the children. We have found that the average length of stay on TANF is much lower for two-parent families, reflecting the greater incidence of retained employment when two adults are able to engage in work and share childcare duties.

Delaware has always allowed taxpayers to file separately and applied the progressive rate structure to each spouse's income separately, which avoided most tax increases resulting from marriage. However, a marriage penalty could still result from uneven standard deduction amounts. By increasing the standard deduction amount for married taxpayers to exactly twice the single standard deduction beginning January 1, 2000, enactment of HB 411 has effectively eliminated the income tax "marriage penalty" in the State of Delaware. Delaware uses a combination of TANF and MOE funds. Eligible families must be receiving TANF and meet the TANF financial eligibility criteria. A family's income must meet the standards described on page 6 for the family to be financially eligible for TANF.

Supportive Services

Delaware uses a combination of TANF and/or MOE funds for employment and training activities and work-related supportive services are designed to link TANF adults to employment and help them retain employment. Delaware will not use TANF funds for medical expenses not covered by Medicaid. MOE will be used to cover medical costs not covered under Medicaid. Work-related supportive services may include: • Support provided by contractors to retain employment for up to one (1) year; • Health care for Delaware citizens; • Job search programs and other assistance from the Department of Labor to find a job; • Ongoing job retention assistance; • Childcare; • Eye examinations, corrective lenses, dental expenses, and physicals not covered by Medicaid; • Transportation expenses; • Work-related equipment, uniforms, shoes, and supplies; • Work-related fees and training; • Teen Voucher program; • Expungement services; and • Bridge program – the Bridge program assists clients suspected of having problems related to substance abuse, mental health, or domestic violence