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the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) will have one shared account to better manage their benefits. This allowed for a single point of entry for staff to make eligibility determinations across multiple programs including: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medical Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS). Georgia Gateway was piloted in February 2017, with the final wave rolling out in September 2017.

Customers have always had the ability to access Gateway Customer Portal (CP) through a mobile app; however, it wasn’t very mobile responsive. Enhancements were implemented in July 2025 to improve customer experience. The mobile friendly app includes a new ease of use design and includes specific improvements to the following areas in the Customer Portal: applying for benefits, checking your benefits, renewing your benefits, reporting changes to your case, viewing notices, uploading documents, and accessing information about the Georgia Pathways program.

H. Work Requirements

Those applicants or recipients of cash assistance that are deemed to have a work requirement must participate in work activities in accordance with federal TANF guidelines. In two-parent families, where both parents are deemed to be work eligible and have a work requirement, both parents are required to participate in work activities. Two-parent households in Georgia are state-funded. A work eligible individual is expected to participate in work activities at approval.

A parent or caretaker who does not receive TANF because of a disqualification or a penalty must still meet mandatory work requirements unless otherwise exempt.

The only exemption to the work requirement is for a single custodial parent with a child under 12 months of age. This parent may choose a temporary exemption from work requirements. This exemption may be used for a period of up to 12 weeks (3 months). If additional children under the age of 12 months enter the home, the parent may request to be exempt from work activities again at that time. However, the total exemption is not to exceed 12 months during the 48-month TANF lifetime limit of the parent.

A pregnant teen with no dependent child or a teen parent who does not have a high school diploma or its equivalent cannot be exempted from mandatory work activities. Instead, the individual must participate in education or alternate training activities.

Non-custodial, non-supporting parents of a minor child who are included in a TANF Assistance Unit (AU) are required to attend school, obtain a high school diploma or GED, participate in parenting and/or money management classes, perform community service, and cooperate with the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS).

I. Work Participation and Activity Requirements

1. Work Activities