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Iowa’s TANF State Plan

6 support services to enable them to leave the program and become self-sufficient.

Definition of Needy Family

A “needy family” is a family meeting the income and resource limitations and other eligibility criteria of the Family Investment Program (FIP) or one of the programs defined later in this TANF State Plan under Other TANF and Segregated or Separate State Programs used for MOE.

Iowa’s Family Investment Program (FIP)

The Family Investment Program (FIP) provides cash assistance to needy Iowa families, as they become self-sufficient.

Major welfare reform in Iowa began in 1993 when legislation passed by the Iowa General Assembly authorized the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) to seek a series of federal waivers to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program which, if approved, would result in an extensive redesign of Iowa’s AFDC program. The federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) approved the waivers, which were then implemented statewide on October 1, 1993.

Many requirements of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 coincided with Iowa’s welfare reform waivers already in place and approved by the DHHS in 1993. As a result, the waivers were terminated via correspondence to the DHHS dated July 18, 1997.

Policies and procedures for FIP are described in Chapter 239B of the Code of Iowa, Titles IV and IX of the Department’s section of the Iowa Administrative Code (IAC), and Title 4 of the IOWA HHS Employees’ Manual. The public may view the Employees’ Manual upon request.

Major changes in FIP policy that have occurred since the last TANF State Plan are identified as such throughout this document, including a description and effective date of each change.

Goals and objectives of Iowa’s Family Investment Program:  Provide an incentive to work and make work pay, leading families to self- sufficiency.  Encourage family stability and the formation of families.  Provide clients with the opportunity and expectation to take personal responsibility to become self-sufficient and also provide them with the necessary tools to move out of poverty.  Provide consequences for those who do not comply with program requirements.  Empower clients to take advantage of options by making real choices.  Remove policies that present barriers to families reaching economic independence.

The goals and objectives above may change over time with public input. Measurements of success focus on earned income increases and whether families are leaving and remaining off FIP.

Eligibility Requirements:

FIP provides cash assistance to families with dependent children.

A “dependent” child is one who is: