Massachusetts TANF State Plan

PURPOSE In fulfillment of the state plan requirement of Section 402(a) of the Social Security Act, Massachusetts submits this state plan to renew its status as an eligible state. This renewal is being submitted to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services through the Director of the Administration for Children and Families, in Washington, DC, in December 2021. BACKGROUND Massachusetts operates the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program, a family assistance grant used to provide financial assistance to needy families and to otherwise fulfill the four purposes of TANF. Massachusetts also operates a number of Maintenance of Effort (MOE) programs. ORGANIZATION This document is structured according to the organization of the language in the Social Security Act that describes the requirements of TANF state plans. The bold headings are from section 402 of the Social Security Act.

Massachusetts TANF State Plan

(a)(1) OUTLINE OF THE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (A) GENERAL PROVISIONS This plan provides an outline of how the State intends to do the following: (i) Conduct a program designed to serve all political subdivisions in the State (not necessarily in a uniform manner), that provides assistance to needy families with (or expecting) children and provides parents with job preparation, work, and support services to enable them to leave the program and become self-sufficient. Outline of the TAFDC Program’s General Provisions TAFDC is the state’s principal TANF program. It is administered through the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and operates uniformly throughout the state. The TAFDC program provides economic assistance, employment and training opportunities, and supportive services for families with dependent children and some expectant parents. The goal of the program is to help families achieve economic mobility through meaningful employment. TAFDC is also provided to children who are being cared for by a relative who is not their natural or adoptive parent. The state statute governing the TAFDC program can be found in Title XVII, Chapter 118 of the Massachusetts General Laws, located at mass.gov. The regulations can be found in 106 CMR 701 -708 located at Department of Transitional Assistance regulations | Mass.gov. Procedural guidance can be found in DTA’s online guide, Online Guide (state.ma.us).

Application

Financial eligibility for the program is determined by income limits. Income limits can be found here. Regulations regarding financial eligibility can be found at 106 CMR 704.000, et seq. Whenever an application is made for a dependent child, the parents of that child who are living in the same household and the siblings of that child living in the same household must also be included in the application. When someone who is not the parent of the dependent child is applying, they can choose to be included in the application or not. When an application is made for a pregnant woman, only the pregnant woman is included in the application. Anyone receiving SSI is never included in the application. Rules about who is included in an application can be found at 106 CMR 704.305. Certain families, who are assessed as work ready, are connected to employment opportunities when applying for benefits through registering an account with MassHire JobQuest. Once a family begins receiving benefits they are introduced to free opportunities for employment, training, and education and supportive services.

Case Management and Employment Services

Each local DTA office has case managers and Full Engagement Workers (FEWs). Case managers carry a caseload and are responsible for eligibility determination, eligibility review, referral services and other case maintenance activities. FEWs are specialists in the employment, education and training opportunities available to families receiving TAFDC. In