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MISSISSIPPI

Volume III | Chapter 1

[GENERAL: INTRODUCTION]

Revised 06-01-06

LEGAL AND FUNDING BASE The following cited laws and regulations set forth basic guidelines used to develop detailed policies and procedures set out in this Volume III, TANF Policy Manual. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program is authorized by Title IV of the Social Security Act as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) and found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45 beginning with Part 200. The TANF Program is administered through the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The Mississippi Department of Human Services is the agency designated by state law to administer the TANF Program. The TANF Program is authorized in the Mississippi Code of 1972 Annotated, in Title 43, Chapters 1 and 17. The TANF Program includes the TANF Work Program (TWP) with specific work-related requirements, exemptions and sanctions. TANF eligibility requirements and TWP requirements are addressed in State law at 43-17-5. Under the federal and state laws, TANF benefits are time limited, mandating that families move quickly into work activities leading to self-sufficiency. The TANF Program is designed to: ∙ provide TANF payments assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; ∙ end dependence of parents/caretakers on public assistance by promoting job preparation, work and marriage; ∙ encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families; and ∙

prevent Program fraud and abuse. The specific time limits under which families may receive assistance under the TANF Program as funded under the federal PRWORA, Title IV-A, and State law at 43-17-5 are as follows: ∙ Temporary assistance to needy families that include an adult is limited to a maximum of 60 months, whether or not consecutive, unless excluded within the 20% exemption criteria. ∙ The parent or needy caretaker in the assistance unit must be engaged in an approved work activity (defined by the State) as soon as he/she is determined ready to engage in work. In no case shall the