137.3 Transitional Cash Assistance

TCA is a Department of Human Services (DHS) initiative that provides a transitional or supplemental cash benefit to families who are:

No longer eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) due to excess income;

Have earned income in the budget;

Are meeting the federal Work Participation Rate (WPR) for their circumstances; AND

Have a TANF child in the budget.

The TCA benefit is a temporary benefit designed as an incentive for TANF recipients to move from public assistance to employment while also allowing Pennsylvania to increase the number of family households meeting the WPR. B udget groups eligible to receive TCA will receive $100/month ($50 on each payment date) for up to three months (six payment dates).

Family budget groups and corresponding grant groups that would have been eligible for Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) at the time of their TANF closing and meet all non-financial requirements for TCA, will be authorized Program Status Code (PSC) 71. The three months of TCA will count toward the twelve -month TMA time limit, meaning that at the end of TCA the budget group would have an additional nine months of TMA remaining.

The TCA benefit does not count towards the benefit calculation for Extended Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), nor will it have any effect on Extended SNAP. If the budget group is not eligible for Extended SNAP at the TANF closing, the TCA benefit is to be counted as unearned income when calculating SNAP benefits .

The TANF time clock will not be counting days during any TCA eligible time period. TCA days will be tracked on the Act 35 clock.

The program has been designed so that as TANF is closed; the system will evaluate to ensure non-financial requirements for TANF are still being met, the budget group is meeting the WPR requirements for their circumstances and whether the budget group is eligible for TMA or not. TCA will open with the correct PSC with notices issued and a future close date. Any support being collected will be automatically reassigned to the family.

During the TCA period the budget group will be treated as TANF recipients for child care eligibility purposes. When TCA expires the budget group will be treated as former TANF recipients for child care.

TCA recipients are not eligible for special allowances for Employment and Training activities through TANF . SPALs may be authorized during the TCA period only if eligible under SNAP policy.

TANF State Plan