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Subject: Families First Drug Testing

Policy 23.06 Date of Last Review: 02/23/2024 Effective Date: 03/01/2024 Date of Next Review: 02/23/2027 RDA: SW22 Page 6 of 7 Definitions/Acronyms Term Definition Applicant An individual who makes application for Families First/TANF cash assistance. Confirmation Test A second analytical procedure used to identify the presence of a specific drug in a specimen that is different in scientific principle from that of the initial test procedure. HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act MRO Medical Review Officer is a licensed physician who has knowledge of substance abuse disorders, laboratory testing procedures, and chain of custody collections procedures; who verifies positive, confirmed test results; and who has the necessary medical training to interpret and evaluate a Families First/TANF recipient’s positive test result in relation to the recipient’s medical history and current, valid prescription(s), or any other relevant biomedical information. MRO Medical Review Officer New Applicant An applicant that meets one (1) of the following criteria: • Never has received prior Families First cash assistance; • Has not received Families First cash assistance for at least one (1) month. Protective Payee The person other than the caretaker or grantee relative to whom a Families First grant is payable. A protective payee has responsibility for administering the benefits of the assistance unit grant payment for the benefit of the assistance unit. The Department should secure the name of the protective payee from the caretaker and verify ID of the named individual before assigning. Subsequent test A subsequent test refers to the additional required drug test(s) following the requirement to complete a substance abuse treatment program as prescribed after a positive result from the initial drug test administered to determine Families First eligibility at application. A subsequent test is required at the completion of a substance abuse treatment program in order to continue eligibility in the Families First grant and/or at the end of the six (6) month disqualification period for customers who: 1. refuse to enter a substance abuse program, 2. fail to begin or complete a substance abuse program, or 3. test positive following the completion of a substance abuse treatment program in order to re-join the Families First assistance unit. Substance abuse treatment program Includes residential/in-patient drug treatment, outpatient drug treatment, and self-help and support groups, such as, but not limited to, Narcotics Anonymous. TANF

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families TDHS Tennessee Department of Human Services TDMHSAS Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Two-parent assistance unit The assistance unit either contains a common child or the stepparent is eligible for inclusion in the assistance unit because one of the following is true: • The stepparent in the home is the only relative who meets the requirements as a caretaker; or • The stepparent lives in the home and the natural/adoptive parent in the home is incapacitated.