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Sanctions shall be applied to all Families First/TANF cases that are not in compliance with their Personal Responsibility Plans. A sanction may result in a percentage reduction in the Families First/TANF cash assistance for failure to provide immunizations, health checks, attend school, or ensure satisfactory attendance and/or progress of school-aged children. Total assistance group ineligibility will be applied if the family fails to cooperate with child support or comply with their Individual Opportunity Plan (IOP) activities without good cause, which is determined by TDHS.

Other Policies

Families First/TANF AUs have access to childcare. AUs with an eligible adult can access Families First/TANF Child Care if they are engaged in countable work and/or training activities and require childcare in order to comply with the program’s work requirements. In addition, customers who are exempt from a work requirement but wish to volunteer for work/training activities may have access to childcare. There is no co-pay fee for childcare. Certain child-only Families First/TANF cases are eligible for At-Risk Child Only (ARCO) childcare if funding is available.

Former Families First/TANF or Transitional Cash Assistance (TCA) customers who are employed or participating in an approved work and/or educational activity at least thirty (30) hours a week can receive up to eighteen (18) months of Transitional Child Care (TCC) after their Families First/TANF case is closed. The eligibility period for TCC begins the first (1st) day of the month after the Families First/TANF cash assistance ends. There is a co-pay fee for ARCO and TCC. Families First/TANF AUs will be reviewed annually for continued eligibility.

If a single parent marries during the receipt of Families First/TANF cash assistance, he/she may choose to exclude the new spouse from the AU for three (3) full months, regardless of income. Following the three (3) months, the AU must meet Families First/TANF program eligibility requirements to continue to receive cash assistance. A Family Cap will be applied when a child is conceived and born during a period of eligibility. It may also be applied to a child born after or during a period of ineligibility, but within ten (10) months of a reapplication month. Exceptions are granted when the birth is the result of rape or incest or when the birth is the first (1st) child born to a minor in an assistance unit. Other Programs Two Generational and Community Grant Programs The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) fosters a Two-Generation (2Gen) Approach to address poverty from a whole-family centered approach that focuses equally and intentionally on services and opportunities for the child and the caregiver in their lives. This approach builds on four (4) components (i.e., education: early childhood and postsecondary, economic assets, health and well-being, social capital) to create a legacy of economic security that can positively impact the next generation and those to follow. Specifically, TDHS is committed to working with internal and external partners to provide coordinated services and achieve the following goals: (1) Focus on