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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program Information Memorandum |
U.S. Department
of Health & Human Services Administration for Children & Families Office of Family Assistance Washington, D.C. 20447 |
Memorandum No. TANF-ACF-IM-2003-02 | Date: September 17, 2003 |
TO: | State Agencies Administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and Other Interested Parties |
SUBJECT: |
Work Participation Rates For FY 2002 |
BACKGROUND: |
The
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
(PRWORA) established mandatory work requirements and minimum annual work
participation rate standards for States operating a TANF program. States are subject to these minimum participation
rate requirements beginning July 1997 or six months after the State implementation
of the TANF program. The Act establishes
separate minimum participation rates each year for all families and two-parent
families. The minimum work participation
rate standards for fiscal year (FY) 2002 are 50 percent for the all families
rate and 90 percent for the two-parent families rate. PRWORA
provides for a reduction in the minimum work participation rate standards
if the State’s average monthly assistance caseload decreased the previous
year in comparison to its average monthly caseload in FY 1995. The all families participation rate standard
is reduced by the number of percentage points the overall caseload declined.
The two-parent participation rate standard is reduced, at State
option, by either (1) the number of percentage points the two-parent caseload
declined or (2) the number of percentage points the overall caseload declined.
However, the law specifies that any caseload
reductions resulting from changes in State or Federal eligibility rules
are excluded in calculating the credit.
Adjustments of FY 2002 minimum participation standards, called
the “caseload reduction credit,” are based on the caseload changes from
FY 1995 (in the State’s title IV-A program under prior law) to FY 2001. The
Act also provides States the option to retain approved welfare reform
waiver provisions that are inconsistent with the TANF provisions. Such waiver provisions may affect who is required
to participate, the required hours of participation, and the countable
activities. Thus, the participation
rate calculation may apply differently for States retaining inconsistent
waiver provisions. |
CONTENT: |
This
memorandum transmits the work participation tables for FY 2002. All States were required to report work participation
information for all of the October 2001 - September 2002 fiscal year and
are subject to the work participation standards for FY 2002 based on this
information. The
FY 2002 national average all families work participation rate is 33.4
percent. This represents a 2.9 percent decline from the 34.4 percent work
participation rate attained in FY 2001.
The FY 2002 national average two-parent families work participation
rate is 49.4 percent. This represents
a 3.3 percent decline from the 51.1 percent work participation rate attained
in FY 2001. All States, the All
States, except Guam, received a reduction in their minimum participation
rates for the all families rate and all States with a two-parent TANF
program, except Guam, received reductions in their minimum participation
rates for the two-parent families rate as a result of the application
of the caseload reduction credit. Twelve
States met the all families work participation rate standard before application
of the caseload reduction credit. Three
States ( As
shown in the attached work activity tables, an average of 546,618 adults
participated in work activities each month for an average of 28.5 hours
per week. This represents about 41.7 percent of all adults receiving TANF
assistance. Of these participating
adults over 349,400 adults participated for a sufficient number of hours
in work activities to include the family in the count toward meeting the
participation rate. About 56.4
percent of the participating adults were engaged in unsubsidized employment. Another 15.1 percent were engaged in job search
and 14.7 percent were engaged in either work experience or community service. (Because some individuals were engaged in
multiple activities, the table total is in excess of 100 percent.) There
are no statutory work requirements or minimum participation rate standards
for families in “Separate State Programs” funded solely with State funds.
Thirty States have established Separate State Programs that provide
“assistance.” Nineteen States
(Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey,
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia) have moved all or
part of their two-parent families to Separate State Programs. For Separate State Programs the FY 2002 national
average all families work participation rate is 41.6 percent and the FY
2002 national average two-parent families work participation rate is 39.4
percent. States
have been individually notified of their participation rates for FY 2002.
States that failed to meet their minimum work participation rate
for either all families or two-parent families are subject to a penalty
as required by section 409(a)(3) of PRWORA.
However, States will have an opportunity to file a claim for good
cause and/or submit a corrective compliance plan to correct any failure
to meet their FY 2002 minimum work participation rate standard(s) before
the Secretary will impose a penalty. |
ATTACHMENT: |
TANF Work Participation Rate
Tables For FY 2002 (October 2001-September 2002) |
INQUIRIES: | Inquiries should be directed
to the appropriate ACF Regional Administrator |
/s/ | |
Andrew S. Bush Director Office of Family Assistance |
|
Attachment: