Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Welfare-to-Work Revisited

The Congressional Research Service released a report on October 02, 2012 that examined the work participation standards and requirements for cash assistance recipients of the TANF block grant, which was created in the 1996 Welfare Reform law. This report provides a short history of work requirements in programs that provide cash assistance to needy families with children; reviews the major studies that contribute to the knowledge of what types of welfare-to-work programs are effective; discusses the TANF work provisions that apply directly to individuals; discusses the TANF work participation standards that apply to States; and addresses future issues for Congressional discussion, such as how work standards can address changing circumstances and the difficulties of measuring performance of States in the context of a block grant.