In 2025, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified several key challenges affecting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs across states. These included inconsistent data quality, limited ability to track outcomes tied to non-assistance spending, and a lack of opportunities for states to learn from one another about effective strategies and approaches. Most notably, many states expressed a strong interest in peer-to-peer learning and practical collaboration opportunities.
In response, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) developed this series to help states strengthen program operations, improve data use, and build confidence in program performance and oversight. Through peer discussions, expert guidance, and practical implementation strategies, the series focuses on using data sharing, analytics, and cross-system collaboration to better understand outcomes, support audit readiness, and strengthen policies and procedures.
This information session recording provides an overview of the series, including its goals, structure, and how states can use these opportunities to support continuous improvement in TANF program administration.
During the May office hours, staff from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shared how their cross-agency data infrastructure evolved over time, beginning with efforts to address operational and compliance challenges and gradually expanding into a more coordinated approach to support TANF program administration and participant outcomes.
To support open discussion among state peers, the state presentation and peer discussion portions of the May office hours session were not recorded live. This recording includes the session introduction and a closing overview of Michigan’s case study, key peer discussion themes, and guidance on how to navigate and use the companion product.
Helpful Links
- HHS Could Facilitate Information Sharing to Improve States’ Use of Data on Job Training and Other Services
- Implementing Cross-Agency Collaboration in Government
- Leading Practices to Enhance Interagency Collaboration and Address Crosscutting Challenges
- Sustained and Coordinated Efforts Could Facilitate Data Sharing While Protecting Privacy
- The Five Phases of Successful Data Analytics: TANF Data Collaborative Pilot Resources Toolkit
During the June office hours, staff from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families shared how they structured provider contracts, beginning with a compliance challenge and progressing toward a system designed to support TANF program administration and improved participant outcomes.
To support open discussion among state peers, the state presentation and peer discussion portions of the June office hours session were not recorded live. This recording includes the session introduction and a closing overview of Wisconsin's case study, including key peer discussion themes.
Helpful Links
During the July office hours, staff from the Nebraska Office of Economic Assistance shared how they built a standardized, risk-based subrecipient monitoring system, after their state's audit findings and internal lessons learned exposed real, if small, gaps in oversight.
To support open discussion among state peers, the state presentation and peer discussion portions of the July office hours session were not recorded live. This recording includes the session introduction and a closing overview of Nebraska's case study, including key peer discussion themes.
Helpful Links
- Association for Government Accountants (AGA) Risk Assessment Monitoring Tool
- AGA Subrecipient Monitoring & Self-Assessment Guide
- Arizona Subrecipient Monitoring Training
- Colorado Subrecipient Assessment Tool
- Nebraska Monitoring Manual: Fiscal review, operations checklist, and risk assessment (pg.73-88)
- Uniform Guidance: 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart D (200.332)
- GAO’s Standards for Internal Control (Green Book)
- Monitoring and Subrecipient Monitoring in Federal Grants
- Subrecipient Monitoring Guide for Federal Grants
- Subrecipient Monitoring and Management
- Managing Community Development Block Grants: A Guidebook for Grantees on Subrecipient Oversight
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