A Question about If Cryptocurrency is Countable for TANF Eligibility

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this workshop, discussion focused on transforming the delivery of anti-poverty tax credits. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), together with the California Policy Lab (CPL) and Code for America (CFA), discussed the Department’s tax outreach effort for California's TANF and SNAP participants. Participants learned how to leverage data, communication strategies, and partnerships to increase economic supports available to clients via the tax system.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, panelists explored how Tribal TANF and NEW programs can consider expanding virtual services to motivate participants to pursue opportunities, especially those which may have been previously inaccessible. Speakers discussed a variety of strategies used in the past year to create virtual education and training opportunities and virtual case management services for clients, as well as how these offerings were developed, challenges along the way, witnessed successes, and recommendations for programs considering offering similar resources. This session concluded with a review of OFA’s Coaching for Success eLearning modules, which program staff can use to provide virtual coaching and mentorship to participants.

As part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, all states are required to submit the Secondary School Diploma or its Recognized Equivalent Attainment Rate report annually, with the first report due on November 14, 2027. This outcome measure is intended to help federal and state policymakers to better understand the effectiveness of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs in promoting successful education credential attainment. States have some flexibility in determining the data sources used to create this report. For states planning to collect administrative records, this document is both a roadmap and a checklist that assists you with creating the report and includes additional resources. We suggest that you work through the steps in this document with your team.

In December 2025, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent letters to 39 governors, calling for immediate action to protect vulnerable foster youth in their states. The letters highlighted the pressing issue of state child welfare agencies diverting foster youths’ earned Social Security survivor benefits. These agencies were intercepting federal benefits, such as Social Security survivor benefits earned through a deceased parent’s lifetime contributions, that were intended for a child in foster care. The agencies then used these funds to reimburse their own costs.

ACF has notified the governors who allowed this practice and is working with states to end it. The goal is to ensure these earned benefits are no longer taken from foster youth and are instead preserved to support them as they transition out of state care.

This American Public Human Services Association resource outlines how consent-based data verification can modernize benefits delivery by reducing administrative burden and improving the client experience. Traditional verification processes can create barriers that limit access to critical supports, particularly for low-income families. By adopting more streamlined, consent-driven approaches, TANF programs can enhance program integrity while making it easier for eligible families to enroll and maintain benefits, supporting both efficiency and access.

Did you know that Administration for Children and Families (ACF) programs can help communities meet crucial needs after a disaster? ACF will host two 90-minute webinars highlighting updated guidance on program waivers and flexibilities available during emergencies. 

Program offices will share how funds can be used, how to meet administrative requirements, and how these flexibilities as outlined on the ACF Emergency and Disaster Waivers and Flexibilities webpage can support recovery efforts and continuity of human services for disaster survivors.

ACF program award recipients, state human services staff, and state emergency managers are welcome to attend!

• On March 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Administration for Native Americans, Office of Community Services, Office of Family Assistance, Office of Family Violence Preventions and Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Office on Trafficking in Persons.
• On March 18, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Children's Bureau, Family and Youth Services Bureau, Office of Child Care, Office of Child Support Enforcement, and Office of Head Start. 

Did you know that Administration for Children and Families (ACF) programs can help communities meet crucial needs after a disaster? ACF will host two 90-minute webinars highlighting updated guidance on program waivers and flexibilities available during emergencies. 

Program offices will share how funds can be used, how to meet administrative requirements, and how these flexibilities as outlined on the ACF Emergency and Disaster Waivers and Flexibilities webpage can support recovery efforts and continuity of human services for disaster survivors.

ACF program award recipients, state human services staff, and state emergency managers are welcome to attend!

• On March 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Administration for Native Americans, Office of Community Services, Office of Family Assistance, Office of Family Violence Preventions and Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Office on Trafficking in Persons.
• On March 18, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET, presenting programs will include: Children's Bureau, Family and Youth Services Bureau, Office of Child Care, Office of Child Support Enforcement, and Office of Head Start. 

This guide helps TANF leaders and staff understand the full spectrum of potential fraud risks relevant to programs funded with TANF funds. TANF leaders and staff can use it to:

• Build collective fraud risk knowledge across your agency;
• Understand whether risks are person-based, system-based, or hybrid;
• Apply the WHO-HOW-WHAT framework to assess fraud scenarios; or
• Review fraud prevention strategies that can help mitigate these risks. 

This framework helps TANF agency leaders understand and implement separation of duties—a critical fraud prevention control required by federal regulations. TANF agency leaders can use it to: 

• Understand why separation of duties matters for program integrity;
• Review the national context and real financial impact of fraud;
• See how to structure your organization with proper separation;
• Identify the four critical functions that must never be combined; or
• Learn key control points and adaptations for small agencies.