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.

Proposed changes to work requirements and time limits can have significant implications for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs and the families they serve. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) outlines potential changes that would provide states with greater flexibility in how work requirements and term limits are implemented. While the proposal is not final policy, it offers insight into possible future directions and priorities that could affect program operations.

TANF administrators and policy staff can use this resource to better understand the proposed changes, assess potential impacts on their programs, and inform planning efforts. Reviewing proposed rules early can help programs prepare for future policy developments, engage in discussions about implementation considerations, and consider how increased flexibility could support families facing barriers to employment while maintaining progress toward self-sufficiency.

Families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) often rely on housing assistance as part of their overall support system. This Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report examines work requirement policies in HUD-funded assisted housing programs and explores how those requirements are implemented across different housing settings.

For TANF practitioners, the report provides useful context for understanding the housing-related policies that may affect the families they serve. By learning how housing work requirements interact with employment expectations in other programs, TANF staff can better coordinate services, reduce participant confusion, and help families successfully navigate multiple systems while working toward economic stability.

Helping families achieve self-sufficiency often requires coordinated support across multiple programs and service systems. This Department of Housing and Urban Development guidebook provides practical strategies for designing, managing, and strengthening Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) programs, including participant engagement, case management, goal setting, and partnership development.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) administrators and frontline staff can use this resource to identify approaches that support long-term success for participants. This guidebook offers ideas for strengthening case management practices, improving participant retention, and building stronger connections between employment, education, housing, and other services. Programs looking to enhance family-centered approaches may find valuable lessons that can be adapted to their own work.

Many families receiving housing assistance are working toward the same goals that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs support: stable employment, increased earnings, and long-term financial independence. The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program helps participants build assets as their income grows, creating opportunities to save money while working toward personal and professional goals.

For TANF practitioners, this Department of Housing and Urban Development webpage highlights a valuable partner program that can help families move beyond immediate assistance and build lasting economic stability. TANF staff can use it to identify referral opportunities, strengthen partnerships with housing agencies, and connect participants to supports that encourage employment, savings, and self-sufficiency.

Work requirements can be difficult for participants to understand, particularly when they are balancing employment, family responsibilities, and participation in multiple assistance programs. This Food and Nutrition Administration webpage explains Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements, including who is subject to them, available exemptions, and what participants must do to maintain eligibility.

TANF practitioners can use this information to help participants better understand their responsibilities and avoid interruptions in food assistance benefits. The webpage can also support staff training and cross-program coordination efforts by providing a clear overview of key SNAP work requirement policies that may affect TANF families.

Strong partnerships between the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can expand access to employment and training opportunities for families seeking greater economic stability. This Food and Nutrition Administration handbook provides guidance on developing and managing SNAP E&T state plans, including program design, partnerships, funding, and service delivery.

TANF leaders can use this handbook to better understand how SNAP E&T operates and identify opportunities to align services, coordinate workforce activities, and maximize available resources. For programs looking to strengthen career pathways and employment outcomes, the handbook offers practical information that can support more effective collaboration between TANF and SNAP E&T systems.

This Administration for Children and Families policy guidance webpage addresses common challenges in how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs count and verify participation hours. For TANF practitioners, this is a practical tool for resolving day-to-day questions that arise in case management, particularly around what qualifies as countable activity and how to document it consistently. It supports more uniform decision-making across TANF staff, reduces ambiguity in case processing, and helps ensure families are treated consistently regardless of which staff member is handling their case.