The American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar on September 17, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET to discuss how Missouri is approaching benefit-delivery modernization through a partnership, with state and technology leaders discussing what is working, the challenges they have encountered, and how modernization can be approached without simply starting over.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, the webinar is an opportunity to consider how technology and partnerships can improve the experience of applying for and managing benefits while supporting the work of agency staff. As states look for ways to make human services more responsive and efficient, Missouri’s experience may offer practical ideas for reducing administrative burdens and improving how families interact with benefit systems.

The Director’s Corner provides a regularly updated collection of resources selected or highlighted by the Director of the Office of Family Assistance, David Swegle. Recent resources address timely Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) issues such as safeguarding benefits, TANF and work, caseload reduction credits, and child-only cases.

For TANF practitioners, this page is a quick entry point into current policy and practice discussions. Rather than searching across multiple sources for new OFA materials, TANF practitioners can use the page to identify research-to-practice briefs and other resources that may help inform policy decisions, program administration, and conversations about how TANF is serving families.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) gives states broad flexibility to design cash assistance programs, but that same flexibility means safeguarding public funds depends heavily on how states choose to restrict where and how benefits are spent. This issue brief, co-written by Office of Family Assistance Director David Swegle and Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams, examines the federal restrictions on TANF Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) transactions and the options states have to strengthen them.

It explains the mandatory federal floor prohibiting EBT transactions at liquor stores, casinos and gaming establishments, and adult-oriented entertainment venues; the penalty for state noncompliance; and the distinction between location-based and purchase-based restrictions, illustrated with examples of how Georgia, Texas, and Florida have expanded their own safeguards. TANF leaders and administrators can use this resource to assess whether their state's current policies meet the federal minimum and to consider whether additional restrictions would better protect taxpayer dollars and align assistance with program purposes.

State agencies administer many federally funded programs, making strong fraud prevention and oversight essential to protecting public resources. This Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examines common fraud risks and highlights approaches agencies can use to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen controls, and respond to suspected fraud.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies, the report provides broader lessons that can be applied to program integrity efforts. It can help TANF agencies assess where weaknesses may exist in the processes used to determine eligibility, issue payments, manage contracts, or oversee other program functions, and consider whether existing controls are working as intended. The resource is especially useful for TANF programs looking to strengthen prevention without creating unnecessary barriers for eligible families.

Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) can perform tasks and make decisions with less direct human involvement than traditional AI tools, creating new possibilities for government operations—and new risks. This Urban Institute playbook provides state and local governments with practical guidance for using these systems responsibly, with attention to oversight, security, transparency, and accountability.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies, the playbook can help leaders think through where AI may genuinely improve operations and where human review remains essential. It provides a framework for considering issues such as privacy, bias, reliability, and accountability before putting AI into practice. For TANF programs handling sensitive information and making decisions that affect families, planning before adoption is critical to using new technology without compromising trust.

People can qualify for public benefits and still struggle to get the help they need. This Sutherland Institute podcast episode examines how complicated application processes, fragmented programs, and administrative barriers can make the safety net difficult to navigate.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, the resource offers a useful lens for thinking about the experience of families seeking assistance. It can prompt TANF agencies to look beyond eligibility rules and ask whether their processes make it easy for eligible families to access support. These lessons can inform efforts to simplify applications, improve communication, strengthen connections across programs, and reduce unnecessary barriers.

On August 6, 2026, the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Family Assistance issued IM-26-02: Anti-fraud Best Practice—Closing Long-term Out-of-State EBT (CLOSE). OFA is recommending that states adopt the CLOSE process as a best practice for meeting an existing statutory obligation: ensuring Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds are spent only on eligible, resident families and are safeguarded against fraud, as required under PRWORA and Section 408(a) of the Social Security Act.  

OFA will host an Office Hours session on September 15 at 2:00 p.m. ET to give TANF programs an opportunity to learn more about this recommended practice, including: 

• An overview of the CLOSE process and its core components; 
• A review of the foundational statute and existing policy behind it; 
• Clarity on what is, and isn't, being asked of states; 
• State examples of CLOSE-related practices already in place; 
• Lessons learned and implementation considerations; and 
• Facilitated peer exchange and discussion. 

If you have questions related to this topic you would like addressed during the session, please email us at: starinfo@blhtech.com. 

Government agencies are exploring artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to streamline routine work, improve services, and make better use of information. But for programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), adopting AI is not simply a matter of finding a tool that can save time. Agencies also need to consider how new technology fits into existing processes, protects sensitive information, and affects the people who rely on public services.

GovLoop will host a webinar on September 16 at 2:00 P.M. ET to demonstrate how AI can be used in government operations while keeping practical outcomes in view. For TANF practitioners, this can help frame conversations about where AI may be useful—for example, reducing administrative burdens or helping staff manage information—while recognizing where human expertise and judgment remain essential.

The resource is valuable for TANF leaders and staff who are beginning to explore AI or are already considering how it could fit into their work. It encourages agencies to focus on the problems they are trying to solve rather than adopting technology simply because it is new. That approach can help TANF programs pursue innovation in ways that improve staff capacity and service delivery while keeping participant's needs, privacy, accountability, and trust at the center.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) non-assistance funds flow through workforce boards, employment program providers, and community partners—but data about service delivery often lives in separate systems. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified this as a core program integrity challenge: without cross-agency data infrastructure, TANF agencies struggle to assess provider performance, identify service gaps, and connect spending to participant outcomes.

As a result, the Office of Family Assistance’s State and Tribal Technical Assistance and Resources (STAR) team developed the TANF Program Integrity Office Hours as a series of topical peer learning sessions where TANF agencies can share what's working, explore real challenges, and walk away with practical strategies they can use to address the challenge identified by GAO.

This recording includes key takeaways from the July session, highlights from peer discussions, and an overview of how to use and navigate the companion resource, which can help TANF programs assess and strengthen their own provider contracts and accountability structures.

A digital service may look efficient from an agency’s perspective while being confusing or frustrating for the people expected to use it. This guide from GovLoop explains the importance of understanding people’s experiences before redesigning or upgrading digital services. It introduces customer journey mapping and human-centered design as tools agencies can use to identify where people encounter problems and create services that are easier to navigate.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this approach can be useful when thinking about online applications, eligibility processes, appointment systems, document submission, and other digital interactions with families. Instead of assuming that a difficult process is simply a user problem, practitioners can examine the process from the client’s perspective and identify where confusion, unnecessary steps, or unclear instructions create barriers. The guide can help TANF leaders and staff ask practical questions about what families experience at each stage of accessing services and use that information to make improvements. Its emphasis on listening to users makes it a useful resource for agencies working to make digital services more accessible.