This brief explores changes in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines changes to the national and state caseloads by calculating percent changes since before the pandemic began in February 2020. Overall findings reflect that the national caseload rose in the early months of the pandemic, peaking in June 2020, but fell below pre-pandemic levels by October 2020, while state TANF caseload changes varied widely. The brief also discusses the broader context that informs state caseload changes, including structural components of TANF that make it unlikely to respond to increased need, differential access to cash assistance by state, and states’ pandemic-related policy changes.

The Office of Family Assistance published data tables which show TANF and Separate State Programs-Maintenance of Effort (SSP-MOE) caseloads separately as well as combined by state and at the national level from October 2020 through June 2021. The tables are cross-tabbed to include total numbers of recipients, adult recipients, child recipients, families, one-parent families, two-parent families, no parent families, and monthly caseload data.

The Office of Family Assistance has released tables that provide demographic data on the age, gender, and race/ethnicity of adults and children in TANF, Separate State Program-Maintenance-of-Effort active families, and closed cases, as well as data on the financial circumstances of TANF cash assistance recipients for Federal fiscal year 2020. The data is presented for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.

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, researchers from the TANF Data Collaborative (TDC) team identified key components to sustaining data analytic capacity in government agency environments, provided examples of activities and practices that fall within each sustainability component, and elicited audience participation to source additional strategies and examples of sustainable practices. The research is based on work with eight pilot states across the country and the results of a comprehensive TANF Data Needs Assessment.

The Office of Family Assistance has made available preliminary FY 2020 TANF and state maintenance-of-effort (MOE) expenditures and transfer data. The data is available in tables and an interactive map, as well as national and state pie charts. Data is broken down by category of activity, including basic assistance; work, education, and training activities; and child care (including funds that states transferred to the Child Care and Development Discretionary Fund).

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, representatives of the TANF Data Collaborative overviewed three pilot projects showcasing their experiences. California examined wage progression for TANF participants who have left the program. New York organized its data into cohorts and spells, which is valuable in providing information about the duration of TANF receipt, reentry, and basic outcomes, and Utah created an analytic file to examine characteristics that predict a cohort of “leavers” returning to TANF.

The Larimer County Works Program has implemented a goal achievement coaching model (Goal4 It!) hand-in-glove with a technology-based coaching platform, TuaPath. The combined approach, referred to as My Journey to Success, has redirected TANF staff and participants’ time and energy toward employment outcomes. With online and in-person tools to plan and track action steps with coaches, this approach supports participants in building executive function skills, goal setting capacity, and accountability to reach employment and life goals.

This brief is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating Innovative Employment and Economic Stability Strategies (IIEESS) initiative, which highlights the strategies of TANF agencies and their partners to help low-income individuals gain and sustain meaningful employment. Each brief describes an emerging practice that has been implemented in one site, an overview of the program model, and the results that have been achieved. Compelling stories of participants’ success and suggestions from TANF agency staff to their peers provide actionable insights and on-the-ground perspectives.

The "Other" category should only be used for expenditures that cannot be reported in another line item. Expenditures reported in the “Other” category must meet one of the four purposes of TANF. OFA regularly follows up on "Other" category expenditures to ensure proper classification. This resource covers the permissible types of "Other" expenditures:

1. Tribal TANF Programs;
2. Expenditures for Compact of Free Association (COFA) States; and
3. Expenditures That Don't Fit Other Categories (Requires strong justification), such as:
   • Programs combining multiple categories that cannot be meaningfully separated.
   • Services with unique aspects not captured in Lines 6-22.

It helps users understand the proper use of the "Other" category to help avoid misclassifications.

Each template in this guide is designed as a standalone resource for specific expenditure categories. State TANF administrators and financial reporting staff can select and use any template that applies to their specific program expenditure. There are four templates:

1. Assistance Authorized Solely Under Prior Law (Lines 7a-7c);
2. Non-Assistance Authorized Solely Under Prior Law (Lines 8a-8c);
3. Other Expenditures (Line 23 - includes Tribal TANF Programs and unique programs); and
4. Estimation Documentation Builder (Any estimated expenditure).