In the face of a public health emergency, economic downturn, or other unexpected circumstance, TANF agencies and other human services providers are required to reimagine and adapt previous expectations, behaviors, and service provision for a digital, dispersed, and/or displaced environment. At the same time, TANF agencies often face growing caseloads and increasing needs from participants who are struggling because of various crises.

OFA developed this three-part podcast series to increase awareness about state TANF agency responses to the unexpected as they relate to legislation, agency staff, and service provision to participants. The series leverages content from earlier resources which aggregate disaster response efforts across the country. The podcasts include interviews with representatives of the Owens Valley Community Development Center (California); the Maine Office of Family Independence, Department of Health and Human Services; the Vermont Department of Children and Families; the Colorado Department of Human Services; TANF of Sonoma and Marin (California) as well as the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Labor-Management Partnerships Program at the University of California at Berkeley.

Objectives of this podcast series include:

• Identify state and federal policy responses to natural disasters and other public health emergencies including, but not limited to, hurricanes, recessions, and other calamities that directly impact TANF staff and clients.
• Equip TANF agencies with information and resources to support their staff and participants during major transitions.
• Highlight innovative and adaptive service provision solutions during unexpected events such as natural disasters, public health emergencies, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Explore options for pivoting employment-related services to prepare and upskill TANF participants for sudden labor market shifts.

The Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) provides $1 billion in funding to states (including the District of Columbia), tribes administering a TANF program, and five U.S. territories to assist needy families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While a specific amount was allotted for each grant recipient, they may qualify for additional, reallotted funds. Grant recipients may use these funds to provide certain non-recurrent, short term benefits. All grant recipients must use funds to supplement and not supplant other federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local funds. This Information Memorandum has been issued to remind grant recipients of the September 30, 2022 deadline to use PEAF initial awards by the end of the month, and of the guidance on allowable uses of PEAF funds.

This brief describes the TANF Data Collaborative (TDC), an innovative approach to increasing data analytics capacity at state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies. TDC was part of the TANF Data Innovation project, launched by the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen agencies’ use of TANF, employment, and other administrative data. The brief shares the TDC framework and guiding principles, as well as the components of a pilot initiative, to inform similar and future efforts.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the way many human services agencies operated. The stress, trauma, and grief caused by the pandemic prompted agencies to rethink how they engaged with and supported their clients. It also forced agencies to experiment with new approaches to address persistent stress and trauma experienced by their own staff. This Mathematica podcast brings together research experts and leaders of human services programs to discuss trends that have emerged in human services agencies during the pandemic.

Student loan forgiveness is one way to recognize the important work of the human services workforce and to motivate individuals to join or remain in public service professions. Employees of a federal, state, or local tribal government agency or a non-profit are eligible for federal loan forgiveness after making 120 payments. The 15-year-old U.S. Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) has been overhauled to expand eligibility and make it easier to navigate. This important fix allows more federal student loan borrowers to easily access PSLF and obtain the relief the program promised. These changes are time limited. Some borrowers will need to consolidate their federal loans and/or submit a PSLF form by October 31, 2022 to take advantage of this opportunity.

ACF has created the PSLF landing page that includes resources with information on eligibility and tools for getting the word out. The page includes a recording of the March 31 webinar hosted by the Office of Early Childhood Development in partnership with the Department of Education, attended by over 17,000 early educators. This recording, as well as PDFs and Frequently Asked Questions, are also housed on the site. 

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 2021 through March 2022. 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.

This brief highlights key findings from the Promoting a Positive Organizational Culture in TANF Offices: Final Report produced through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation’s TANF Office Culture study. It documents how six TANF programs implemented organizational change and sought to promote and sustain a positive organizational culture. The brief includes a discussion of the challenges that staff and clients experienced. Its findings provide concrete examples for human services practitioners and policymakers interested in improving service delivery.

Individuals who receive human services and other assistance often receive those services from several independent programs. Analyzing data from multiple programs can improve leadership’s understanding of the overall system and how to improve services for all recipients. However, sharing data with other offices and agencies often raises legitimate concerns, such as whether it complies with applicable law, meets individuals’ privacy expectations, or creates a security risk. This case study reviews the data privacy and confidentiality challenges that Iowa encountered and resolved, and also discusses how Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making (I2D2) worked with its stakeholders to develop a solution that met their needs and expectations.

Economic assistance programs help provide low-income individuals and families with income stability, with benefits accruing not just to the families receiving assistance but to the economy as a whole. This paper reviews how cash assistance programs—the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, and TANF—and other in-kind supports, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assistance, serve as a backstop for unpredictable income, low income, and joblessness among low-income households who face economic transitions. The paper also highlights the critical role of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which provided families a monthly cash payment between July and December 2021.