Located in:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
States that include TANF in the Combined State Plan must outline how the State will meet the requirements of section 402 of the Social Security Act including how it will:
a. Conduct a Program Designed to Serve All Political Subdivisions in the State (not Necessarily in a Uniform Manner) That Provides Assistance to Needy Families with (or Expecting) Children and Provides Parents with Job Preparation, Work, and Support Services to Enable Them to Leave the Program, Specifically Cash Assistance, and Become Self-sufficient (section 402(a)(1)(a)(i) of the Social Security Act).
Current Narrative:
The Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Minnesota’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, provides temporary (60 months or less) cash and food assistance to:
Families with children under age 18 (up to age 19 if in secondary education or vocational school full-time), and pregnant women with their spouses when financially eligible.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or other relatives who take responsibility for children whose parents cannot or will not. These adult relatives may receive assistance through MFIP for children in their care, and may choose to be on the MFIP grant or to a child-only grant. When the non- parental caregiver receives assistance only for children, the income and assets of the relative caregivers are not considered and the case is not subject to the 60-month lifetime limit.
MFIP helps families work toward economic stability and greater self-sufficiency. MFIP provides help with child care costs, employment services, opportunities for education and training for workforce preparation, and a grant to supplement family income. MFIP encourages employment by providing work incentives, and promotes personal responsibility by expecting families to actively pursue employment. Some of the family’s earned income is disregarded before calculating the MFIP grant. The monthly disregard amount is $65 of earned income per wage earner plus 50 percent of the remaining earned income of the assistance unit. The remaining earnings are subtracted from the Family Wage Level grant standard, which is 10 percent higher than the standard allowed for families who receive only unearned income. For applicants, the Family Wage Level is the single standard used when determining MFIP eligibility regardless if the applicant has earnings or not.
Child care is a key component in Minnesota’s strategy to help families leave and remain off welfare. In Minnesota, the Child Care Assistance Program provides financial assistance to families to support access to child care that is affordable so that parents can work and/or attend school, and children are well cared for and ready for school.
Minnesota Family Investment Program families who participate in work activities such as work, job search, education, or social services activities that are approved for their employment plans are eligible to receive childcare assistance. In addition, Transition Year child care is available to eligible families for a full year after their MFIP case closes to help families move toward economic stability. MFIP child care and Transition Year child care assistance are fully forecasted in the state’s budget.
The Basic Sliding Fee program is available for non-MFIP/DWP income-eligible families and is funded through a capped allocation. If a family finishes their Transition Year child care assistance and there is a waiting list in their county for the Basic Sliding Fee program, the Transition Year bridge program will continue to provide them child care assistance until they reach their turn for Basic Sliding Fee child care assistance.
Families receiving MFIP are encouraged to apply for health care coverage at the same time they apply for MFIP. Families receiving cash assistance and those not receiving cash assistance can apply for the Medical Assistance program and the MinnesotaCare program (Minnesota’s health care program for the uninsured).
Families who receive MFIP must cooperate with their local child support agency to establish and enforce their child support orders. In State Fiscal Year 2016, child support agencies collected $595 million in child support. Through the child support pass-through, Minnesota counties collected and distributed to MFIP families $7.9 million in child support. Minnesota passes through 100 percent of the child support payments made to the families receiving MFIP. Child support payments are treated as unearned income when calculating MFIP eligibility and benefits. Up to $100 in child support payments for a family with one child, and up to $200 for a family with two or more children is excluded from unearned income budgets when calculating a household’s income for benefit determination.
MFIP combines cash and food benefits per the provisions of a waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services. Families who are not eligible for MFIP can apply for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Diversionary Work Program (DWP)
The Diversionary Work Program provides help to families in crisis who are new to the welfare system by supporting them in their efforts to immediately obtain and retain employment. DWP may be provided to families in crisis for a maximum of four months once in a 12-month period.
Families with children under age 18 (up to age 19 if in secondary or vocational school full-time), or pregnant women and their spouses are eligible for DWP if they have not received cash assistance in the previous 12 months.
Eligibility for DWP begins the date a signed application form is received by the county agency. State statute requires financial workers to hold the interview for an applicant who appears to be eligible for DWP within five working days of the receipt of the application. If it appears that child care is necessary to enable a parent to work or look for work, and the parent has not applied for child care, the application for child care assistance must be completed before the interview with the financial worker is completed. As soon as possible, but no later than 10 working days before being notified by the county agency that the applicant is financially eligible for DWP, the employment services provider must meet with the applicant and develop an employment plan. The county agency must issue DWP benefits within one working day after receiving notice that an employment plan has been signed.
DWP supports families during a crisis situation and is not intended to meet recurrent needs. The short- term supports provided may include temporary help with rent, utilities or other housing costs and a personal allowance. Other supports for which families might be eligible are Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, health care and child care assistance. After four months of DWP, a family without a job or very low income may apply for MFIP. Families also may be eligible to continue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, health care and child care assistance.
Families who receive DWP are required to cooperate with their local child support agency to establish and enforce their child support orders. Although families on DWP are required to cooperate with their child support agency, child support is not assigned to the state. All child support is passed through to the family. Up to $100 in child support payments for a family with one child, and up to $200 for a family with two or more children is excluded from unearned income budgets when calculating a household’s income for benefit determination.
DWP is a non-recurrent short-term benefit available for a maximum of four consecutive months. Because DWP benefits are meant to address the family’s crisis and divert them from long-term assistance, receipt of DWP does not count against the 60-month TANF time limit.