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Plan: Washington PYs 2020-2023
Combined Plan C

Section: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

Narrative: e.

Published
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:

    (OMB Control Number: 0970-0145)

e. Establish goals and take action to prevent and reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special emphasis on teenage pregnancies (section 402(a)(1)(A)(v) of the Social Security Act)

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2018-2019

Current Narrative:

Under state welfare reform legislation, the director of the Office of Financial Management established an interagency task force on unintended pregnancy in order to: review existing research on the short and long-range costs; analyze the impact on the WorkFirst program; and develop and implement a state strategy to reduce unintended pregnancy.

The Department of Social and Health Services, Health Care Authority, Department of Health, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and other state programs established goals and have continued to take action to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special emphasis on teenage pregnancies. The numerical goal for reducing the illegitimacy ratio of the state was established at 1% per year for federal Fiscal Years 2009, 2010, and 2011. The current focus is to decrease unintended pregnancy, empower families to choose if and when they have children, and increase access and decrease barriers to quality family planning services.

Through a federal waiver, called TAKE CHARGE, the State provides pre-pregnancy family planning services to citizen men and women with family incomes up to and including 260% of the FPL. The State also extends eligibility for family planning services to citizen women up to 260% of the federal poverty level for a year after their pregnancy ends. Non-citizen women with Medicaid coverage for the birth of a child receive state-funded family planning services for one year after the end of their pregnancy. These women are NOT eligible for family planning services under the federally-approved family planning waiver. Non-Medicaid, low-income men and women can also receive family planning services through Department of Health Title X-funded family planning clinics.

Additional programs that contribute to achieving goals for preventing and reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancy include:

  • The Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship programs for low-income students wishing to pursue higher education;
  • The Early Childhood Education Assistance Program serving low-income three and four year old children;
  • The Promoting Academic Success and Learning Assistance Programs for low-income and high-risk public school students; and
  • The full-day kindergarten and reduced class size programs in high-poverty elementary schools.

All of these programs affect long-term outcomes including reduced likelihood of contact with the criminal justice system, higher earnings as adults, less reliance on social services as adults and fewer out-of-wedlock births.