Illinois Submits Plan for Changes in the TANF Program

The new focus on actual hours of attendance in an activity or program is reflected in IDHS’ work verification plan’s increased reporting requirements for contractors, caseworkers, and clients. Contractors who offer clients a mix of activities now have to delineate how many hours are spent in each component activity. Many clients are now required to meet with their case manager every two weeks instead of monthly to track their hours of actual participation better. To manage these new date-reporting requirements, IDHS’ work verification plan states that a centralized electronic TANF work and training database will be developed to maintain client data including actual hours of participation in each activity.

IDHS’ work verification plan includes some changes in the vocational education program. IDHS is tightening up on the rules for participating in vocational education since only 30 percent of countable participants may be in this activity. All clients now have to submit proof of satisfactory progress at the end of each term or twice a year if the program lasts more than 12 months. As in current policy, IDHS will allow one hour of study time for every hour of class time. Contracted providers such as the Work First contractors no longer may use vocational education as a core activity but may use On the Job training and Job Skills Training to cover activities that previously might have been classified as vocational education.

The new federal law limits excused absences to ten per year. IDHS defines excused absences expansively to include periods when programs are shut down for vacation breaks. IDHS counts excused absences based on hours (10 days equals 240 hours) to give participants maximum flexibility. This will allow a participant who needs to attend a two-hour doctor appointment, for example, to use up only those hours of excused absence time instead of a whole day. IDHS is also expansive in its definition of persons caring for a disabled family member and excludes them from the definition of work-eligible individuals.

IDHS said that it would be focusing its attention more on, though not included in the work verification plan, parents of children aged 13–30 months (parents with children under age 1 are exempt from participation). According to IDHS, this population has not been as engaged in work activities as other population groups and must become engaged for IDHS to satisfy its 50 percent work participation requirement. The new, expensive costs associated with providing child care assistance to this population will need to be addressed.

IDHS indicated that it would seek additional state funding to accomplish two goals set forth in the work verification plan: (1) for an administrative fee for IDHS contractors and other noncontracted service providers where TANF clients are performing their activities to help defray their additional costs in reporting actual hours of client participation and (2) for the centralized electronic TANF work and training database.

IDHS will receive the federal agency’s response to its work verification plan within 60 days. IDHS will then amend its plan to respond to any federal objections and make additional amendments as its own plans for changes in the TANF program evolve. IDHS will not be subject to penalties for noncompliance with the Deficit Reduction Act’s new requirements until the start of the next federal fiscal year in October 2007.

For more information on TANF rule changes, see “New TANF Rules: Less Flexibility, More Red Tape,” POVERTY ACTION REPORT, July 2006). The Shriver Center filed comments with the Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, on the interim final rule for the TANF program published on June 29, 2006. These comments can be viewed here.

For more information, contact Dan Lesser.