Block grant program that replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children
Title I of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) creates the TANF program that transforms welfare into a system that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance. The law specifically eliminates any individual entitlement to or guarantee of assistance, repeals the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, Emergency Assistance (EA) and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs and replaces them with a block grant entitlement to States under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act.
Financial Support in the form of a cash grant, given to a family with children in need of financial help. The grant is offered because the head of the family or custodial parent is not employed and not receiving child Support or assistance from the non-custodial parent. Formerly called AFDC - Aid to Families with Dependents. TANF does not include Medicaid, food stamps or WIC benefits. These must be applied for separately.
Assistance payments made on behalf of children who don't have the financial support of one of their parents by reason of death, disability, or continued absence from the home.
Time-limited public assistance payments made to poor families, based on Title IV-A of the Social Security Act. TANF replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC-- otherwise known as welfare) when the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was signed into law in 1996. The program provides parents with job preparation, work, and support services to help them become self-sufficient. Applicants for TANF benefits are automatically referred to their State IV-D agency in order to establish paternity and child support for their children from the non-custodial parent. This allows the State to recoup or defray some of its public assistance expenditures with funds from the non-custodial parent.