1. Nonrecurrent, short-term benefits that:

(i) Are designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need;

(ii) Are not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and

(iii) Will not extend beyond four months.

(2) Work subsidies (i.e., payments to employers or third parties to help cover the costs of employee wages, benefits, supervision, and training);

(3) Supportive services such as child care and transportation provided to families who are employed;

(4) Refundable earned income tax credits;

(5) Contributions to, and distributions from, Individual Development Accounts;  

(6) Services such as counseling, case management, peer support, child care information and referral, transitional services, job retention, job advancement, and other employment-related services that do not provide basic income support; and

(7) Transportation benefits provided under a Job Access or Reverse Commute project, pursuant to section 404(k) of the Act, to an individual who is not otherwise receiving assistance.

(c) The definition of the term assistance specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section:

(1) Does not apply to the use of the term assistance under part 263, subpart A, or at part 264, subpart B, of this chapter; and

(2) Does not preclude a State from providing other types of benefits and services in support of the TANF goal at section 260.20(a)."

For consistency with the definition of "assistance" for TANF purposes under 45 CFR 260.31, OCSE is revising the definitions of "assistance from the State" for TANF purposes and "assistance paid to the family" for child support enforcement purposes.

"Assistance paid to the family" for child support distribution purposes must meet the following two tests:

1. Is it considered "assistance from the State" under the TANF program? "Assistance paid to the family" includes only payments for benefits and services that are included in the TANF definition of assistance at 45 CFR 260.31. For example, the TANF definition of "assistance" includes supportive services, such as transportation and child care provided to families who are not employed, but excludes these same services from the definition of assistance, under section 260.31(b), when provided to families who are employed.
2. Is it assistance "paid to the family"? "Assistance paid to the family" includes only assistance as defined in 45 CFR 260.31 which is in the form of money payments in cash, checks, or warrants immediately redeemable at par to eligible families under a State plan approved under title IV-A.

The amount of "assistance paid to the family" which has not been reimbursed by assigned support collections is used to calculate the total amount of "unreimbursed assistance" or "URA" defined in OCSE-AT-98-24 as:

"UNREIMBURSED ASSISTANCE or URA. – The term ‘unreimbursed assistance’ means the cumulative amount of assistance paid to the family for all months which has not been

9repaid by assigned support collections. The total amount of unreimbursed assistance paid to the family which a State may

recover through the IV-D program is limited by the total amount of the assigned support obligation.

CONTENT: 9The following new definitions of "assistance from the State" for TANF purposes and "assistance paid to the family" for child support enforcement purposes replace the current definition found in OCSE-AT-98-24, II (a) and (b), under the heading of "Definitions used in this Action Transmittal":

ASSISTANCE PAID TO THE FAMILY -- The term "assistance paid to the family" for child support enforcement collection purposes, means assistance under the TANF program as defined in 45 CFR 260.31, which is in the form of money payments in cash, checks, or warrants immediately redeemable at par.

ASSISTANCE FROM THE STATE -- The term "assistance from the State" means assistance under the State program funded under title IV-A of the Act as defined in 45 CFR 260.31.

These definitions are effective October 1, 1999.

RELATED REFERENCES:9OCSE-AT-98-24, dated August 19, 1998, and OCSE-AT-97-17, dated October 21, 1997.