TANF Data Report (TDR) – Section One:
Q1: Data element #10 (New Applicant): How do States code a case that appears for the first time on the report, but received benefits for the previous month? For example, assume an applicant applies 5-15-99, is approved 6-15-99, and receives payment for May and June.
A: This family would normally be coded as a new applicant for June because June is the first month the family was reported. However, a State could report the family for May and then the family would be a new applicant for May, not June.
Q2: Data element #11 (Number of Family Members): Are States to enter everyone that is included in the definition of "family" as defined for family-level data or to enter only those members of the family that are receiving assistance? How do States code a sanctioned person removed from the grant?
A:Include all individuals in the family for the report month in this count. That is, not only those individuals with Family Affiliation code "1" but also those individuals whose Family Affiliation code is a "2," "3," "4," and "5." A sanctioned person who is removed from the grant for the report month is included in the count, as is a sanctioned person who is not removed from the grant for the report month but causes a reduction in the family's grant.
Q3: Data element #12 (Type of Family for Work Participation): Explain the coding for this data element. Also, please clarify whether a two-parent family with a disabled parent is coded as a "2." Will the Work Participation Status code be used to remove the family from the two-parent families work participation rate?
A: The preferred coding for data element #12 is as follows: Use code "3" to identify child-only families (except where there is a minor child head-of-household). Use code "2" to identify two-parent families (including two-parent families with a disabled parent). Use code "1" to identify all remaining families (i.e., families with one or more adults and/or a minor child head-of-household that are not two-parent families.)
Use the following codes to identify two-parent families for the two-parent families work participation rate: Code the "Type of Family" (data element #12) with a "2" and for each of the two parents, code the "Family Affiliation" (data element #30) with a "1," code the "Parent with a Minor Child in the Family" (data element #39) with a "1," and use an appropriate "Work Participation Status" code (data element #48).
If the Work Participation Status code is a "07" (exempt, disabled) for one of the two parents, we would not include the family in the two-parent families work participation rate.
Q4: Data element #13 (Receives Subsidized Housing): What is the definition of public housing and rent subsidy? How do you report public housing assistance for less than the regular ongoing amount?
A: If a family resides in a building that is under the control of a public housing authority and pays less than fair market rent for an apartment, code as a "1." If the family resides in any other form of housing and receives a benefit from a government-funded housing program that reduces the amount the family pays for rent, code as a "2." In neither case is there a threshold benefit level implied for receipt of public housing.
Q5: Data element #16 (Amount of Food Stamp Assistance): Does the State have to prorate the amount of food stamp assistance received by the food stamp household between the TANF family members and the non-TANF family members or may the whole amount be assigned to the TANF family?
A: The State must identify the amount of food stamp assistance received by the TANF family. Prorating is an acceptable alternative to identifying exactly the amount of food stamp assistance received by TANF family members. It is not acceptable to assign the total amount of food stamp assistance received by the household to the TANF family when there are members of the food stamp household that are not members of the TANF family.
Q6: Data element #18 (Amount of Subsidized Child Care): States may only know that child care was authorized for the report month, not if the service was provided or payment for service was issued. How should they report this data element?
A: A State must make every effort to identify the total dollar amount of subsidized child care from all sources (e.g., CCDF, TANF, SSBG, State, local, etc.). Where a State knows the authorized amount of child care, but does not know the actual amount of subsidized child care provided because claims for payment are not received until after TANF reporting is due, the State may code the authorized amount. However, the State needs to provide the actual (i.e., correct) data by the end of the quarter in which the data is due.
Q7: Data element #20 (Cash Resources): States want a clear definition of cash resources. What is included and what is excluded? Are automobiles included? Are all liquid resources included? Are exempt resources excluded? Is an IRA included?
A: Cash resources are defined by the State for purposes of determining eligibility for and amount of benefits. Such resources may include cash on hand, bank accounts (e.g., saving and checking accounts) and certificates of deposit. Other assets (e.g., stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRAs, IDAs, etc.) typically are not included in a family’s cash resources. Motor vehicles, also, typically are not included.
Q8: Data element #21a (Amount of cash and cash equivalents): Can you explain and give examples of what is included in this data element? For example, is this the amount of the TANF grant or does it also include TANF child care and/or supportive services?
A: The total amount of TANF assistance paid to the family is broken out and coded in data elements 21 through 25. Examples of what is included in data element #21 are the TANF cash grant and vendor payments for rent, food, and other basic needs. Child care benefits paid with TANF funds to unemployed families are coded in data element #22. Transportation benefits paid with TANF funds to unemployed families are coded in data element #23. Supportive services that are assistance, but do not fit into data elements #21 - #24 are coded in data element #25.
Q9: In the final regulations, employment status is key to determining whether child care and/or transportation benefits are considered "assistance" and therefore subject to the TANF data reporting requirements. Operationally, there are problems in tracking employed/non-employed status from month to month for families receiving such payments. Are there any suggestions regarding this?
A: Tracking employment is very important for families that receive benefits under the State’s TANF program or under a separate State program. If the family receives assistance for the report month, employment status not only determines whether transportation and child care benefits are reported as assistance, but also impacts reporting of average hours per week of participation in one of the work activities. If the family receives transportation and/or child care benefits, but does not receive other benefits that meet the definition of assistance, it is important to know if the family is employed in order to determine if the State should include the family in its reporting for the report month. A family that receives assistance in one month and receives only non-assistance in the following month should be reported as a closed case for the following month. This information is important for computing the State’s work participation rates and for other purposes.
(Reminder: families that receive continued child care or transportation during a temporary disruption in their employment would not be considered recipients of assistance because these benefits would be covered by the nonrecurrent, short-term exclusion.)
Q10: Data element #22 (TANF Child Care - amount of assistance): Does it relate to element #17, subsidized child care?
A: Yes. Data element #22 is a breakout of a portion of the information in data elements #17 and #18. In data elements #17 "Receives Subsidized Child Care" and #18 "Amount of Subsidized Child Care," we want to know whether the family has received any subsidized child care and the amount of child care received from all sources. In data element #22, we want to know about receipt of TANF Child Care, when it provided to non-employed families.
Q11: Data element #22 (TANF Child Care): In the situation where child care is reported as assistance, if this type of assistance is claimed under MOE, does this case also get reported on the SSP-MOE Data Report?
A: Yes. A family is subject to reporting for each month for which it receives assistance (this may be child care assistance or another form of assistance) under the State’s TANF program and/or under an SSP-MOE program. If a family receives assistance under both the State’s TANF program and an SSP-MOE program for the same month, it is subject to reporting under each program for the month. (NOTE: assistance provided under the TANF program is captured in the TANF Data Report, regardless of whether they are funded with Federal or State MOE funds. The SSP-MOE Data Report covers assistance provided under separate State programs only.)
Q12: Data element #22 (TANF Child Care): When the family pays the provider directly, the State increases the need standard and does not consider it as a child care payment. Does ACF consider this a child care payment?
A: No. States have the flexibility to code the entire amount as cash. However, the State is providing a child care subsidy and in data element #18, Amount of Subsidized Child Care, States should code the appropriate amount of the subsidy.
Q13: Data element #23 (Transportation): Please confirm that a family that is receiving cash assistance and counted in item #21, would also be reported in item #23 if receiving transportation services, and in item #25 if receiving other supportive services if they are not employed. Also, please confirm that a family that is not receiving cash assistance and is not employed but receives over four months of on-going transportation services would be reported in item #23.
A: Yes. A family who is receiving cash assistance and counted in item #21 would also be reported in item #23 if receiving transportation benefits if not employed, and in item #25 if receiving other supportive services and is not employed.
Also, a family that is not receiving cash assistance and is not employed but receives ongoing transportation services would be reported in item #23. Section 260.31(b)(i) excludes non-recurrent, short term benefits that meet the three following conditions: (a) they are designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need; (b) they are not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and (c) they will not extend beyond four months. Thus, transportation benefits provided to meet ongoing needs of unemployed families are considered as assistance – even during the first four months of receipt. However, supportive services for recently employed families to cover temporary periods of unemployment in order to enable continuity of their service arrangements are excluded from the definition of assistance as nonrecurrent, short-term benefits.
Q14: Data element #23 (Transportation Assistance): Can the State use estimates for transportation assistance when the transportation assistance is provided through the Access to JOBS projects? Are estimates of the TANF expenditures through the Access to JOBS only allowable for financial reporting?
A: Yes. In completing data element #23 and in completing the TANF Financial Report, a State may use estimates for transportation assistance provided under an Access to Jobs or Reverse Commute project. Use of such estimates is limited to a situation in which the individual does not receive a specific identifiable amount of assistance for his/her transportation needs. However, if a specific amount of transportation assistance is identifiable, the State must report the actual (identifiable) amount rather than an estimate.
Q15:Data element #26 (Reason for and Amount of Reduction in Assistance): Do States have to breakout sanctions for work requirements and school attendance from failure to comply with their individual responsibility plan?
A: Yes. In some States, work requirements, school attendance, and/or cooperation with child support are provisions of an individual responsibility plan. If an individual is sanction for work requirement (or school attendance or cooperation with child support), the State must code the reason for reduction in assistance as sanction for work requirements (or sanction for school attendance or sanction for failure to cooperation with child support). Coding of sanction for failure to comply with an individual responsibility plan should exclude the breakout listed in data element 26.a.ii., 26.a.iii., 26.a.iv., and 26.a.v.
Q16:Data element #26 (Type and Amount of Reduction in Assistance): Does this simply mean a reduction from the previous month? For example, if a recipient is sanctioned and the cash grant is reduced effective June, we must report this case as a reduction for the June report month since the benefits received for June are less that what was received for May. However, if this same recipient remains sanctioned in July, should the case be reported as a reduction for July? It does not seem that it should since the benefits for July were the same as the benefits for June.
A: No. This is not correct. The State must identify the type and amount of reduction for each month. In the example, a family receives a reduced grant because a family member was sanctioned (but was not removed from the eligible family receiving assistance). The State would continue to identify and report on this family in each month that the sanction is in effect.
Q17:Data element #26.c.i. (Reasons for and Amount of Reductions in Assistance: Other: Total Dollar Amount of Reductions due to Other Reasons): . This item requires States to report the total dollar amount of reductions in "assistance" due to other reasons (not sanctions or recoupment). In addition to cash assistance, the only type of "assistance" which one State provides is transportation for participants who are not "employed" (item 23). These are participants in work activities other than employment. Since the State makes its transportation payments by reimbursing the client for verified expenses, these payments fluctuate from month to month. States realize that they have to report reductions in the cash grant in this item, but do they also have to report reductions in the transportation payments that are considered "assistance", even when there is no change in the cash grant?
A:No. This is not the intent of the question. We want to capture reductions in assistance from what the family would normally receive based on the State’s eligibility rules.Q18:Data element #26.c.v. (Reasons for and Amount of Reduction in Assistance – Other): This item requires a "yes or no" response for reductions in "assistance" due to "other, non-sanction". A similar question as item 26.c.i. applies here. Must States report a reduction in transportation payments made to a participant who is not "employed", even if the cash grant remained the same and the reduction in transportation payments was due entirely to lower expenses encountered by the recipient?
A: No.
Q19: Data element #27 (Waiver Evaluation Experimental and Control Groups): How do States that do not have an approved 1115 welfare reform waiver code this data element?
A:A State that does not have an approved 1115 welfare reform waiver would use code "9" for all families.
Q20: Data element #29 (New Child-Only Family): What are the coding distinctions for data element #29 for situations where an adult is removed from the grant as opposed to merely reducing the amount of assistance paid to the adult?
A:If the only adult in the grant for the prior month is removed for the reporting month, the family is a new child-only family and is coded "1." If the family is receiving a reduced amount of assistance and the adult is still part of the family receiving assistance, the family is not a new child-only family and is coded "2."
Q21: Data element #30 (Family Affiliation): What is the appropriate family affiliation code for coding a noncustodial parent? How do you code a parent that receives assistance with one family and is a noncustodial parent to another family?
A: A State must report information on a noncustodial parent if the noncustodial parent: (1) is receiving assistance as defined in §260.31; (2) is participating in work activities as defined in section 407 (d) of the Act; or (3) has been designated by the State as a member of the family receiving assistance.
For reasons (1) and (3) above, the Family affiliation code for the noncustodial parent is "1." If the State is reporting on the noncustodial parent because the noncustodial parent participated in work activity and the noncustodial parent did not receive assistance, the State would use the family affiliation code "2."
If a parent receives assistance with one TANF family and is a noncustodial parent in relation to another TANF family, the State should report the parent with the family with whom (s)he is receiving assistance.
Q22: Data element #30 (Family Affiliation): States are required to include in the Family-Level Data individuals in receipt of assistance or "any person whose income or resources would be counted in determining the family's eligibility for or amount of assistance," provided they are living in the household. One State assists certain aliens and deems a portion of a sponsor's income to the TANF family. If the TANF household lives in the same household as the sponsor, even though the sponsor is not on assistance, do we have to consider the sponsor when completing the data?
A: Yes. The sponsor would be coded with a family affiliation code 5.
Q23: Data element #33 (Social Security Number): Can you use an alpha character instead of, or in combination with, "999999999" when the social security number (SSN) is unknown?
A: No. It is not acceptable to transmit alpha characters as part of an unknown social security number. An unknown SSN coded as "999999999" is acceptable for individuals with Family Affiliation codes 2, 3, 4, or 5. If the Family Affiliation code is 1, States must make every effort to provide the SSN. For those few individuals with Family Affiliation Code "1" that the State cannot obtain a valid SSN within 45 days after the close of the quarter, the State may use "000000000." However, the State must provide the correct SSN by the close of the quarter.
Q24: Data element #34 (Race/Ethnicity): There seems to be a lot of confusion on this item since "Hispanic or Latino" is recorded under "Ethnicity" and the other categories are recorded under "Race". I realize that the main purpose of this item is to address "multi-ethnic" recipients, but does the fact that "Hispanic or Latino" is separate from the others really matter? In other words, if we code someone "Yes" under "Hispanic or Latino", can we code that same person as "No" under all the "Race" categories?
A: The intent for this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and ethnicity characteristics applicable to each person. Normally, we would expect the State to code at least one of the Race categories as "Yes" in addition to the coding for ethnicity.
Q25: Data element #36 (Receives Disability Benefits): Can you clarify this reporting for States? Territories?
A: Yes. We will clarify the coding instructions when we issue the final report and instructions. (Data element #36, items c, and d apply only to the Territories.)
Q26: Data element #36 (Receives Disability Benefits): BENDEX does not easily differentiate between disability, survivors, and retirement benefits. However, if the BENDEX shows a "date of onset", then SSA determined that the individual was disabled at some point. However, the beneficiary could have been converted from disability to retirement if the beneficiary is over age 62. It must be converted to retirement by age 65. For 36a (receives disability under OASDI), can a state include anyone with a "date of onset" even if the recipient is age 62 to 65 and may have converted to retirement? (NOTE: this might happen in a very few cases.)
A: For 36 (a), there are not likely to be many TANF recipients that are 62 years of age or older. For those few individuals the State must verify whether the benefit received is disability or retirement and report on those that are disability.
Q27: For 36a, does this include only TANF recipients who personally are the wage-earner on whose SSN the disability is being paid? If the TANF recipient is the dependant of the wage-earner (for example, an able-bodied spouse separated from a disabled absent parent) are her benefits included in 36a?
A: The focus on this data element is a benefit received by the individual for whom the case characteristics are being coded, regardless on the wage earner on whose SSN the disability is being paid.
Q28: What about Disabled Adult Children (DAC)? These are adults who became disabled while a child under age 22 and draw disability on their parent's SSN. They continue to draw as adults who are still unmarried (but who could be parents). If the TANF recipient is a DAC, are his/her benefits reported in 36a?
A: Yes.
Q29: For 36d AABD-Title 16, a State is wondering if this is for the state supplements to SSI?
A: No. A State supplemental to SSI is included in 36e.
Q30: Data element #39 (Parent with Minor Child in the Family): Is the definition of family in this data element the same definition given on page 17907 of the Federal Register?
A: Yes.
Q31: Data element #42 (Citizenship/Alienage): Should there not be a code for "unqualified alien"?
A: No additional code is needed. For those individuals who cannot be coded "1" or "2", use code "9."
Q32: Data element #45 (Number of Countable Months Remaining Under the State’s Time Limit): Should we enter "0 months remaining" in this item if the recipient has reached our 24-month limit but is exempt and continues to receive assistance?
A:Yes.
Q33: Data element #45 (Number of Countable Months Remaining Under the State’s Time Limit): If a State has no time limit (only the Federal time limit), can we report zero or blank?
A: Yes. If the State did not opt to have a time limit other than the Federal five-year time limit, the State may leave this data element blank.
Q34: Data element #45 (Number of Countable Months Remaining Under the State’s Time Limit): One State’s policy excludes from any time limit certain classes of individuals, e.g., a disabled adult. What data should be entered in data element #45 (Number of months remaining under state's (tribe's) time limit)? For example if the State enters zero it indicates that the family has used its State time limit, while if the State enters 24 (State time limit for non-exempt individuals) it appears that the family’s clock is counting.
A: If the State has a 24-month time limit and the State exempts an individual from accrual of months on assistance under its time limit (i.e., no time has ticked off the clock), the State should code this data element with a "24."
Q35: Data element #46 (Is the current month exempt from the State’s time limit): Can States leave this data element blank if there is no State time limit?
A: Yes. The State can leave this data element blank.
Q36: Data element #48 (Work Participation Status - code 1): We understand there is a maximum lifetime limit of 12 months per family for this disregard. Will this be clarified in further instructions?
A: Yes. We will clarify this in the instructions for the final form.
Q37: Data element #48 (Work Participation Status): What is the difference between code 2 and code 13? When would code 13 be used?
A: WPS code 2 is used in a month that the family is disregarded from the participation rate. WPS code 13 is used in a month in which the family is not disregarded from the participation rate.
A family (with an individual who is subjected to sanction for the reporting month for refusing to participate in work activities) may be disregarded from the participation rate for no more than 3 months in the preceding 12-month period. Because of this limitation on the number of months a family may be disregarded from the participation rate, States must choose the months for which it wants to disregard the family and the months for which it wants the family included in the work participation calculation.
Q38: Data element #48 (Work Participation Status): Codes 06 through 11 are "exempt" codes that should be included in the denominator since they are not "disregarded". In Louisiana, we consider these "good cause" cases, and code 07 and 11 would be applicable. However, in some of these cases, even though they may be coded as having "good cause", they are participating. For example, we may have someone coded as disabled (07), but they may be participating in an activity that they are capable of doing. In these situations, will participation hours be counted? In other words, if we had a disabled recipient who was meeting the minimum participation requirements, should they be coded 07 or 19 in this item?
A: If an individual is coded with Work Participation Status (WPS) code 07 (disabled), family affiliation code of 1, and sufficient hours to count as engage in work, then the family is counted as participating for the all families work participation rate. A disabled parent (WPS code 07) is not used in the two-parent family work participation rate.
Q39:Data element #48 (Work Participation Status): Will there be further guidance on codes #18 and #19? Is there a possibility of collapsing these two codes?
A: We were not planning to issue additional guidance on the WPS codes. WPS codes #18 and #19 are mutually exclusive, and we do not plan on collapsing them. Once we complete the programming of the participation rates using the TANF Data Report, we will provide States with guidance on how participation rates are calculated and in doing this we will describe how the WPS codes are used in that process.
Q40: Data element #48 (Work Participation Status - code 19 - Is required to participate and meeting minimum participation requirements): Since it is possible for a two-parent family to meet the all-families participation requirements, but not the two-parent requirements, does code 19 refer to the all-families requirement, the two-parent participation requirements, or both?
A: The WPS coding was originally designed with the all-families (overall) work participation rate in mind. We recommend States use code "19" for individuals meeting the all-families requirements. We will check the hours of work participation in determining whether the family met the all-families requirements and/or the two-parent families requirement.
Q41: Data element #48 (Work Participation Status): Correct coding in this block is essential to assure calculation of the work participation rate. A State’s waiver allows a two-parent household to be considered participating if the combined work activities of both adults are at least 20 hours. How does the State code each adult when one is participating in an approved activity for an average of 15 hours per week and the other the other is participating 10 hours per week. Neither is meeting the 20-hour requirement, but their total exceeds the family waiver requirement of 20 hours per week.
A: In developing the work participation rate program using the data from the TDR, we will write a State-specific programming code to determine the two-parent families work participation rate under waiver. States should used the WPS code for each adult (or minor child head-of-household) for status in relation to the all families work participation rate.
Q42: Data elements #49 - #60 (Work Activities): Do States have to report actual hours of participation or may they report required (scheduled) hours of participation?
A: The State must report the actual hours of participation for each work activity. Reporting required (or scheduled) hours of participation is inconsistent with the "complete and accurate" standard and is not acceptable.
Q43: Data element #58 (Education directly Related to Employment) and #59 (Satisfactory School Attendance): What hours should be reported for a teen parent who is married or a single teen head of household if (s)he maintains satisfactory attendance at a secondary school or the equivalent or if (s)he participates in education directly related to employment for at least 20 hours per week? Should the State report actual hours of participation or the required hours of participation?
A: The State must report actual hours of participation for all work activities. Reporting required (or scheduled) hours of participation is inconsistent with the "complete and accurate" standard and is not acceptable.
Q44: Data element #63 (Required Hours of Work under Waiver Demonstration): How do we code this data element for a State that does not have an approved section 1115 welfare reform waiver?
A: Either leave blank or enter "0" hours.
Q45: Data element #65 (Unearned Income): Is receipt of public assistance reported under this element? If yes, isn’t this duplicate reporting of previous data elements? Will there be clarification of this in further instructions?
A:The amount of TANF assistance is not included in this data element. However, the benefits provided under separate State programs (both SSP-MOE programs and SSPs for which MOE is not claimed) are included. There is no duplicate reporting. We will clarify this in the instructions.
Q46: Data element #65 (EITC): Can ACF investigate the possibility of obtaining this information from the Federal reporting source rather than have each State report this on an individual basis?
A:We will explore the suggestion, but we expect that there would be privacy restrictions that preclude this approach. For now, States must submit this information.
Q47: Data element #65 (Amount of Unearned Income): We assume this only includes money given directly to the individual to pay their rent and will not include housing subsidies given directly to a landlord for a portion of the rent. Is this a correct assumption?
A: Yes.
Q48: Data element #65 (Amount of Unearned Income): This data element requests a separate amount for Social Security (item b.), SSI (item c.) and then requests Other Unearned Income (item e.). The guidance for other unearned income includes RSDI. We are assuming this was an oversight and you only want Social Security benefits to be listed once in item b. Please advise if this assumption is correct.
A: Yes. Your assumption is correct. Social Security (RSDI) is coded in 65b. We will delete the reference to RSDI in 65e.
Q49: Data element #68 (Social Security Number): When the Family Affiliation code is "1," how do you code the SSN for an unborn child?
A: We are not coding an unborn child as a child in the family, but rather using data element #40 to capture the Needs of a Pregnant Woman. However, a new-born child, enumerated at birth, may not have received the SSN in time to report it to us. An unknown SSN coded as "999999999" is acceptable for a child with Family Affiliation codes 2, 3, 4, or 5. If the Family Affiliation code is 1, States must make every effort to provide the SSN. For those few individuals with Family Affiliation Code "1" that the State cannot obtain a valid SSN within 45 days after the close of the quarter, the State may use "000000000." However, the State must provide the correct SSN by the close of the quarter.
Q50: Data element #73 (Parent with a Minor Child in the Family): What does this mean?
A: The coding for data element #73 in the child characteristics section is identical to the coding for data element #39 in the adult characteristics section. Data element #73 is used to identify minor parents who are not a head-of-household or the spouses of the head-of-household. Code "1" is not applicable in data element #73, but is used in data element #39 to identify the parents used in the two-parent families work participation rate.
A teen parent who is the head-of-household or spouse of the head-of-household is coded in the adult characteristics section.
Q51: Is disregarded child care reported in Section One of the TANF Data Report – either under item #17 or item #22?
A: No. The term "child care disregard" refers to the exclusion, or "disregard," of earned income that is used to provide child care in determining the family's eligibility for and amount of assistance. States should report only actual child care subsidies in TDR--Section One-- items #17 and #22. However, States should report aggregate data on child care disregards in the State annual report due after the end of the fiscal year.
Q52: When a State issues a combined cash and supportive services (e.g., Transportation) payment to an employed family, may the State report the entire amount in item #21 (Amount of Assistance: Cash and Cash Equivalents) or should it report only the cash portion of the combined payment in item #21?
A: Payments for supportive services, such as transportation, to an employed family are by definition not "assistance." Thus, States should not report such payments in the TANF Data Report – Section One under the Amount of Assistance (data items #21 - #25). Item #21 should include the amount provided to the family to meet basic needs; item #23 should include transportation benefits only when they are considered "assistance." It is important that States and their computer systems be able to make distinctions between "assistance" benefits and benefits that are not "assistance" because such benefits are treated differently under child support distribution rules.
Q53:What does a State report in TDR – Section One data elements #21 and #26.b. in the following situation? A TANF family is due $100, the state recoups $10 for a prior overpayment and the family receives $90 for the report month.
A: In item #21, the State reports $90 (since this is the family's "assistance" payment), and in item #26.b. the State reports $10 (as a reduction in assistance due to recoupment).
Q54: Does TDR-Section One item 26.c. (Reduction in the Amount of Assistance – Other Reasons) include income disregards?
A: No. Income disregards result in increases in assistance.
Q55: What reporting requirements apply to non-custodial parents (NCPs)? How is item #30 coded for the NCP?
A: In general, if the NCP does any of the following: (1) receives assistance as defined in §260.31; (2) participates in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act; or (3) has been designated by the State as a member of a family receiving assistance, the State must report all disaggregated data (TDR- Section One) and aggregated data (TDR– Section Three).
The only exception to the above requirement for States to provide disaggregated data for NCPs relates to a NCP participating in work activities. If all of the following criteria are met: (1) a NCP participates only in work activities that fall outside the definition of assistance (most employment services do); (2) the NCP does not receive assistance; and (3) the NCP’s TANF-eligible family (i.e., the family containing the NCP’s child) does not receive assistance, the State must report only the aggregated data in TDR-Section Three for NCPs.
With respect to coding of Item #30 (Family Affiliation), regardless of whether or not the NCP lives in the same household with other family members, a State should assign code "2" if the NCP is not receiving any "assistance" and the State does not want the NCP used in calculating work participation rates. Otherwise, a State should assign the NCP code "1."
Q56: When there is a child under 12 months and the State opts not to disregard the family from the work participation rate, the "Guidance" to Item #48 indicates the State should use code 19. Can the State use code 17 rather than code 19?
A: Yes. If the family meets the conditions for using code 17, the State should use code 17.
Q57: In the instructions to TDR-Section One item #65.b. (Amount of Unearned Income: Social Security), the last line states "Include the federal payment plus any State supplemental payment. Does this last line belong with item 65.c. (Amount of Unearned Income: SSI), not item 65.b.?
A: Yes. We will modify our instructions.
Q58: Are State contributions to an individual’s IDA account considered for reporting purposes as unearned income and should State report them under item #65.e.?
A: No. States should report these contributions only on the financial reporting form, ACF-196.
Q59: Should States report SSA income received by children of a deceased parent in TDR – Section One?
A: Yes. They should report this income in item #76.b. (Other unearned income).
