Examples of State Implementation Plans

Table 2 on the following page provides information on some of the major aspects of state TANF programs. Please see the notes following the table for brief explanations of the underlined items in the table.

State plans vary widely on details. For example, families reach the maximum for assistance between 1996 and late 2002. Most states require TANF recipients to begin work or to start looking for a job immediately. Two-thirds of the states follow the federal guidelines of 60 months as the lifetime limit on receiving assistance.

All states offer transitional childcare; while most limit it, fourteen states have no set time limits for families with income below federal poverty limits. Some states require co-payments for childcare based on income, while others limit eligibility based on participation in TANF (with the transitional period).

Historically, medical assistance is by far the most costly of any assistance program. The majority of the states limit transitional medical assistance to 12 months, although some working poor families are eligible for Medicaid. Moving a family from welfare to work, can, in some states, save the state substantial medical assistance costs. In other states, cost savings are dependent on moving the family into higher wage jobs or into jobs with medical benefits.

The amounts of monthly cash assistance under TANF range from a low of $120 in Mississippi to a high of $1,025 in Alaska. The public savings attributable to moving a family from welfare to work varies tremendously by state.

The section following Table 2 provides detailed descriptions of the implementation plans for four states: Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Pennsylvania.

State	Month When First Families Reach Time Limits	Maximum Time Before Starting Work (months)	Lifetime Limit for Cash Assistance (months)	Transitional Child Care Available (months)	Transitional Medicaid Available (months)	Transitional Medicaid Available (months)
Alaska	July 2002	24	60	12	12	$1,025
Alabama	Nov. 2001	Immediate	60	12	12	164
Arkansas	Aug. 2000	Immediate	24	36	12	204
Arizona	Nov. 1997	Individual	60	24	24	347
California	July 1999	18 and 24	18	24	12	565 and 538
Colorado	July 2002	24	60	No limits	12	421
Connecticut	Oct. 1997	Immediate	21	No limits	24	536 to 636
Delaware	Oct. 1999	Immediate	48	24	24	338
Florida	Feb. 1996	Immediate	48	24	12	303
Georgia	Jan. 2001	Immediate	48	12	12	208
Hawaii	July 2002	24	60	No limit	12	712
Iowa	Individual	Immediate	Individual	24	12	426
Idaho	July 1999	Immediate	24	No limit	12	276
Illinois	July 1999	24	Unlimited	No limit	12	377
Indiana	May 1997	Immediate	60 and 24	12	12	288
Kansas	Oct. 2001	Immediate	60	12	12	429
Kentucky	Oct. 2001	6	60	No limit	12	262
Louisiana	Jan. 1999	24	24 of 60	12	12	190
Massachusetts	Dec. 1998	60 days	24 of 60	12	12	579
Maryland	Dec. 2001	Immediate	60	12	12	388
Maine	Nov. 2001	24	60	Child is 13	12	468
Michigan	No limit	60 days	None	24	12	Varies
Minnesota	July 2001	6	60	12	12	532
Missouri	July 2000	24	60	No limit	12	292
Mississippi	Oct. 2001	24	60	12	12	120
Montana	Feb. 2002	Immediate	60	Immediate	12	450
North Carolina	July 1998	Immediate	24 of 60	12	12	272
North Dakota	July 2002	24	60	12	12	440
Nebraska	Nov. 1997	Immediate	24 of 48	24	24	364
New Hampshire	Oct. 2001	26 weeks	60	No limit	12	550
Hew Jersey	Feb. 2002	24	60	24	24	424
New Mexico	July 2002	60 days	60	No limit	12	389
Nevada	Dec. 1998	24	24, off 12	12	12	348
New York	Dec. 2001	24	60	12	12	Varies
Ohio	Oct. 2000	24	36	12	12	341
Oklahoma	Oct. 2001	Immediate	60	12	12	292
Oregon	Aug. 1998	Immediate	24 of 84	No limit	12	460
Pennsylvania	March 2002	Immediate	60	12	12	421
Rhode Island	March 2002	45 days	60	No limit	18	554
South Carolina	Oct. 1998	24	24 of 120	24	24	200
South Dakota	Dec. 2001	2 months	60	12	12	Varies
Tennessee	April 1998	Immediate	18, 3 off	18	18	185
Texas	June 1997	Immediate	Depends	12	18	188
Utah	Jan. 2000	Immediate	36	No limit	24	426
Virginia	July 1997	Immediate	24 of 60	12	12	354
Vermont	No limit	15 and 30	No limit	No limit	36	639
Washington	July 2002	Immediate	60	12	12	546
Wisconsin	Oct. 2001	Immediate	60	Yes	Yes	Varies
West Virginia	Jan. 2002	24	60	12	12	Varies
Wyoming	Jan. 2002	Immediate	60	No limit	12	340
Source: Pew Center on the States, http://www.stateline.org (web-site)

Table 2 Notes

Maximum Time Before Starting Work

• Iowa: Individually determined.
• Arizona: Individually determined.
• California: 18 months for new applicants; 24 months for recipients as of 1/11/98.
• Delaware: Immediate if determined able and for two-parent households.

Workfare for single-parent households after 24 months.

• Massachusetts: 60 months for non-exempt with school-age children.
• New Hampshire: 26 weeks of job search, followed by 26 weeks of work activities.
• South Dakota: Community service.
• Vermont: 15 months; 30 months for single parents.

Lifetime Limit for Cash Assistance

• Arizona: 60; Adult household members limited to 24 months out of 60 lifetime.
• Florida: Two tiers: 1) 24 out of 60 for a total of 48 lifetime; 2) 36 out of 72 for a total of 48 months lifetime.
• Iowa: Determined case-by-case.
• Illinois: Unlimited if family has earned income and works at least 20 hours per week. 24 months for families with no child under 13 and no earnings; 60 months for all other families.
• Indiana: 60 months; 24 months for adults-only.
• Louisiana: 24 out of 60 months; 60 months lifetime.
• Michigan: None. Will use state-only funds for those eligible and not self-sufficient after 60 months.
• North Carolina: 24 out of 60 months; 60 months lifetime.
• Nevada: 24 months, then off 12 months; 60 lifetime.
• Oregon: 24 out of 84 months.
• South Carolina: 24 out of 120 months; 60 lifetime.
• Tennessee: 18 months, then off 3 months; 60 lifetime.
• Texas: three tiers (12, 24 and 36 months) depending on employability of head of household.
• Virginia: 24 out of 60 months; 60 months lifetime.

Transitional Child Care Available

• Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming: No limit for families below 200 percent of federal poverty level.
• Connecticut: No limit for families below 200 percent of federal poverty level; sliding-scale fee.
• Hawaii: No limit; sliding-scale fee.
• Illinois: No limit for families below 200 percent of federal poverty level; Co-pay for all with earned income.
• Maine: Until youngest is 13 or family loses eligibility.
• Montana: Sliding-scale fee immediately.
• New Hampshire: No limit for families below 170 percent of federal poverty level.
• Wisconsin: Yes, number of months not yet specified.

Transitional Medicaid Available

• Connecticut: 24 months, no income limit.
• New Jersey: 24 months, if employed; 4 months with increased child or spousal support.
• Rhode Island: Adults: 18 months. No time limit for children under 25 percent of the federal poverty limit:
• Wisconsin: Yes. Income eligibility regardless of TANF status.
• Monthly Cash Assistance
• California: $565 in Region I; $538 in Region II.
• Connecticut: A: $636; B: $543; C: $536.
• Illinois: Figure shown is for Group I (Chicago area). Two other groups are lower amounts.
• Michigan: Detroit: $459. Varies for different parts of the state.
• New Mexico: $389. $100 more for families not living in subsidized housing.
• New York: $577 New York; $703 Suffolk.
• South Dakota: $430 independent living; $300 shared living.
• Wisconsin: $673 family in community service; $628 family in transition.
• West Virginia: $253; 10 percent more for married couple.