WORKFIRST: TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

Contact: Amber Gillum
Office of Financial Management
P.O. Box 43113
Olympia, WA 98504-3113
Telephone: 360.902.7657
E-mail: amber.gillum@ofm.wa.gov

State Website: www.workfirst.wa.gov

 Local Link: https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/f2ws03esaapps/onlinecso/findservice.asp

Participation: 41,473 participants were served between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.

Who is Served: Recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are eligible for Washington’s WorkFirst program. Recipients and, on a limited basis, some applicants and former recipients, are eligible for support services. As a part of the block grant funding, TANF programs are not considered an entitlement.

Program Description: The federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) gives states limited flexibility to design their TANF programs. Washington’s TANF work program is the cornerstone for the Welfare-to-Work initiative, and requires participants to prepare for, find, and maintain employment leading to self-sufficiency. Benefits are limited to 60 months in a lifetime with extensions available on a case-by-case basis. Upon entering WorkFirst, recipients receive a Comprehensive Evaluation (CE) to identify their skills and abilities. This multiple-part evaluation, provided by the WorkFirst partners, is designed to help WorkFirst recipients achieve better and quicker engagement in employment-related activities which lead to employment. Based on information gathered during the CE process, staff work with the parent to develop an Individual Responsibility Plan. Support services are provided to facilitate involvement in the WorkFirst program. Child care assistance, transportation, and other job-related expenditures are a part of the job planning process.

Other Program Characteristics: Five state agencies jointly carry out the program, with oversight provided by the Office of Financial Management:

• The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
• The Employment Security Department.
• The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
• The Department of Commerce.
• The Department of Early Learning.

For additional information about these agencies and their involvement in the WorkFirst program, please visit the WorkFirst website, at www.workfirst.wa.gov.

Program History: WorkFirst went into effect in 1997 after PRWORA repealed and consolidated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program, and Emergency Assistance programs into TANF. The underlying WorkFirst philosophy is that everyone who is able to work should be working, preparing for work, or looking for work.

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 reauthorized the TANF block grant through 2010. The act made a number of changes to the current TANF program, including:

• Reducing states’ flexibility to determine which activities count toward the federal work participation rate.
• Updating the base year for calculating the caseload reduction credit from 1995 to 2005. Because caseload declines have flattened out, Washington will no longer receive the same level of benefit from the caseload credit when determining federal participation rate targets. States that fail to meet the work participation requirements (50 percent for all families and 90 percent for two-parent cases) are subject to financial penalties
• Requiring states to verify the number of hours recipients spend in federally approved activities.

Planning Cycle: Annual.

Outcome Measures: TANF program outcome measures include: placement of recipients into private, unsubsidized jobs; caseload reduction; recidivism to the caseload; job retention; earnings; and reduction in average grant amount.

Funding and Regional Division: DSHS Division of Employment and Assistance programs is divided into six regional offices and 58 local offices. Regions are allowed to tailor participant service delivery to maximize program effectiveness. They coordinate services through Local Planning Area units comprised of representatives from WorkFirst partners, community organizations, and tribal governments. Washington receives a TANF block grant from the federal government. State plan amendments are made whenever substantive changes in spending TANF funds are made.

State Funding: $34,575,278 (July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009) Maintenance-of-effort funds.

Federal Funding: $38,238,426 (Oct. 1, 2008-Sept. 30, 2009) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (TANF Block Grant). This includes DSHS operations staff, local contracts, and client services and support. Tribal services and child care expenditures are not included. TANF and state funds transferred to other state agencies managing additional elements of the WorkFirst program are listed separately.

Statutory Authority: Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Major portions of this Act are administered by the Department of Social and Health Services, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the WorkFirst Program.