States would be able to test strategies to improve case management services for individuals receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) aid under bicameral legislation introduced on Monday by U.S. Sen. Todd Young and U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, both Indiana Republicans.
With the goal of helping individuals find jobs, the Coordinating Assistance for TANF Recipients Act would dedicate $300 million to state programs that test new case management systems aiming to improve coordination between TANF and other programs. Under current processes, beneficiaries often meet with multiple caseworkers and travel to different offices to ensure various program requirements are met.
“Beneficiaries of TANF assistance are currently forced to spend too much time and energy navigating a maze of government bureaucracy,” Young said. “This legislation will streamline assistance and study evidence-based approaches to help families in need get back on their feet.”
States could use funding made available by the bill to hire case managers to coordinate benefits across multiple programs, to improve IT systems, to ensure that individuals aren’t discouraged from working by fear of lost benefits, and to provide multiple service providers for welfare beneficiaries to choose from.
“Our safety net is essential to helping people who fall on hard times get back on their feet, but too often it becomes a web that traps people in a cycle of poverty,” Walorski said. “Human interaction is what breaks that cycle, and by letting states test innovative solutions tailored to local needs, we can empower individuals to move back to work and achieve the American dream.”
Under the bill, projects would be subject to evaluations to determine how effectively they improve coordination and help recipients transition to work. The Department of Health and Human Services also would be directed to make further recommendations to Congress to improve case management and benefits coordination.