Child Care Reporting--Aid Recipient

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)/California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Program (CalWORKs) Cash Aid Recipient

The TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient information field indicates whether the Head-of-Household (HoH) received any type of TANF or CalWORKs cash assistance during the report period.

Note: “CalWORKs” is California’s name for TANF.

Where to Find It

• On the ELCD-9600, confirm that the “Cash or other assistance under Title IV of the Social Security Act (TANF)” box is checked in Section III: Family Adjusted Gross Monthly Income and Size, or
  
  
• On the CDE Notice of Action (CD-7617 form), confirm that the box “Current Aid Recipient” is checked in the “Family Eligibility Section.”

Important Notes:

• Check to see if the family has a subsequent Notice of Action on file (not the initial notice) that applies to the report period (i.e., completed on or before the report period, as indicated by the effective date of action). If such a Notice of Action is on file and the TANF status has changed, enter the updated information. There should also be documentation in the family file indicating the receipt of cash aid, such as a notice from the county welfare department or a stub showing the monthly warrant amount.
  
  
• Families who are receiving payments through the “State-only alien and two-parent programs for CalWORKs recipients” are not considered TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipients, and therefore should not be counted in this section. To determine which category applies to this family, check the ELCD-9600, Section III: Family Adjusted Gross Monthly Income and Size for the report period. If the family has the “State-only and two-parent programs for CalWORKs recipients” box checked, the
  family is not considered a TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient; agencies should select “No” for this information field. If this family has the “Cash or other assistance under Title IV of the Social Security Act (TANF)” box checked, agencies should select “Yes” for this information field.

Rules and Guidelines

• This information field is required.

• There are only two choices:

  • Yes – The HoH did receive TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid during the report period.
  • No – The HoH did not receive TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid during the report period.

Error Messages and Solutions

• The TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient information is required. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit], [801B]
  
  Problem: This information is missing from the electronic file (CDD-801A Electronic File Transfer function) or no selection has been made from the TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient dropdown list (CDD-801A Input/Edit function).
  
  Solution: Enter the missing information (Y or N) in the TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient information field in the electronic file (CDD-801A Electronic File Transfer function) or select “Yes” or “No” from the TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient dropdown list (CDD-801A Input/Edit function).
  
  
• Invalid TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient information. [801A Electronic File Transfer only]
  
  Problem: The TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient information is not one of the valid codes.
  
  Solution: Confirm that a valid code is entered (Y or N).

Frequently Asked Questions

• What do TANF and CalWORKs mean?
  
  The federal welfare reform law, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, replaced AFDC, EA, and JOBS or GAIN, and created TANF. This is the federal cash assistance program for families, which contains many work requirements. It provides a block grant to states to assist needy families and created new work requirements and time limits. CalWORKs stands for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Program. It is California’s name for the federal TANF program.
  
  
• Should we count Medi-Cal or food stamps as TANF assistance?
  
  No.
  
  
• If a TANF recipient's income exceeds a certain amount for the month, he/she receives no TANF assistance even though he/she is still enrolled in the TANF program. If the recipient’s income drops the next month, he or she will again receive TANF assistance. How should we answer those months in which no TANF assistance is received even though the recipient is still enrolled in TANF?
  
  The recipient is still enrolled in the TANF program; answer those months as a "Y."

Return to Appendix A: Data Definitions