MOE 1 Inst.

SSP-MOE Data Report - Section One
Disaggregated Data Collection
for Families Receiving Assistance
under the Separate State Program(s)
INSTRUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS
General Instruction: If a State claims MOE expenditures for separate State programs (SSPs)
and for persons served by those programs, it must collect and report this information on the SSPMOE Data Report on SSP-MOE families receiving assistance only as follows: (1) If the State
wishes to receive a high performance bonus, it must file the information in sections one and three
of the SSP-MOE Data Report; and (2) if the State wishes to quality for caseload reduction credit,
it must file the information in all three sections of the SSP-MOE Data Report.
The State agency should collect and report data for each data element. The data must be
complete (unless explicitly instructed to leave the field blank) and accurate (i.e., correct).
An "Unknown" code may appear only on four sets of data elements ([#28 and #61] Date of Birth,
[#29 and #62] Social Security Number, [#37 and #68] Educational Level, and {#38 and #69]
Citizenship/Alienage). For these data elements, unknown is not an acceptable code for
individuals who are members of the eligible family (i.e., family affiliation code "1").
There are six data elements for which States have the option to report based on either the budget
month or the reporting month. These are: #14 Amount of Food Stamps Assistance; #17 Amount
of Child Support; #18 Amount of Families Cash Resources; #58 Amount of Earned Income; and
[#59 and #70] Amount of Unearned Income. Whichever choice the State selects must be used
for all families reported each month and must be used for all months in the fiscal year.
The data elements in the SSP-MOE Data Report are similar to those in the TANF Data Report
for the TANF Program. This will give us comparable information on the SSP programs. It will
allow us, for example, to calculate a SSP-MOE work participation rate. Because a State's
definitions and eligibility requirements for its SSPs may be different from those in its TANF
Program, the data required in its SSP-MOE Data Report may not precisely correspond to the
information collected by the State in its SSP-MOE Data Report. We encourage States to provide
the best possible information.
1.

State FIPS Code: Enter your two-digit State code from the following listing. These codes
are the standard codes used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
State
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas

Effective 10/1/2008

Code
01
02
60
04
05

State
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey

Code
30
31
32
33
34
1

State
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Dist. of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri

Code
06
08
09
10
11
12
13
66
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29

State
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Code
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
72
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
78
51
53
54
55
56

2.

County FIPS Code: Enter the three-digit code established by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology for classification of counties and county equivalents. Codes
were devised by listing counties alphabetically and assigning sequentially odd integers;
e.g., 001, 003, 005. A complete list of codes is available in Appendix F of the TANF
Sampling and Statistical Methods Manual.

3.

Reporting Month: Enter the four-digit year and two-digit month codes that identify the
year and month for which the data are being reported.

4.

Stratum:
Guidance: All families that receive assistance under separate State Programs (i.e., SSPMOE families) and are selected in the sample from the same stratum must be assigned
the same stratum code. Valid stratum codes may range from "00" to "99." States with
stratified samples should provide the ACF Regional Office with a listing of the numeric
codes utilized to identify any stratification. States that use stratified samples must file
section four of the SSP-MOE Data Report, which contains the caseload size by stratum
for each report month. If a State opts to provide data for its entire caseload, enter the
same stratum code (any two-digit number) for each SSP-MOE family.
Effective 10/1/2008
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Instruction: Enter the two-digit stratum code.

FAMILY-LEVEL DATA
Definition: For reporting purposes, the SSP-MOE family means (a) all individuals receiving
assistance as part of a family under the separate State program(s); and (b) the following
additional persons living in the household, if not included under (a) above:
(1)

Parent(s) or caretaker relative(s) of any minor child receiving assistance;

(2)

Minor siblings of any child receiving assistance; and

(3)

Any person whose income or resources would be counted in determining the family's
eligibility for or amount of assistance.

5.

Case Number - Separate State MOE:
Guidance: If the case number is less than the allowable eleven characters, a State may
use lead zeros to fill in the number.
Instruction: Enter the number assigned by the State agency to uniquely identify the
case.

6.

ZIP Code: Enter the five-digit ZIP code for the SSP-MOE family's place of residence for
the reporting month.

7.

Disposition:
Guidance: A family that did not receive any assistance for the reporting month but was
listed on the monthly sample frame for the reporting month is "listed in error." States are
to complete data collection for all sampled cases that are not listed in error.
Instruction: Enter one of the following codes for each SSP-MOE sampled case.
1=
Data collection completed
2=
Not subject to data collection/listed in error

8.

Number of Family Members: Enter two digits that represent the number of members in
the family (include all individuals with Family Affiliation codes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for data
element #26 and #60) under the separate State program(s). Include in the number of
family members, the noncustodial parent whom the State has opted to include as part of
the eligible family, who is receiving assistance as defined in §260.31, or who is
participating in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act.

9.

Type of Family for Work Participation:

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Guidance: This data element identifies whether the family will be used to calculate both
the all families (i.e., overall) and two-parent work participation rates, will be used to
calculate only the overall work participation rate, or will not be used to calculate either
work participation rate.
To determine how to code this data element, the State must first determine the number of
work-eligible individuals. If there are two or more work-eligible individuals the State
needs to determine if there are two parents that meet the definition of a two-parent
family. The correct coding for this data element is as follows: Use code "3" to identify
families with no work-eligible individuals (See data element #41, Work-eligible
Individual Indicator.) Use code "2" to identify two-parent families. Use code "1" to
identify all remaining families (i.e., families with one or more work-eligible individuals
that are not two-parent families.)
A family with a work-eligible individual is included in the overall work participation rate
unless explicitly disregarded. The "Work Participation Status" (data element #42) will be
used to disregard families from the work participation rates. See data element #42 "Work
Participation Status" for reasons for disregarding a family.
For purposes of calculating the two-parent families work participation rates, a twoparent family includes, at a minimum, all families with two natural or adoptive parents
(of the same minor child) who are work-eligible individuals and living in the home,
unless both are minors and neither is a head-of-household. The State (Tribe) may use a
broader definition of "two-parent family", but must at least include these families. All
two-parent families must be included in the two-parent work participation rate unless the
family is explicitly disregarded. The "Work Participation Status" (data element #42) will
be used to disregard families from the work participation rates, including a two-parent
family with a disabled parent.
The correct coding of a two-parent family with a disabled parent is as follows: Coded
data element #9, Type of Family for Work Participation, with a “2”; for each parent code
data element #26, Family Affiliation, with a “1” or “2” whichever is appropriate and code
data element #35, Parent with a Minor Child, with a “1”; and for the disabled parent code
data element #42, Work Participation Status, with a “07”. If properly coded, a twoparent family with a disabled parent will be excluded from the two-parent work
participation rate.
A family with a minor child head-of-household should be coded as either a single-parent
family or two-parent family, whichever is appropriate.
A noncustodial parent is defined in §260.30 as a parent of a minor child who: (1) lives in
the State and (2) does not live in the same household as the minor child. The State must
report information on the 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 a family
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receiving assistance. If the noncustodial parent is the only member of the family
receiving assistance, the State (Tribe) must report the disaggregated and aggregated
information on the entire family. If the noncustodial parent is only participating in work
activities that do not constitute assistance (as defined in §260.31) and the other members
of the family are not receiving assistance, the State (Tribe) must report only the
aggregated information on the noncustodial parent.
A noncustodial parent, who is receiving assistance, is a work-eligible individual and a
non-recipient, noncustodial parent is not. A family with two parents, who are workeligible individuals, one of whom is a noncustodial parent, does not meet the minimum
definition of a two-parent family. However, the State may use an expanded definition of
two-parent family which could include this family within the definition and thus, choose
whether a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent (who is receiving assistance) as
one of the two parents is a two-parent family for the purposes of calculating the twoparent work participation rate. If a State chooses to exclude such a family with a
noncustodial parent as one of the parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the
State must code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1."
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that represents the type of family for purposes of
calculating the work participation rates.
1=
Family included only in overall work participation rate (i.e., family includes
one or more work-eligible individuals but does not meet definition of a twoparent family)
2=
Two-Parent Family included in both the overall and two-parent work
participation rates (i.e., family includes two work-eligible parents and meets
the definition of a two-parent family)
3=
Family with no work-eligible individual
10.

Has the Family Received Assistance Under a State (Tribal) TANF Program Within the
Past Six Months: If the SSP-MOE family has received assistance under a State (Tribal)
TANF Program within the past six months, enter code "1” or “2." Otherwise, enter "3."
1=
Yes, family is received assistance under a State (Tribal) TANF program for the
report month.
2=
Yes, family has received assistance under a State (Tribal) TANF program
within the past six months, but not for the report month.
3=
No

11.

Receives Subsidized Housing:
Guidance: Subsidized housing refers to housing for which money was paid by the
Federal, State, or local government or through a private social service agency to the
family or to the owner of the housing to assist the family in paying rent. Two families
sharing living expenses does not constitute subsidized housing.
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the SSP-MOE family
received subsidized housing for the reporting month.

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1=
2=
3=
12.

Public housing
Rent subsidy
No housing subsidy

Receives Medical Assistance:
Guidance: The purpose of this data element is to identify families that are eligible to
receive medical assistance under the State plan approved under Title XIX. This will
include children served by the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) when it is a part
of the Title XIX program.
Instruction: Enter "1" if, for the reporting month, any SSP-MOE family member is
enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP and thus eligible to receive medical assistance under
the State plan approved under Title XIX or "2" if no SSP-MOE family member is
enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP.
1=
Yes, enrolled in Medicaid and/or CHIP
2=
No

13.

Receives Food Stamps:
Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the SSP-MOE family is receiving
food stamp assistance.
1=
Yes, receives food stamp assistance
2=
No

14.

Amount of Food Stamp Assistance:
Guidance: For situations in which the food stamp household differs from the SSP-MOE
family, code this element in a manner that most accurately reflects the resources available
to the SSP-MOE family. One acceptable method for calculating the amount of food
stamp assistance available to the SSP-MOE family is to prorate the amount of food
stamps equally between each food stamp recipient then add together the amounts
belonging to the SSP-MOE recipients to get the total amount for the SSP-MOE family. It
is unacceptable to assign the total amount of food stamp assistance received by the
household to the SSP-MOE family when there are members of the food stamp household
that are not members of the SSP-MOE family.
Instruction: Enter the SSP-MOE eligible family's authorized dollar amount of food
stamp assistance for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting
month. If the SSP-MOE family did not receive any food stamps for the reporting month,
enter "0."

15.

Receives Subsidized Child Care:
Instruction: If the SSP-MOE family receives subsidized child care for the reporting
month, enter code "1" or "2," whichever is appropriate. Otherwise, enter code "3."
1=
Yes, receives child care funded entirely or in part with Federal funds (e.g.,
receives either TANF, CCDF, SSBG, or other federally funded child care)

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2=
3=
16.

Yes, receives child care funded entirely under a State, Tribal, and/or local
program
No subsidized child care received

Amount of Subsidized Child Care:
Guidance: Subsidized child care means a grant by the Federal, State or local
government to or on behalf of a parent (or caretaker relative) to support, in part or whole,
the cost of child care services provided by an eligible provider to an eligible child. The
grant may be paid directly to the parent (or caretaker relative) or to a child care provider
on behalf of the parent (or caretaker relative).
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.). When a State knows the
authorized amount of child care but does not know the actual amount of subsidized child
care because claims for payment are not received until after TANF reporting is due, the
State should 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.
Instruction: Enter the dollar amount of subsidized child care that the SSP-MOE family
has received from all sources (e.g., CCDF, TANF, SSBG, State, local, etc.) for services
in the reporting month. If SSP-MOE family did not receive any subsidized child care for
services in the reporting month, enter "0" as the amount.

17.

Amount of Child Support: Enter the total dollar value of child support received on behalf
of the SSP-MOE family in the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the
reporting month. This includes current payments, arrearages, recoupment, and passthrough amounts whether paid to the State or the family.

18.

Amount of the Family's Cash Resources
Guidance: Cash resources are defined by the State for the purpose of determining
eligibility for and amount of benefits. Such resources may includes 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.) are not included. Motor vehicles are
not included.
Instruction: Enter the total dollar amount of the SSP-MOE family's cash resources as
the State defines them for determining eligibility and/or computing benefits for the
reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE RECEIVED AND THE NUMBER OF MONTHS
THAT THE FAMILY HAS RECEIVED EACH TYPE OF ASSISTANCE UNDER
THE SEPARATE STATE PROGRAM:

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Guidance: The term "assistance" includes cash, payments, vouchers, and other forms of
benefits designed to meet a family's ongoing basic needs (i.e., for food, clothing, shelter, utilities,
household goods, personal care items, and general incidental expenses). It includes such benefits
even when they are provided in the form of payments by a TANF agency, or other agency on its
behalf, to individual recipients and conditioned on their participation in work experience,
community service, or other work activities (i.e., under §261.30).
Except where excluded as indicated in the following paragraph, it also includes supportive
services such as transportation and child care provided to families who are not employed.
The term "assistance" excludes:
(1)
Nonrecurrent, short-term benefits (such as payments for rent deposits or appliance
repairs) that:
(i)
Are designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode of need;
(ii)
Are not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and
(iii)
Will not extend beyond four months.
(2)
Work subsidies (i.e., payments to employers or third parties to help cover the costs of
employee wages, benefits, supervision, and training);
(3)
Supportive services such as child care and transportation provided to families who are
employed;
(4)
Refundable earned income tax credits;
(5)
Contributions to, and distributions from, Individual Development Accounts;
(6)
Services such as counseling, case management, peer support, child care information and
referral, transitional services, job retention, job advancement, and other employmentrelated services that do not provide basic income support; and
(7)
Transportation benefits provided under an Access to Jobs or Reverse Commute project,
pursuant to section 404(k) of the Act, to an individual who is not otherwise receiving
assistance.
The exclusion of nonrecurrent, short-term benefits under (1) of this paragraph also covers
supportive services for recently employed families, for temporary periods of unemployment, in
order to enable continuity in their service arrangements.
Instruction: For each type of assistance provided under the separate State program, enter the
dollar amount of assistance that the SSP-MOE family received or that was paid on behalf of the
SSP-MOE family for the reporting month and the number of months that the SSP-MOE family
has received the type of assistance under the State's Separate MOE programs. In determining the
number of months for each type of assistance, begin counting with the month the State began its
SSP-MOE program. For SSP-MOE Child Care, also enter the number of children covered by
the child care. If, for a "type of assistance," no dollar amount of assistance was provided during
the reporting month, enter "0" as the amount. If, for a "type of assistance," no assistance has
ever been received by the eligible family, enter "0" as the number of months of assistance.

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19.

Cash and Cash Equivalents:
Guidance: Included in this data element cash (and cash equivalents) assistance provided
under the SSP-MOE program. Do not included WtW cash assistance.
A. Amount

20.

B.

Number of Months

Child Care:
Guidance: By definition, a SSP-MOE child care benefit that is received by an employed
family is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element. Unless excluded
as a non-recurring, short-term benefit, a SSP-MOE child care benefit that is received by
an non-employed family is assistance and should be reported in this data element.
Include only the child care funded directly by the separate State programs. Do not
include child care funded under the TANF Program or the Child Care and Development
Fund.
Number of
A. Amount
B. Children Covered C. Number of Months

21.

Transportation:
Guidance: By definition, a transportation benefit that is received by an employed family
is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element. Unless excluded as a
non-recurring, short-term benefit, a transportation benefit that is received by a nonemployed family is assistance and should be reported in this data element.
States may use estimates for transportation assistance that is provided through the Access
to JOBS or Reverse commute projects. Use of an estimate is limited to the 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
estimated amount.
A. Amount

22.

B.

Number of Months

Transitional Services:
Guidance: By definition, a transitional service benefits that is received by an employed
family is not assistance and should not be reported in this data element. Unless excluded
as a non-recurring short-term benefit, a transitional supportive service that is received by
an non-employed family is assistance and should be reported here.
A. Amount

Effective 10/1/2008

B.

Number of Months

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23.

Other:
Guidance: By definition, an "Other" benefit that is received by an employed family is
not assistance and should not be reported in this data element. Unless excluded as a nonrecurring, short-term benefit, an "Other" supportive service that is received by an nonemployed family is assistance and should be reported here.
A. Amount

24.

B.

Number of Months

Reason for and Amount of Reduction in Assistance
Instruction: The amount of assistance received by a SSP-MOE family may be reduced
for one or more reasons. For each reason listed below, indicate whether the SSP-MOE
family received a reduction in assistance. Enter the total dollar value of the reduction(s)
for each group of reasons for reductions in assistance for the reporting month. If for any
reason there was no reduction in assistance, enter "0."
a.

Sanctions:
i. Total Dollar Amount of Reductions due to Sanctions:
Enter the total dollar value of reduction in assistance due to sanctions.
ii. Work Requirements Sanction
1=
Yes
2=
No
iii. Family Sanction for an Adult with No High School Diploma or Equivalent
1=
Yes
2=
No
iv. Sanction for Teen Parent not Attending School
1=
Yes
2=
No
v.

Non-Cooperation with Child Support
1=
Yes
2=
No

vi. Failure to Comply with an Individual Responsibility Plan
Guidance: Work requirements, school attendance requirements,
and cooperation with child support requirements may be
provisions of an individual responsibility plan. If an individual is
sanctioned for failure to comply with work requirements, school
attendance requirements, and/or cooperation with child support
requirements, code the sanction in 24a.ii., 24a.iii., 24a.iv, or 24a.v.
whichever is appropriate. Other sanctions for failure to comply
with an individual responsibility plan are coded in 24a.vi.
1=
Yes
2=
No
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vii. Other Sanctions
1=
Yes
2=
No
b.

Recoupment of Prior Overpayment:
Enter the total dollar value of reduction in assistance due to recoupment of a
prior overpayment.

c.

Other:
i.

ii.

Total Dollar Amount of Reductions due to Other Reasons (exclude
the amounts for sanction and recoupment): Enter the total dollar
value of reduction in assistance due to reasons other than sanctions
and recoupment.

Family Cap
1=
2=

Yes
No

iii. Reduction Based on Length of Receipt of Assistance
1=
Yes
2=
No
iv.

25.

Other, Non-sanction
1=
Yes
2=
No

Waiver Evaluation Experimental and Control Groups:
Guidance: This data element is no longer applicable for States as all welfare reform
1115 waivers have expired. This data element is reserved as a place holder. We did this
to preserve the current numbering of the succeeding data elements so States would not
have to revise their edits based on renumbering of these data elements.
Instruction: Leave this data element blank or code with a “9” for not applicable.
PERSON-LEVEL DATA

Person-level data has two sections: (1) the adult and minor child head-of-household
characteristic section and (2) the child characteristics section. An adult is an individual that is
not a minor child. A minor child is an individual who (a) has not attained 18 years of age or (b)
has not attained 19 years of age and is a full-time student in a secondary school (or in the
equivalent level of vocational or technical training.)
Detailed data elements must be reported on all individuals unless, for a specific data element, the
instructions explicitly give States an option to not report for a specific group of individuals.
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ADULT AND MINOR CHILD HEAD-OF-HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
This section allows for coding up to six adults (or a minor child who is either a head-ofhousehold or married to the head-of-household and up to five adults) in the SSP-MOE family. A
minor child who is either a head-of-household or married to the head-of-household should be
coded as an adult and will hereafter be referred to as a "minor child head-of-household." For
each adult (or minor child head-of-household) in the SSP-MOE family, complete the adult
characteristics section. As indicated below, reporting for certain specified data elements in this
section is optional for certain individuals (whose family affiliation code is a 2, 3, or 5).
If there are more than six adults (or a minor child head-of-household and five adults) in the SSPMOE family, use the following order to identify the persons to be coded: (1) the head-ofhousehold; (2) parents in the eligible family receiving assistance; (3) other adults in the eligible
family receiving assistance; (4) Parents not in the eligible family receiving assistance; (5)
caretaker relatives not in the eligible family receiving assistance; and (6) other persons, whose
income or resources count in determining eligibility for or amount of assistance of the eligible
family receiving assistance, in descending order the person with the most income to the person
with least income.
26.

Family Affiliation:
Guidance: This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-ofhousehold section and (2) the minor child section. The same coding schemes are used in
both sections. Some of these codes may not be applicable for adults.
Code the Family Affiliation of a noncustodial parent who is receiving assistance as
defined in §260.31 or has been designated by the State as a member of a family receiving
assistance with a "1." Code the Family Affiliation of a noncustodial parent who is
participating in work activities as defined in section 407(d) of the Act, but is not
receiving assistance with a code "2."
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that shows the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) relation to the eligible family receiving assistance.
1=
Member of the eligible family receiving assistance
Not in eligible family receiving assistance, but in the household
2=
Parent of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance
3=
Caretaker relative of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance
4=
Minor sibling of child in the eligible family receiving assistance
5=
Person whose income or resources are considered in determining eligibility for
or amount of assistance for the eligible family receiving assistance

27.

Noncustodial Parent Indicator:

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Guidance: A noncustodial parent is defined in §260.30 as a parent of a minor child who:
(1) lives in the State and (2) does not live in the same household as the minor child. The
State must report information on the 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 a family receiving assistance. If the noncustodial parent is the only member of the
family receiving assistance, the State must report the disaggregated and aggregated
information on the entire family. If the noncustodial parent is only participating in work
activities that do not constitute assistance (as defined in §260.31) and the other members
of the family are not receiving assistance, the State must report only the aggregated
information on the noncustodial parent.
A noncustodial parent, who is receiving assistance, is a work-eligible individual and a
non-recipient, noncustodial parent is not. A family with two parents, who are workeligible individuals, one of whom is a noncustodial parent, does not meet the minimum
definition of a two-parent family. However, the State may use an expanded definition of
two-parent family which could include this family within the definition and thus, choose
whether a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent (who is receiving assistance) as
one of the two parents is a two-parent family for the purposes of calculating the twoparent work participation rate. If a State chooses to exclude such a family with a
noncustodial parent as one of the parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the
State must code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1."
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) noncustodial parent status.
1=
Yes, a noncustodial parent
2=
No, not a noncustodial parent
28.

Date of Birth: Enter the eight-digit code for date of birth for the adult (or minor child
head-of-household) under the separate State program in the format YYYYMMDD. If the
adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) date of birth is unknown and the family
affiliation code is not "1," enter the code "99999999".

29.

Social Security Number: Enter the nine-digit Social Security Number for the adult (or
minor child head-of-household) in the format nnnnnnnnn. If the social security number
is unknown and the family affiliation code is not "1," enter "999999999".

30.

Race/Ethnicity:
Guidance: The intent of this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and
ethnicity characteristic applicable to each person. States should code at least one of the
race categories "YES" in addition to coding ethnicity.
Instruction: To allow for the multiplicity of race/ethnicity, please enter a one-digit code
for each race and for ethnicity of the adult (or minor child head-of-household).

Effective 10/1/2008

13

Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is
5.
Ethnicity
a.
Hispanic or Latino
1 = Yes, Hispanic or Latino
2 = No
Race:
b.

American Indian or Alaska Native
1 = Yes, American Indian or Alaska Native
2 = No

c.

Asian
1 = Yes, Asian
2 = No

d.

Black or African American
1 = Yes, Black or African American
2 = No

e.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1 = Yes, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2 = No

f.

White
1 = Yes, White
2 = No

31.

Gender: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) gender.
1=
Male
2=
Female

32.

Receives Disability Benefits
The Act specifies five types of disability benefits. For each type of disability benefits,
enter the one-digit code that indicates whether or not the adult (or minor child head-ofhousehold) received the benefit.
a.
Receives Federal Disability Insurance Benefits Under the Social Security
OASDI Program (Title II of the Social Security Act):
Guidance: States and Territories must complete this data element.
1 = Yes, received Federal disability insurance
2 = No

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14

b.

Receives Benefits Based on Federal Disability Status Under Non-Social
Security Act Programs:
Guidance: States and Territories must complete this data element. These
programs include Veteran's disability benefits, Worker's disability
compensation, and Black Lung Disease disability benefits.
1 = Yes, received benefits based on Federal disability status
2 = No

c.

Receives Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled Under Title XIV-APDT
of the Social Security Act:
Guidance: Title XIV-APDT is applicable only in the Territories. States may
leave this data element blank or use code "2." The Territories must complete
this data element.
1 = Yes, received aid under Title XIV-APDT
2 = No

33.

d.

Receives Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled Under Title XVI-AABD of the
Social Security Act:
Guidance: Title XVI-AABD is applicable only in the Territories. States
may leave this data element blank or use code "2." The Territories must
complete this data element.
1 = Yes, received aid under Title XVI-AABD
2 = No

e.

Receives Supplemental Security Income Under Title XVI-SSI of the Social
Security Act:
Guidance: States must complete this data element. The Territories may leave
this data element blank or use code "2."
1 = Yes, received aid under Title XVI-SSI
2 = No

Marital Status:
Guidance: A noncustodial parent who is remarried should be coded a "2" or "3"
depending if (s)he is living with his/her current spouse.
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code for the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's)
marital status for the reporting month. Reporting of this data element is optional for
individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.
1=
Single, never married
2=
Married, living together
3=
Married, but separated
4=
Widowed
5=
Divorced

Effective 10/1/2008

15

34.

Relationship to Head-of-Household:
Guidance: This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-ofhousehold section and (2) the minor child section. The same coding schemes are used in
both sections. Some of these codes may not be applicable for adults.
Instruction: Enter the two-digit code that shows the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) relationship (including by marriage) to the head of the household, as defined
by the Food Stamp Program or as determined by the State, (i.e., the relationship to the
principal person of each person living in the household.) If a minor child head-ofhousehold, enter code "01."
01 =
Head-of-household
02 =
Spouse
03 =
Parent
04 =
Daughter or son (Natural or adoptive)
05 =
Stepdaughter or stepson
06 =
Grandchild or great grandchild
07 =
Other related person (brother, niece, cousin)
08 =
Foster child
09 =
Unrelated child
10 =
Unrelated adult

35.

Parent With Minor Child In the Family:
Guidance: A parent with a minor child in the family may be a natural parent, adoptive
parent, or step-parent of a minor child in the family. If data element #9, Type of Family
for Work Participation, is coded "2", there should be two adults (and/or minor child
heads-of-household) with this data element coded "1" (regardless of whether the family is
disregarded from the two-parent families work participation rate via data element #42,
Work Participation Status.) For the purpose of calculating the two-parent families work
participation rate, a two-parent family includes, at a minimum, all families with two
natural or adoptive parents (of the same minor child) who are work-eligible individuals
and living in the home, unless both are minors, and neither is a head-of-household. A
State may choose whether a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of the
two parents is a two-parent family for the purposes of calculating the two-parent work
participation rate. If a State chooses to exclude a two-parent family with a noncustodial
parent as one of the parents from the two-parent work participation rate, the State must
code the data element "Type of Family for Work Participation" with a "1", code this data
element with a "2", and code the data element "Work Participation Status" for the
noncustodial parent with a "99".Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals
whose family affiliation code is 3 or 5.
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) parental status.
1=
Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family and used in two-parent
participation rate

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2=
3=

Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family, but not used in two-parent
participation rate
No

36.

Needs of a Pregnant Woman: Some States consider the needs of a pregnant woman in
determining the amount of assistance that the SSP-MOE family receives. If the adult (or
minor child head-of-household) is pregnant and the needs associated with this pregnancy
are considered in determining the amount of assistance for the reporting month, enter a
"1" for this data element. Otherwise enter a "2" for this data element. This data element
is applicable only for individuals whose family affiliation code is 1.
1=
Yes, additional needs associated with pregnancy are considered in determining
the amount of assistance
2=
No

37.

Educational Level: Enter the two-digit code to indicate the highest level of education
attained by the adult (or minor child head-of-household). Unknown is not an acceptable
code for an individual whose family affiliation code is "1". Reporting of this data
element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.
01-11 = Grade level completed in primary/secondary school including secondary level
vocational school or adult high school
12 =
High school diploma, GED, or National External Diploma Program
13 =
Awarded Associate's Degree
14 =
Awarded Bachelor's Degree
15 =
Awarded graduate degree (Master's or higher)
16 =
Other credentials (degree, certificate, diploma, etc.)
98 =
No formal education
99 =
Unknown

38.

Citizenship/Alienage:
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) citizenship/alienage. Unknown is not an acceptable code for an individual
whose family affiliation code is "1". Reporting of this data element is optional for
individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.
1=
U.S. citizen, including naturalized citizens
2=
Qualified alien
3=
Non qualified alien
9=
Unknown

39.

Cooperation with Child Support: Enter the one-digit code that indicates whether this
adult (or minor child head-of-household) has cooperated with child support. Reporting
of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.
1=
Yes, adult (or minor child head-of-household) cooperated with child support
2=
No
3=
Not applicable

Effective 10/1/2008

17

40.

Employment Status:
Guidance: An employed adult (or minor child head-of-household) should have earned
income (See data element #58.)
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) employment status. Reporting of this data element is optional for
individuals whose family affiliation code is 5.
1=
Employed
2=
Unemployed, looking for work
3=
Not in labor force (i.e., unemployed, not looking for work, includes
discouraged workers)

41.

Work-Eligible Individual Indicator:
Definition: Work-eligible individual means an adult (or minor child head-of-household)
receiving assistance under TANF or a separate State program or a non-recipient parent
living with a child receiving such assistance unless the parent is: (1) A minor parent and
not the head-of-household; (2) A non-citizen who is ineligible to receive assistance due
to his or her immigration status; or (3) At State option on a case-by-case basis, a recipient
of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled in
the Territories. The term also excludes: (1) A parent providing care for a disabled family
member living in the home, provided that there is medical documentation to support the
need for the parent to remain in the home to care for the disabled family member; (2) At
State option on a case-by-case basis, a parent who is a recipient of Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits; and (3) An individual in a family receiving MOEfunded assistance under an approved Tribal TANF program, unless the State includes the
Tribal family in calculating work participation rates, as permitted under section 261.25.
Guidance: This data element is designed to identify all work-eligible individuals, i.e.,
anyone whose participation in work activities is required in the calculation of the work
participation rate. A work-eligible individual is either: (1) an adult (or minor child headof household) receiving assistance under TANF or a separate State program; or (2) a
non-recipient parent living with a child receiving assistance. This means that the
definition excludes non-recipient noncustodial parents and non-recipient caretaker
relatives. Generally, unless specifically excluded, a parent living with a child receiving
assistance is work-eligible. For example, a parent whose needs have been removed from
the grant, such as due to a work or other sanction, is a work-eligible individual, whether
that parent is a recipient or not.
Noncustodial parents: Noncustodial parents who receive assistance are not explicitly
excluded from being work-eligible individuals. However, States continue to have the
option to include or exclude them from the two-parent work participation rate based on
the definition of a two-parent family. If a State wants to include a noncustodial parent
receiving assistance in the two-parent work participation rate, the State should code the
noncustodial parent as follows: Type of Family for Work Participation (data element
#12) with a “2,” Family Affiliation Code (data element #30) with a “1,” Noncustodial

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18

Parent Indicator (data element #31) with a “1,” Parent with Minor Child (data element
#39) with a “1” for each parent, Work-Eligible Individual Indicator (data element #48)
with a “1,”and Work Participation (data element #49) with the appropriate code “1”
through “19.” If the State opts to exclude the noncustodial parent receiving assistance
from the two-parent work participation rate, the State should code the noncustodial
parent as follows: the Type of Family for Work Participation with a ‘1,” the Noncustodial
Parent Indicator with a “1”, the Parent with Minor Child with a “2”, the Work-Eligible
Individual Indicator with a “1”, and the Work Participation Status code with a “1”
through “19,” whichever is appropriate.
Change in Circumstance: If an individual’s status changes from work-eligible to non
work-eligible or vice versa during the report month, the State must code the individual as
a work-eligible individual for the report month and the family will be included in the
denominator of the work participation rate. However, in determining the average number
of hours of participation per week for the report month, State may apply the same
approach we use for partial months of receipt of assistance. The preamble to the original
TANF rule stated that “the participation rates are based on monthly data of families
receiving assistance that include an adult. Therefore, a family that receives assistance for
even one day contributes to the total number of families receiving assistance in that
month.” Under the new rules, the rates are based on monthly data of families that include
a work-eligible individual, so the same discussion applies to families with a work-eligible
individual that applied before to families receiving assistance that include an adult.
Although the family will be in the denominator for the month if an adult is “workeligible” for any time in that month, it may also be possible to include the family in the
numerator that month and count it toward the participation rate even if the work-eligible
status of the adult changes in the course of the month. As under prior TANF rules, the
new rules make accommodation for partial months of receipt of assistance. Section
261.22(d)(1) says “If a family receives assistance for only part of a month, we will count
it as a month of participation if a work-eligible individual is engaged in work for the
minimum average number of hours in each full week that the family receives assistance
in that month.” Similarly, if a family includes a work-eligible individual for only part of
a month, we will consider the family to have met the participation standard for the month
and include it in the numerator if the adult engaged in work for the minimum average
hours required in each full week that he or she was a work-eligible individual in that
month.
In some cases, there may have been a change in circumstances that took place prior to the
report month, but the State did not learn of the change until a subsequent month. In such
a situation, the State should revise its data to the extent possible. For example, the
definition of a work-eligible individual does not explicitly refer to a deceased individual,
but it is clear that such an individual cannot meet the work requirements and is not
“work-eligible.” If an adult (or minor child head-of-household) who was receiving
assistance died prior to the report month, the deceased individual is not a work-eligible
individual for the report month. This is true even if the family’s grant for the report
Effective 10/1/2008

19

month included the needs of the deceased individual, for example because the State must
provide timely notification to a family before reducing the grant or the family failed to
report the death to the TANF agency. However, if a work-eligible individual died in the
report month, the State should treat it as it would any other change in circumstances,
following the guidance above.
Instructions: Enter the two-digit code that indicate if the adult (or minor child head-ofhousehold) is a work-eligible individual.
01 = Yes, an adult (or minor child head-of-household) receiving assistance
02 = Yes, a non-recipient parent due to a sanction
03 = Yes, a non-recipient parent due to a time limit
04 = Yes, a non-recipient parent receiving SSI, SSDI, or Adult Program assistance (aid
to the needy aged, blind and disabled in the Territories) or a recipient parent
receiving SSDI; and State or Territory opts to include
05 = Yes, a non-recipient parent due to other reasons
06 = No, a non-recipient, but not a parent
07 = No, an ineligible non-citizen due to his/her immigration status
08 = No, a non-recipient parent receiving SSI or Adult Program assistance (aid to the
needy aged, blind and disabled) in the Territories
09 = No, parent caring for a disabled family member in the home
10 = No, a parent receiving SSDI (and State or Territory opts to exclude)
11 = No, a non-recipient, noncustodial parent
12 = No, a deceased individual who died in a month preceding the report month and,
due to State requirements to provide timely notification to the family before
reducing the grant or other reasons (e.g., the family failed to report the death to
the TANF agency), the family’s grant for the report month included the deceased
individual’s needs
42.

Work Participation Status:
Guidance: This item is used in calculating the work participation rates. The following
two definitions are used in reporting this item and in determining which families are
included in and excluded from the calculations.
"Disregarded" from the participation rate means the TANF family is not included in the
calculation of the work participation rate.
"Exempt" means that the individual will not be penalized for failure to engage in work
(i.e., the individual has a good cause exception); however, the TANF family is included
in the calculation of the work participation rate.
A State is not required to disregard all families that could be disregarded. For example, a
family with a single custodial parent with child under 12 months (and the family has not
been disregarded for 12 months due to a child under age one) may be disregarded.
However, if the single custodial parent is meeting the work requirements, the State may

Effective 10/1/2008

20

want to include the family in its work participation rate. In this situation, the State
should use work participation status code "19" rather than code "01".
Instruction: Enter the two-digit code that indicates the adult's (or minor child head-ofhousehold's) work participation status. This data element is designed to capture the
status of the individual as relates to the overall rate. For the two parents in a two-parent
family complete the data element for the overall rate.
If the State chooses to include a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of
the two parents in the two-parent work participation rate, the State must code data
element #9 "Type of Family for Work Participation Rate" with a "2," code data element
#26 "Family Affiliation" with a "1," code data element #35 "Parent with Minor Child"
with a "1," and enter the applicable code for this data element. If a State chooses to
exclude a two-parent family with a noncustodial parent as one of the two parents from the
two-parent work participation rate, the State must code the data element "Type of Family
for Work Participation" with a "1" and code the data element "Work Participation Status"
for the noncustodial parent with a "99". This data element is not applicable for
individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5 (i.e., use code "99" or leave blank).
01 =
Disregarded from participation rate, single custodial parent with child under 12
months. There is a 12-month lifetime limit on disregarding a family from the all
families work participation rate (i.e., the overall work participation rate) for this
reason.
02 =

Disregarded from participation rate because both of the following apply:
required to participate, but not participating; and subject to sanction for
refusing to participate in work activities for the reporting month, but not
subject to sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month
period (Note: “subjected to a sanction” for refusing to participate in work
activities means the State has actually imposed a penalty to reduce or terminate
assistance. During a conciliation or notice period, before the State actually
reduces or terminates the family’s grant, a family is not “subjected to a
sanction.”)

03 =

Code no longer in use

04 =

Code no longer in use

05 =

Disregarded from participation rate based on participation in a Tribal Work
Program

06 =

Exempt, single custodial parent with child under age 6 and child care
unavailable

07 =

Exempt, disabled (not using an extended definition under a State waiver).

Effective 10/1/2008

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08 =

Exempt, caring for a severely disabled child (not using an extended definition
under a State waiver).

09 =

Exempt, under a federally recognized good cause domestic violence waiver.

10 =

Exempt, State waiver.

11 =

Exempt, other.

12 =

Required to participate, but not participating; subject to sanction for refusing to
participate in work activities for the reporting month; and subject to such a
sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12-month period.

13 =

Required to participate, but not participating; and subject to sanction for
refusing to participate in work activities for the reporting month, but not
subject to such a sanction for more than 3 months within the preceding 12month period.

14 =

Required to participate, but not participating; and not subject to a work
sanction for the reporting month.

15 =

Deemed engaged in work -- single teen head-of-household or married teen who
maintains satisfactory school attendance.

16 =

Deemed engaged in work -- single teen head-of-household or married teen who
participates in education directly related to employment for an average of at
least 20 hours per week during the reporting month.

17 =

Deemed engaged in work -- parent or relative (who is the only parent or
caretaker relative in the family) with child under age 6 and parent engaged in
core work activities for at least 20 hours per week.

18 =

Required to participate and participating, but not meeting minimum
participation requirements.

19 =

Required to participate and meeting minimum participation requirements.

99 =

Not applicable (e.g., not a work-eligible individual; person living in household
and whose income or resources are counted in determining eligibility for or the
amount of assistance for the family receiving assistance, but is not in the
eligible family receiving assistance or noncustodial parent that the State opted
to exclude in determining participation rate).

Effective 10/1/2008

22

ADULT WORK PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES:
Guidance: A State must report the actual hours that an individual participates in an activity,
subject to the qualifications in 45 CFR § 261.60 paragraphs (b) and (c) and § 261.61(c). It is not
sufficient to report the hours an individual is scheduled to participate in an activity.
45 CFR § 261.60 paragraph (b) reads as follows: For the purposes of calculating the work
participation rates for a month, actual hours may include the hours for which an individual was
paid, including paid holidays and sick leave. For participation in unpaid work activities, it may
include excused absences for hours missed due to a maximum of 10 holidays in the preceding
12-month period and up to 80 hours of additional excused absences in the preceding 12-month
period, no more than 16 of which may occur in a month, for each work-eligible individual. Each
State must designate the days that it wishes to count as holidays for those in unpaid activities. It
may designate no more than 10 such days. In order to count a holiday or an additional excused
absence as actual hours of participation, the individual must have been scheduled to participate
in a countable work activity for the period of the absence that the State reports as participation.
A State must describe its holiday and additional excused absence policies and definitions as part
of its Work Verification Plan, specified at § 261.62.
45 CFR § 261.60 paragraph (c) reads as follows: For unsubsidized employment, subsidized
employment, and OJT, a State may report projected actual hours of employment participation for
up to six months based on current, documented actual hours of work. Any time a State receives
information that the client’s actual hours of work have changed, or no later than the end of any
six-month period, the State must re-verify the client’s current actual average hours of work, and
may report these projected actual hours of participation for another six-month period.
A State may not count more hours toward the participation rate for a self-employed individual
than the number derived by dividing the individual’s self-employment income (gross income less
business expenses) by the Federal minimum wage. A State may propose an alternative method
of determining self-employment hours as part of its Work Verification Plan.
A State may count supervised homework time and up to one hour of unsupervised homework
time for each hour of class time. Total homework time counted for participation cannot exceed
the hours required or advised by a particular educational program.
A State must support each individual’s hours of participation through documentation in the case
file. In accordance with § 261.62, a State must describe in its Work Verification Plan the
documentation it uses to verify hours of participation in each activity.
For an employed individual, the documentation may consist of, but is not limited to pay stubs,
employer reports, or time and attendance records substantiating hours of participation. A State
may presume that an employed individual participated for the total number of hours for which
that individual was paid.

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23

The State must document all hours of participation in an activity; however, if a State is reporting
projected hours of actual employment in accordance with § 261.60(c), it need only document the
hours on which it bases the projection.
For an individual who is self-employed, the documentation must comport with standards set
forth in the State’s approved Work Verification Plan. Self-reporting by a participant without
additional verification is not sufficient documentation.
For an individual who is not employed, the documentation for substantiating hours of
participation may consist of, but is not limited to, time sheets, service provider attendance
records, or school attendance records. For homework time, the State must also document the
homework or study expectations of the educational program.
To ensure accuracy in the reporting of work activities by work-eligible individuals on the TANF
Data Report and, if applicable, the SSP-MOE Data Report, each State must:
(1) Establish and employ procedures for determining whether its work activities may count for
participation rate purposes; (2) Establish and employ procedures for determining how to count
and verify reported hours of work; (3) Establish and employ procedures for identifying who is a
work-eligible individual; (4) Establish and employ internal controls to ensure compliance with
the procedures; and (5) Submit to the Secretary for approval the State’s Work Verification Plan
in accordance with 45 CFR § 261.62 (b).
To calculate the average number of hours per week of participation in a work activity, add the
number of hours of participation across all weeks in the month and divide by the number of
weeks in the month. Round the result to the nearest whole number.
Some weeks have days in more than one month. Include such a week in the calculation for the
month that contains the most days of the week (e.g., the week of August 27 - September 2, 2006
would be included in the August calculation). Acceptable alternatives to this approach must
account for all weeks in the fiscal year. One acceptable alternative is to include the week in the
calculation for the month in which the Friday falls (i.e., the JOBS approach). A second
acceptable alternative is to count each month as having 4.33 weeks. The same method of
calculating the average number of hours per week of participation for the report month must be
used for each month in the fiscal year.
During the first or last month of any spell of assistance, a family may receive assistance for only
part of the month. If a family receives assistance for only part of a month, the State (Tribe) may
count it as a month of participation if an adult (or minor child head-of-household) in the family
(both adults, if they are both required to work) is engaged in work for the minimum average
number of hours for any full week(s) that the family receives assistance in that month.
Use of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Data: UI data provides an employee's total earnings for
a quarter. It does not indicate in which month(s) of the quarter the employee earned the income,
the hourly wage the employee received, or the number of hours the employee worked in each
month of the quarter. Individuals do not necessarily work the same number of hours or days
Effective 10/1/2008

24

each week or month of a quarter, nor do they all earn the minimum wage. Since the actual
average number of hours per week of participation must be furnished, UI data alone cannot be
used to compute the average hours of participation per week for each month in the quarter.
The best use of UI data is to identify individuals of whose employment the State agency was
unaware. The State agency should then follow up with the employer and/or TANF recipient to
collect the hours of participation in each week of the report month for the work activity.
Instruction: For the four paid countable work activities (i.e., Unsubsidized Employment,
Subsidized Private-Sector Employment, Subsidized Public-Sector Employment, and On-the–Job
Training) enter the average number of hours of participation per week for the report month. If
the adult (or minor child head-of-household) did not participate in the paid work activity, enter
zero. Each of the eight non-paid countable work activities has three components: (A) Hours of
Participation; (B) Excused Absences; and (C) Holidays. For each non-paid, work activity in
which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) participated during the reporting month,
enter in the “Hours of Participation” component the average number of hours per week of
participation, except as noted for “Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance” and “Vocational
Educational Training” below. For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor
child head-of-household) did not participate, enter zero as the average number of hours per week
of participation.
For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) was
given an excused absence, enter in the “Excused Absences” component the average number of
hours per week for the reporting month of excused absences. Otherwise, enter zero for this
component.
For each non-paid, work activity in which the adult (or minor child head-of-household) is
excused from participation in schedule hours due to a holiday, specified in the State’s Work
Verification Plan, enter in the “Holidays” component the average number of hours per week of
scheduled participation that was excused due to holidays in the reporting month. Otherwise,
enter zero for this component.
These work activity data elements are applicable only for individuals whose family affiliation
code is 1 or 2.
43.

Unsubsidized Employment
Definition: Unsubsidized employment means full- or part-time employment in the
public or private sector that is not subsidized by TANF or any other public program.
Guidance: The determination of whether employment is subsidized, or not, depends on
whether the employer, rather than the recipient, receives a subsidy. If an employer
receives a direct subsidy from TANF or other public funds for hiring a recipient, that
recipient would be considered to be in subsidized public or private sector employment.
This does not apply to recipients whose employers claim a tax credit for hiring
economically disadvantaged workers. While such tax credits are designed to foster the

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25

employment of low-income families, they have traditionally not been treated as
“subsidized employment” in the context of welfare.
All TANF recipients in unsubsidized employment are, by definition, receiving a subsidy
– their TANF assistance grant. The receipt of this grant, however, does not constitute
subsidized employment, as long as the employer receives no direct subsidy for employing
the recipient. Recipients in unsubsidized employment may also receive work-related
subsidies, such as child care, transportation, and other support services.
44.

Subsidized Private-Sector Employment
Definition: Subsidized private sector employment means employment in the private
sector for which the employer receives a subsidy from TANF or other public funds to
offset some or all of the wages and costs of employing an individual.
Guidance: Subsidized employment is distinguished from unsubsidized employment,
because the employer receives an ongoing subsidy to offset some or all of the wages and
costs of employing a recipient. It is distinguished from work experience, because the
participant is paid wages and receives the same benefits as a non-subsidized employee
who performs similar work. Subsidized private sector or public sector employment does
not include employment subsidies provided through the tax code, including employment
subsidized by Federal tax credits, such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).
These tax credits subsidize employers who hire welfare recipients or other hard-toemploy groups. TANF agencies, however, may not know whether employers use such tax
credits and, indeed, employers may not file for them until well after recipients have been
hired. Participants in these programs shall be considered to be in “unsubsidized
employment.” However, State-created employer tax credits that are funded by TANF
dollars would be considered subsidized employment. Subsidized private or public sector
employment also does not include “on-the-job training” programs, where employers are
subsidized to offset the costs of training.

45.

Subsidized Public-Sector Employment
Definition: Subsidized public sector employment means employment in the public
sector for which an employer receives a subsidy from TANF or other public funds to
offset some or all the wages and costs of employing an individual.

46.

Work Experience
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Work experience (including work associated with the refurbishing of
publicly assisted housing) if sufficient private sector employment is not available means
a work activity, performed in return for welfare, that provides an individual with an
opportunity to acquire the general skills, knowledge, and work habits necessary to obtain
employment. The purpose of work experience is to improve the employability of those
who cannot find unsubsidized employment. This activity must be supervised by an

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26

employer, work site sponsor, or other responsible party on an ongoing basis no less
frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.
47.

On-the-job Training
Definition: On-the-job training means training in the public or private sector that is given
to a paid employee while he or she is engaged in productive work and that provides
knowledge and skills essential to the full and adequate performance of the job.

48.

Job Search and Job Readiness Assistance
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Job search and job readiness assistance means the act of seeking or obtaining
employment, preparation to seek or obtain employment, including life skills training, and
substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, or rehabilitation activities. Such
treatment or therapy must be determined to be necessary and documented by a qualified
medical, substance abuse, or mental health professional. Job search and job readiness
assistance activities must be supervised by the TANF agency or other responsible party
on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is
scheduled to participate.
Limitations: The four limitations concerning job search and job readiness are: (1) Job
search and job readiness assistance only counts for 6 weeks in the preceding 12-month
period; (2) An individual's participation in job search and job readiness assistance counts
for no more than 4 consecutive weeks; (3) If the State's (Tribe's) total unemployment rate
is at least 50 percent greater than the United States' total unemployment rate or the State
is a needy State (within the meaning of section 403 (b)(6)), then an individual's
participation in job search and job readiness assistance counts for up to 12 weeks in the
12-month period; and (4) A State may count 3 or 4 days of job search and job readiness
assistance during a week as a full week of participation, but only once for any individual
in a 12-month period.
For each week in which an adult (or minor child head-of-household) exceeds any of these
limitations, use "0" as the number of hours in calculating the average number of hours
per week of job search and job readiness, even if (s)he may be engaged in job search or
job readiness activities.
Instruction: As noted above, the statute limits participation in job search and job
readiness training in four ways. Enter, in this data element, the average number of hours
per week of participation in job search and job readiness assistance that are within the
statutory limitations.
States may report the hours of work participation that are beyond the statutory limits on
job search and job readiness assistance under the work activity "Other Work Activities."

49.

Community Service Programs

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27

A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Community service programs mean structured programs and embedded
activities in which individuals perform work for the direct benefit of the community
under the auspices of public or nonprofit organizations. Community service programs
must be limited to projects that serve a useful community purpose in fields such as
health, social service, environmental protection, education, urban and rural
redevelopment, welfare, recreation, public facilities, public safety, and child care.
Community service programs are designed to improve the employability of individuals
not otherwise able to obtain unsubsidized full-time employment, and must be supervised
on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is
scheduled to participate. A State agency shall take into account, to the extent possible,
the prior training, experience, and skills of a recipient in making appropriate community
service assignments.
50.

Vocational Educational Training
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Vocational educational training (not to exceed 12 months with respect to any
individual) means organized educational programs that are directly related to the
preparation of individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations.
Vocational educational training must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less
frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.
Special Rules: Each adult (or minor child head-of-household) has a life-time limit for
vocational educational training. Vocational educational training may only count as a
work activity for a total of 12 months. For any adult (or minor child head-of-household)
that has exceeded this limit, enter "0" as the average number of hours per week of
participation in vocational education training, even if (s)he is engaged in vocational
education training. The additional participation in vocational education training may be
coded under "Other Work Activities."
Instruction: As noted above, the statute contains special rules limiting an adult's (or
minor child head-of-household's) participation in vocational educational training to
twelve months. Enter, in this data element, the average number of hours per week of
participation in vocational educational training that are within the statutory limits.
Do not count hours of participation in vocational educational training beyond the TANF
12-month life-time limit in this item. Instead, count the hours of participation beyond the
TANF limit in the item "Other Work Activities."

50.

Job Skills Training Directly Related to Employment
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays

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28

Definition: Job skills training directly related to employment means training or
education for job skills required by an employer to provide an individual with the ability
to obtain employment or to advance or adapt to the changing demands of the workplace.
Job skills training must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than once
each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.
52.

Education Directly Related to Employment for an Individual with NO High School
Diploma or Certificate of High School Equivalency
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Education directly related to employment, in the case of a recipient who has
not received a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency means
education related to a specific occupation, job, or
job offer. Education directly related to employment must be supervised on an ongoing
basis no less frequently than once each day in which the work-eligible individual is
scheduled to participate.

53.

Satisfactory School Attendance for Individuals with No High School Diploma or
Certificate of High School Equivalency
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Satisfactory school attendance at secondary school or in a course of study
leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a recipient who has not
completed secondary school or received such a certificate means regular attendance, in
accordance with the requirements of the secondary school or course of study, at a
secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in
the case of a work-eligible individual who has not completed secondary school or
received such a certificate. This activity must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less
frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.
Guidance: States should report actual hours (as opposed to scheduled hours) in
participation in secondary school.

54.

Providing Child Care Services to an Individual Who Is Participating in a Community
Service Program
A. Hours of Participation B. Excused Absences C. Holidays
Definition: Providing child care services to an individual who is participating in a
community service program means providing child care to enable another TANF or SSP
recipient to participate in a community service program. It does not include providing
child care to enable a TANF or SSP-MOE recipient to participate in any of the other
eleven allowable work activities. This activity must be supervised on an ongoing basis
no less frequently than once each day in which the individual is scheduled to participate.

55.

Other Work Activities

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29

Guidance: This data element collects information on work activities that are beyond the
requirements of the statute. Reporting on this data element is optional. States may want
to demonstrate their additional efforts at helping individuals become self-sufficient even
though these activities are not considered in the calculation of the work participation
rates.
51.

Number of Deemed Core Hours for Overall Rate
Guidance: 45 CFR §§ 261.31 and 261.32 permit States to “deem” and count hours of
work experience and/or community service program activities under specified
circumstances. If a work-eligible individual participates in these activities the maximum
number of hours permitted under the minimum wage provision of the Fair Labor
Standards Act (FLSA) and these hours do not meet the “core” hour participation
requirement, we will “deem” the core hour requirement met. This policy is limited to
States that combine their TANF and food stamp benefit amounts when calculating
maximum hours. This can be done by adopting the mini-Simplified Food Stamp Program
(mini-SFSP) option that simply permits States to count the value of food stamps in
determining maximum hours.
To determine the maximum allowable number of hours of participation in work
experience or community service programs for a month permitted under the minimum
wage laws, States must combine the monthly TANF grant (as adjusted by the amount of
child support collections retained by the State to offset the amount of the grant) and the
food stamp allotment for the family and divided by the appropriate minimum wage (the
State’s minimum wage or the Federal minimum wage, whichever is higher). This result
is compared to the actual total number of hours of participation in community services
programs and/or work experience that is subject to the FLSA requirements to determine
if the State may deem core hours. If the total number of hours of participation in work
experience and/or community services programs for the report month is equal to or
exceeds the maximum allowable under the minimum wage laws and if less than the
number needed to meet the core hour requirement (i.e., for the overall rate an average of
20 hours per week for the report month), then the State may deem the remaining core
hours as met. If the State has met the above criteria to deem core hours, the State should
calculate the number of deemed core hours per week for the report month by subtracting
the actual average number of hours of participation in community services programs
and/or work experience subject to the FLSA requirements from the core hour
participation requirement. State should use the same method for determining the
number of weeks in the month for this purpose as it uses to calculate the average number
of hours of participation per week in the work activities.
Instruction: Enter the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) average number of
deemed core hours per week for the report month. Otherwise, enter “0.” This data
element is not applicable for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5.

52.

Number of Deemed Core Hours for Two-Parent Rate:

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30

Guidance: A State that deems core hours for a two-parent family may code the total
number of deemed core hours per week for a two-parent family in one of the two parents
record and code “0” hours per week for the other parent; or the State may split the total
number of deemed core hours per week between the two parents, so long as the sum of
the deemed core hours per week for the two parents is the total number of deemed core
hours for the two-parent rate for the report month.
Instruction: If applicable, enter the number of deemed core hours per week for the twoparent work participation rate. Otherwise, enter “0.” This data element is not applicable
for individuals whose family affiliation code is 3, 4, or 5.
53.

Amount of Earned Income
Guidance: An adult (or minor child head-of-household) with earned income should
generally be coded as employed (see data element #40.) There may be exceptions, in
months where an individual stopped working in a previous month but received a
paycheck in the current month for the prior month]s work.
Instruction: Enter the dollar amount of the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's)
earned income for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the reporting
month.

54.

Amount of Unearned Income
Unearned income has five categories. For each category of unearned income, enter the
dollar amount of the adult's (or minor child head-of-household's) unearned income.
a.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC):
Guidance: Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit for families
and dependent children. EITC payments are received monthly (as advance
payment through the employer), annually (as a refund from IRS), or both.
Instruction: Enter the total dollar amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit
actually received, whether received as an advance payment or a single payment
(e.g., tax refund), by the adult (or minor child head-of-household) during the
reporting month or the month used to budget for the reporting month. If the
State counts the EITC as a resource, report it here as unearned income in the
month received (i.e., the reporting month or budget month). If the State
assumes an advance payment is applied for and obtained, only report what is
actually received for this item.

b.

Effective 10/1/2008

Social Security: Enter the dollar amount of Social Security benefits (RSDI
benefits) that the adult in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting
month or for the month used to budget for the reporting month. Include the
Federal payment plus any State supplemental payment.

31

c.

SSI: Enter the dollar amount of SSI benefits that the adult in the SSP-MOE
family has received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for
the reporting month.

d.

Worker's Compensation: Enter the dollar amount of Worker's Compensation
that the adult in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or
for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

e.

Other Unearned Income:
Guidance: Other unearned income includes Veterans benefits, Unemployment
Compensation, other government benefits, housing subsidy,
contribution/income-in-kind, deemed income, Public Assistance or General
Assistance (e.g., benefits provided under the TANF program and under
separate State programs for which MOE is not claimed), educational
grants/scholarships/loans, other. Do not include the amount of SSP-MOE
assistance, EITC, Social Security, SSI, Worker's Compensation, value of food
stamp assistance, the amount of the Child Care subsidy, and the amount of
Child Support.
Instruction: Enter the dollar amount of other unearned income that the adult
in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or for the month
used to budget for the reporting month.

CHILD CHARACTERISTICS
This section allows for coding the child characteristics for up to ten children in the SSP-MOE
family. A minor child head-of-household should be coded as an adult, not as a child. The
youngest child should be coded as the first child in the family, the second youngest child as the
second child, and so on.
If there are more than ten children in the SSP-MOE family, use the following order to identify
the persons to be coded: (1) children in the eligible family receiving assistance in order from
youngest to oldest; (2) minor siblings of child in the eligible family receiving assistance from
youngest to oldest; and (3) any other children.
55.

Family Affiliation:
Guidance: This data element is found in both for (1) the adult or minor child head-ofhousehold characteristics section and (2) the minor child characteristics section. The
same coding schemes are used in both sections. Some of these codes may not be
applicable for children.
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that shows the child's relation to the eligible
family receiving assistance.
1=
Member of the eligible family receiving assistance

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Not in eligible family receiving assistance, but in the household
2=
Parent of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance
3=
Caretaker relative of minor child in the eligible family receiving assistance
4=
Minor sibling of child in the eligible family receiving assistance
5=
Person whose income is considered in determining eligibility for and amount of
assistance for the eligible family receiving assistance
56.

Date of Birth: Enter the eight-digit code for date of birth for this child under the separate
State programs in the format YYYYMMDD. If the child's date of birth is unknown and
the family affiliation code is not "1," enter the code "99999999".

57.

Social Security Number: Enter the nine-digit Social Security Number for the child in the
format nnnnnnnnn. If the child's social security number is unknown and the family
affiliation code is not "1," enter the 9-digit code "999999999". Reporting of this data
element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is 4.

58.

Race/Ethnicity
Guidance: The intent of this data element is to capture the multiplicity of race and
ethnicity characteristic applicable to each person. States should code at least one of the
race categories "YES" in addition to coding ethnicity.
Instruction: To allow for the multiplicity of race/ethnicity, please enter a one-digit code
for each race and for ethnicity of the child. Reporting of this data element is optional for
individuals whose family affiliation code is 4.
Ethnicity
a.
Hispanic or Latino
1 = Yes, Hispanic or Latino
2 = No
Race:
b.

American Indian or Alaska Native
1 = Yes, American Indian or Alaska Native
2 = No

c.

Asian
1 = Yes, Asian
2 = No

d.

Black or African American
1 = Yes, Black or African American
2 = No

e.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

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33

1 = Yes, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2 = No
f.

White
1 = Yes, White
2 = No

59.

Gender: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the child's gender.
1=
Male
2=
Female

60.

Receives Disability Benefits
The Act specifies five types of disability benefits. Two of these types of disability
benefits are applicable to children. For each type of disability benefits, enter the onedigit code that indicates whether or not the child received the benefit.

61.

a.

Receives Benefits Based on Federal Disability Status Under Non-Social
Security Act Programs:
Guidance: States and Territories must complete this data element.
These programs include Veteran's disability benefits, Worker's disability
compensation, and Black Lung Disease disability benefits.
1 = Yes, received benefits based on Federal disability status
2 = No

b.

Receives Supplemental Security Income Under Title XVI-SSI of the Social
Security Act:
Guidance: States must complete this data element. The Territories may leave
this data element blank or use code "2."
1 = Yes, received aid under Title XVI-SSI
2 = No

Relationship to Head-of-Household:
Guidance: This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-ofhousehold section and (2) the minor child section. The same coding schemes are used in
both sections. Some of these codes may not be applicable for children.
Instruction: Enter the two-digit code that shows the child's relationship (including by
marriage) to the head of the household, as defined by the Food Stamp Program or,
principal person of each person living in the household.
01 =
Head-of-household
02 =
Spouse
03 =
Parent
04 =
Daughter or son (Natural or adoptive)
05 =
Stepdaughter or stepson
06 =
Grandchild or great grandchild

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34

07 =
08 =
09 =
10 =
62.

Other related person (brother, niece, cousin)
Foster child
Unrelated child
Unrelated adult

Parent With Minor Child In the Family:
Guidance: This data element is used both for (1) the adult or minor child head-ofhousehold characteristics section and (2) the minor child characteristics section. The
same coding schemes are used in both sections. Code "1" is not applicable for children.
A parent with a minor child in the family may be a natural parent, adoptive parent, or
step-parent of a minor child in the family. Reporting of this data element is optional for
individuals whose family affiliation code is 4 or 5.
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the child's parental status.
1=
Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family and used in two-parent
participation rate
2=
Yes, a parent with a minor child in the family, but not used in two-parent
participation rate
3=
No

63.

Educational Level:
Enter the two-digit code to indicate the highest level of education attained by the child.
Unknown is not an acceptable code for an individual whose family affiliation code is "1".
Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is
4.
01-11 = Grade level completed in primary/secondary school including secondary level
vocational school or adult high school
12 =
High school diploma, GED, or National External Diploma Program
13 =
Awarded Associate's Degree
14 =
Awarded Bachelor's Degree
15 =
Awarded graduate degree (Master's or higher)
16 =
Other credentials (degree, certificate, diploma, etc.)
98 =
No formal education
99 =
Unknown

64.

Citizenship/Alienage:
Instruction: Enter the one-digit code that indicates the child citizenship/alienage.
Unknown is not an acceptable code for an individual whose family affiliation code is "1".
Reporting of this data element is optional for individuals whose family affiliation code is
4.
1=
U.S. citizen, including naturalized citizens
2=
Qualified alien
3=
Non qualified alien

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35

9=
65.

Unknown

Amount of Unearned Income
Unearned income has two categories. For each category of unearned income, enter the
dollar amount of the child's unearned income for the reporting month or for the month
used to budget for the reporting month.
a.

SSI: Enter the dollar amount of SSI that the child in the SSP-MOE family has
received for the reporting month or for the month used to budget for the
reporting month.

b.

Other Unearned Income: Enter the dollar amount of other unearned income
that the child in the SSP-MOE family has received for the reporting month or
for the month used to budget for the reporting month.

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36