Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

TANF helps needy families support themselves financially. States, territories, and tribes receiving HHS block grants for TANF cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex.

Laws & Regulations

• TANF Final Rule
• Your Rights Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act Factsheet
• Your Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Factsheet
• Your Rights Under the Age Discrimination Act Factsheet
• Your Rights Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Factsheet

Resources for TANF Agencies

• FAQs: In partnership with ACF, OCR has developed a TA tool so that State TANF Agencies can comply with Federal civil rights laws and more effectively serve TANF applicants and beneficiaries with LEP and/or disabilities.
• Joint Letter from OCR and ACF sent to State TANF Agencies regarding FAQs: Meeting the needs of TANF applicants and beneficiaries under Federal civil rights laws.
• Urban Partnerships Initiative Online Toolkit, funded by ACF, highlights promising practices of TANF agencies around the country.
• OCR Guidance on TANF and Disability
• Policy Guidance Regarding Inquiries into Citizenship, Immigration Status and SSN in State Applications for Medicaid, SCHIP, TANF and Food Stamp Benefits.
• Civil Rights Laws and Welfare Reform - An Overview
• OCR TANF Related Training: “Ignorance of Disability is No Excuse: Screening TANF Customers for Hidden Disabilities to Ensure Equal Opportunity," presented at the 2007 National Equal Opportunity Professional Development Forum (DOL)

Enforcement Success Stories Involving TANF Programs