Government Tests Fresh Approaches to Aid Needy Families
Published Date: 3/27/2026
Notice
Summary
The government wants to test new ways to help families get Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) by picking up to five states for a special pilot program. They’ll collect info from staff and participants to see what works best and share results with Congress by 2027. If you work with TANF or live in a pilot state, you might see some new surveys and interviews starting soon!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.
Up to Five-State TANF Pilot
HHS may select up to five states to run Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) pilots that test outcomes-based performance benchmarks authorized by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (Pub. L. 118-5). The pilots will include implementation and outcomes studies and the data will be used to produce a report to be submitted to Congress and to inform future TANF policy development.
Staff Surveys, Time-Use, and Cost Workbooks
State and local TANF staff (leadership, data specialists, supervisors, and frontline staff) will be asked to complete multiple instruments including semi-structured discussion guides, staff surveys, a time-use survey, and pilot cost/resource workbooks. The notice lists respondent counts and burdens across instruments and reports an Estimated Total Annual Burden of 4,024 hours.
Participants Contacted for Surveys
TANF participants who provide contact information may be asked to take a 12-month post-TANF-exit survey and some will be invited to in-depth interviews. The document specifies 3,000 respondents for the 12-month post-TANF-exit survey (0.75 hour average burden per response) and 100 participants for in-depth interviews (1.25 hour average burden per response).
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Key Dates
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