You must be a single parent with children to qualify for welfare, or TANF, benefits in Georgia.
The welfare program in Georgia is administered through the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program and is available for families with children. Adults without children do not qualify for TANF benefits, although other programs -- such as Medicaid and food stamps -- are available. Income thresholds must be met in order to qualify for TANF. TANF is a combination cash-assistance/work program that requires adults in homes with children to adhere to various job-seeking and training programs, or to be employed, in order to receive TANF benefits. TANF is administered by the state's Department of Human Services through county offices of the Division of Family & Children Services.
Instructions
1. Review the income guidelines for the TANF program. Georgia, unlike other states, does not provide online information regarding TANF income standards and thresholds. The DHS does say, on its "Eligibility Requirements for TANF" Web page, that a family of three (a mother and two children under 18, for example) must have a gross income below $784 per month and countable assets of less than $1,000 in order to qualify for TANF benefits. However, these are the same figures used in calculating 2003 benefits. TANF is a federal program administered by states under differing program names -- TANF in several states, but other names in most states. The federal government provides TANF funding through block grants, but states are free to develop their own income and other guidelines.
2. Read the work-related eligibility guidelines. TANF is a direct result of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act signed into law under President Bill Clinton. That law legislated a fundamental shift away from welfare (under the previous Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or ADFC) and toward work, requiring welfare recipients to work or receive job training in an effort to move off of public assistance. TANF reflects those goals in that the program requires parents of TANF benefits to meet fairly stringent work requirements. Non-parents, such as grandparents or other guardians, can choose to opt out of most work requirement rules. Work, job searches, vocational training and community service are some examples of qualified activities for parents of children receiving TANF benefits. Georgia has published a 43-page document detailing all requirements -- for children and adults -- under TANF. Go to the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services Web page and click on "Georgia's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families State Plan for Fiscal Year 2009."
3. Familiarize yourself with the other eligibility requirements for Georgia's TANF program. Meetings, education programs and cooperation with the Georgia Office of Child Support Services are necessary to receive TANF benefits. There are many requirements for your children, also, such as absence from the home of at least one parent, a physical or mental impairment of at least one parent, or the death of a parent. Kids must be in school, receive immunizations and attend any applicable parenting or marriage counseling classes. There also is a 48-month total cap on benefits, meaning that any TANF benefits received cannot exceed four years, and the benefits don't have to be received in consecutive months.
4. Visit your county Division of Family & Children Services office. You must speak with a representative in person. Although the state doesn't provide online applications on its web site, directing you instead to visit a DHS office, there is an application available online for you to review or even print out and complete before visiting a Family & Children Services office. Call ahead to the county office you'll be visiting to make an appointment and be sure to ask about the documentation you'll need to bring -- ID, social security card, W-2s, pay stubs, bank account statements and other information will be required to complete your application.
5. Complete an application and leave it with the DHS representative.
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