LAC 67:III.5501. Introduction to the TANF Initiatives

A. The programs known collectively as the TANF Initiatives provide benefits in the form of services to needy families, defined as families who have earned income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or a family in which any member receives a Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) grant, Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP) grant, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) services, Title IV-E, Medicaid, Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP) benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or free or reduced school lunch. B. Not all TANF Initiatives require a family to be "needy" as defined above in order to receive services. There are initiatives that target children, parents, or caretaker relatives of minor children and require only that the person be in need of the services provided by the initiative. C. The goals of the TANF Initiatives are: 1. to provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; 2. to end dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; 3. to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and 4. to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. D. To the extent that appropriations are available, the secretary may establish and make available to eligible families the TANF Initiatives.