Apply For Missouri TANF
This page provides the Missouri TANF eligibility requirements. Applicants must meet both state and federal guidelines for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Individuals who apply for TANF must meet the monetary and non-monetary state guidelines, complete work-related activities, provide paternity information about the children in the household and report as required by the state.
Missouri residents who qualify for welfare are required to furnish information such as citizenship, income, resources, and age. Only household members who are eligible can receive Missouri welfare benefits. Read on for more information about applying for TANF. If you have additional questions or issues about this program, then contact TANF Missouri.
The purpose of the Temporary Assistance Program is to provide assistance to needy families with children so they can be cared for in their own home and to reduce dependency by promoting job preparation, work and marriage. Funds may also be used to prevent non-marital pregnancies and encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
Major provisions include:
- Able bodied adult cash assistance recipients must work or be in work activities (job training, subsidized employment, job search and job readiness assistance, etc.) after two years of receiving assistance. This provision is subject to good cause exemptions on a limited basis
- Receipt of cash assistance under Temporary Assistance is restricted to a lifetime limit of five years
- States are required to meet certain levels of recipient work participation or face losing a portion of their TANF block grant: Twenty-five percent of a state’s eligible welfare population (families that include an adult or minor child head of household receiving cash assistance) must be participating in approved work activities (outlined in the bill) in FY 1997. This level of participation rises by 5 percent each year until FY 2002, when it becomes 50 percent thereafter. The work participation rate for two-parent families is required to be at 75 percent in FY 1997 -1998 and 90 percent in 1999 and beyond
- Individuals receiving cash assistance (unless exempt) must work a minimum number of hours per week (averaged over a month) to be counted toward meeting the work participation rate. Those minimum hours are:
| All Families | |
|---|---|
| FY 1997-1998 | 20 hours |
| FY 1999 | 25 hours |
| FY 2000 and beyond | 30 hours |
| Two-Parent Families | |
| FY 1997 and beyond | 35 hours (first parent) 20 hours (second parent) |
Temporary Assistance offers two types of services to families. The services available are cash assistance and case management.
Who Is Eligible?
The child who:
- Is under the age of 18 years or 19 and attending high school or equivalent and expected to graduate
- Is in need of assistance because there is insufficient income to meet basic needs
- Is deprived of support because of the death, physical or mental incapacity or the continued absence from the home or unemployment
- Is living with one or both parents or a close relative who makes application for assistance
and whose parent(s) with whom he or she is living:
- Has not been convicted after August 22, 1996 in a Federal or State court of a felony or any crime related to illegal possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance
- Does not own resources valued at more than $1,000 at application, excluding the home and one car. Recipients may own resources valued to $5000 once a self-sufficiency pact is signed
- Assigns his or her rights for child support to FSD and further cooperates in identifying, locating and collecting child support from any parent who is absent from the home because of divorce, desertion, or abandonment
- Uses the money for the benefit of the children
- Attempts to support or help support the children by accepting employment when offered
- Applies for social security numbers for all members of the assistance group
- Is not a fleeing felon and is not in violation of a condition of probation or parole imposed under a Federal of State Law
Missouri Employment Search
Part of the requirement, while on the TANF program, is finding a job to help sustain your financial needs. Missouri provides an online job site for you to search for employment. You can view the job site by clicking here.
Apply Online For Missouri TANF
If you have questions about applying for TANF benefits, or you want to see if you can apply for TANF Georgia online, then visit the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families website here.