Apply For Oregon TANF
This page provides the Oregon 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.
Oregon 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 Oregon welfare benefits. Read on for more information about applying for TANF. If you have additional questions or issues about this program, then contact TANF Oregon.
What do I need to do to get benefits?
Pick up an application. You can get an application by:
- Printing one from https://apps.state.or.us/Forms/Served/de0415F.pdf
- Calling your local self-sufficiency office to have one mailed to you
- Picking one up at your local self-sufficiency office or
- For SNAP food benefits only, you may apply online by going to: https://apps.state.or.us/connect To find the closest office, dial 211 or go online to: http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/localoffices/localoffices.pdf
Fill out the application for Cash assistance
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): For very low income families with dependent children, those who are in the late stages of pregnancy, or Refugee cash assistance: For refugees who are within their eight months in the United States. To apply for cash assistance, fill out the entire application.
Turn in the application
You can mail, fax or drop the application off at your local self-sufficiency office (you can make a date-stamped copy for your records).
Make an appointment for an interview with a caseworkerWe may go over the application with you in an interview. It is important to make it to your interview. If you need to reschedule, please let us know.
What if I need food benefits right away?
We may be able to give you food benefits within seven days if you qualify. To qualify, one of the following must be true:
- Your income is less than $150 per month and your cash and bank accounts total less than $100
- The total of your monthly income, cash and money in the bank is less than your total housing and utility costs for a month or
- You are a migrant or seasonal farm worker and have very little money
You must be able to show proof of your identity.
What do I need to bring to the interview?
You may need to bring:
- Your identification
- Proof of your income
- Social Security numbers for everyone in your household who wants benefits and
- Proof of your legal immigration status for those persons who want benefits
Please let us know if you need help getting the information and we may be able to help you.
When will my benefits start if I qualify?
- Cash benefits start on the date we get all the information to determine that you qualify, including an interview
- Food benefits usually start based on the date we get the application. The amount of your benefits is also based upon this date
- Child care benefits start on the first day of the month in which the request is made if you qualify. However, the effective date for payment cannot be earlier than the date your provider of choice is in approved listing status with the Department of Human Services (DHS)
Social Security numbers (SSN) and citizenship
If you are applying for someone else and not for yourself, we do not need your SSN or citizenship status. People who are not U.S. citizens may still qualify for certain benefits. If you do not have an SSN yourself, other family members who do have SSNs may still qualify.
Cash benefits is also known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Refugee cash assistance. Cash assistance is intended to meet a family's basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and utilities.
Most cash benefits in Oregon are issued via an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. This is also known as an Oregon Trail Card. Cash assistance benefits may not be used in an EBT transaction or accessed in an EBT transaction in any:
- Liquor store
- Casino, gambling casino or gaming establishment
- Retail business that provides adult entertainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state
If you are applying for cash for families
"Assigning" payments and the state's right to place a lien on any injury claims. To qualify for assistance, you must let DHS have money you or other members of your family, including any child born in the future, receive or have the right to receive from:
- Other people, businesses or other sources who are or may be liable to cover costs related to an injury, such as a car accident
There is a limit on how much DHS can take. It cannot take more than the amount it has paid in cash benefits for you and your family. By signing this form, you agree to help DHS find and obtain these payments. If you or a family member receiving benefits is in an accident or injured by another person or business you must tell DHS within 10 days. The state may place a lien on money from such claims.
What you need to know about "assigning support"
"Support" means money you get for you or your children, like alimony or child support. When you get cash benefits, you are "assigning" the state the right to keep the support you or anyone in your family get from another person. The money goes to repay the state for the cash you get.
NOTE: This does not apply during any period of time that you receive cash benefits from JOBS Plus, the State Family Pre-SSI/SSDI Program (SFPSS), the Post-TANF Program or when you are a two-parent family.
This means that while you are getting cash benefits The state will keep part of the support payments (for both current and past-due payments) received for you and members of your family. The state will not keep all your child support. The state will send you $50 of current child support received per child per month up to $200 per family per month. The state will not count this money as income when figuring your eligibility and benefits.
NOTE: If you are an applicant for cash assistance and you are in SFPSS or JOBS Plus, or you are a two-parent family, the state will generally not keep any of your child support. When determining your eligibility and benefits, $50 (per child per month up to $200 per family per month) of current child support received will not be counted towards your monthly income.
When you leave the cash program:
- Current support payments will go to you
- Any past-due payments for months you were on cash assistance will be kept by the state
- Any past-due payments for months you were not on cash assistance may go to you
Working with Child Support
While you are getting cash benefits, you will need to work with the state's Child Support Program.
Important: You do not have to work with child support if you think it would mean danger for you or your children.
Working with child support can mean:
- Helping to locate your child's other parent (unless you think it would mean danger for you or your children)
- Legally naming the child's father (establishing paternity)
- Getting a support order
Oregon Employment Search
Part of the requirement, while on the TANF program, is finding a job to help sustain your financial needs. Oregon provides an online job site for you to search for employment. You can view the job site by clicking here.
Apply Online For Oregon 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.