Pursuant to federal regulations at 45 CFR § 261.40 et seq., the Connecticut Department of Social Services is seeking public review and comment on the methodology and the case number estimates used in its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Caseload Reduction Report to calculate the state’s TANF Work Participation Rate for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023.
The federal TANF block grant includes specific performance expectations and requirements to help federal and state government measure program success. All states are required to meet specific work participation rates. Federal law requires work participation rates, which reflect the percentage of families receiving TANF assistance that must be engaged in federally defined work activities.
To ensure that states receive credit for families that have become self-sufficient, Congress created the caseload reduction credit. States must complete form ACF-202, the Caseload Reduction Report, and provide the public with an opportunity to comment on its methodology and estimates. The reduction report provides an analysis of monthly caseload, case closure, and application activity, including activity related to changes in eligibility criteria, to arrive at the estimated impact of eligibility changes on the state’s average assistance caseloads in FFY 2023 (October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023).
The caseload reduction credit reduces the required work participation rate that a state must meet for a given fiscal year. It reflects the net percentage point reduction in the state's caseload in the prior fiscal year as compared to the caseload in base year FFY 2005. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 recalibrated the base year to be FFY 2005. Thus, the caseload reduction credit for FFY 2023 reduces the state’s work participation rate for that fiscal year based on the caseload decline in the prior year, FFY 2022, compared to FFY 2005.
Statement of Purpose: To solicit public comments on the Caseload Reduction Report in accordance with federal TANF regulations.
Written comments on Connecticut’s Caseload Reduction Report must be received by the Department by December 16, 2022, attention: Peter Hadler, Director, Division of Program Oversight & Grant Administration, Department of Social Services, 55 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105 or by email to peter.hadler@ct.gov.
A copy of the draft report is available at no cost upon request to the Department, by email to peter.hadler@ct.gov. The final report will also be available on the web at http://portal.ct.gov/dss.