TANF/WIOA Resource Hub

Featured Resource

TANF/WIOA Collaboration: Nevada

American Job Centers in Southern and Northern Nevada are integrating TANF and WIOA services to connect more work-eligible participants to education, training, and employment opportunities. To streamline and expand service delivery, the American Job Centers have implemented a common referral process...

New and Trending Topics

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These resources include relevant and timely information on TANF and WIOA collaboration strategies and trends.

TANF Works!

Stakeholder Resource

Through the TANF Works! Series, the Office of Family Assistance seeks to disseminate information about promising practices within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) field that can be scaled or adapted by other programs. The series includes three components:

Emerging Practice Series: Maine: Self-Employment as a Pathway out of Poverty

Stakeholder Resource

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with a statewide community outreach program called New Ventures Maine, is providing entrepreneurship training to TANF participants. Eligible and interested TANF participants enroll in a self-employment program that offers financial coaching, guidance for developing a viable business plan, and ongoing support as they take steps toward a career and economic stability.

This brief is part of the Emerging Practice Series of...

Emerging Practice Series: New York City: Reducing Employment Barriers for TANF Participants with Opioid/Substance Use Barriers

Stakeholder Resource

The New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) is helping TANF participants with opioid/substance involvement to obtain and maintain employment. Reflecting the belief that all participants are employable, four New York City providers have combined treatment and work activities to comprehensively address barriers so participants can move into both recovery and self-sufficiency.

This brief is part of the Emerging Practice Series of the Office of Family Assistance’s Integrating...

TANF/WIOA General Information

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These resources provide general information on TANF and WIOA, strategies for building collaborations between TANF and workforce agencies, and regulatory and policy guidance.

OFA Webinar: Creating Tribal TANF and WIOA Partnerships to Connect Tribal Families to Employment

Webinar / Webcast

The Office of Family Assistance held a webinar on “Creating Tribal TANF and WIOA Partnerships to Connect Tribal Families to Employment” on July 20, 2016, from 2:00-3:15 p.m. ET. This webinar provided an opportunity to hear about partnerships between Tribal TANF agencies and local Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) providers. Tribal employment and training agencies often face job placement challenges common to many remote and rural areas – namely, a small pool of employers, few...

WIOA Desk Reference: Priority Populations for the WIOA Adult Program

Fact / Tip Sheet

This WorkforceGPS desk reference on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides information for state and local boards on serving priority populations using WIOA Adult funds. Those priority populations include recipients of public assistance, low-income individuals, individuals who are basic skills deficient, and veterans. The desk reference also includes definitions of each priority population and provides links to additional guidance and resources on WIOA.

Good Jobs that Pay without a BA

Report

While the decline in the manufacturing sector led to a decrease in the number of good jobs available to individuals with only a high school diploma, there are still good jobs available without a bachelor’s degree (B.A.). This report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce finds that there are over 30 million jobs in the U.S. with a median salary of $55,000 a year that do not require a B.A. Many of those jobs are in skilled service sectors such as financial services...

Statute and Regulations

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; Department of Labor Only; Final Rule

Regulation

The Department of Labor issued this Final Rule to implement Titles I and III of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Through these regulations, the Department reforms and modernizes our nation’s workforce development system. The rule provides the framework for changes for statewide and local workforce development systems to increase the employment, retention, earnings, and occupational skill attainment of U.S. workers, particularly those individuals with...

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; Joint Rule for Unified and Combined State Plans, Performance Accountability, and the One-Stop System Joint Provisions; Final Rule

Regulation

The Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) issued this Joint Final Rule to implement jointly administered activities authorized by Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that was signed into law on July 22, 2014. Through these regulations, the Departments implement workforce education and employment system reforms and strengthen the nation’s public workforce development system to provide increased economic opportunity and make the United States...

WIOA Bill Public Law No: 113-128

Regulation

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), published online by the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, is the first legislative reform of the public workforce system in 15 years. The Act outlines provisions for improving the U.S. workforce system.

TANF Policy Guidance

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 12th Report to Congress

Report

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 12th Report to Congress from the Office of Family Assistance provides data from the TANF program from fiscal years 2014 and 2015. It presents information on expenditures, caseloads, work participation, characteristics of TANF families, performance measures and other relevant metrics about the program. Data and information is also provided on state-specific provisions and Tribal TANF programs.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Size of the Population Eligible for and Receiving Cash Assistance

Report

When the Aid to Families with Dependent Children legislation was replaced with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in 1996, the following years saw a decrease in the number of families receiving cash assistance. In this report from the Congressional Research Service, TANF caseload numbers over time are examined and trends in child poverty are highlighted.

State Fact Sheets: How States Have Spent Funds Under the TANF Block Grant

Fact / Tip Sheet

States spend only half of their combined federal and state dollars under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on basic assistance for families with children, child care for low-income families, and work-related activities or supports. These fact sheets from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examine in detail how states are using their TANF funds.

WIOA and Partner Agency Guidance

WIOA Wednesday - MOU Negotiations: The Partner Perspective - A Virtual Roundtable

Webinar / Webcast

This virtual roundtable, to be convened on December 6 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST, is a continuation of technical assistance around the requirements of the one-stop delivery system's memorandum of understanding (MOU) negotiations as called for under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The goal of this roundtable is to break down silos, bring partner programs to the table, and have a larger discussion on their experiences with local negotiations.

Leveraging Community Colleges in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: A Blueprint for State Policymakers

Research-To-Practice Brief

This brief from the Education Commission of the States examines how to increase coordination between community colleges and local workforce boards under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It specifically discusses how states can utilize federal investments to improve these partnerships.

WIOA Videos

Video

These video presentations, released by the Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, provide overviews and key highlights of a variety of topics related to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. They have been released in anticipation of future webinars on WIOA. Topics include the WIOA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Performance Accountability System, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and more.

General Information

A Snapshot of Maryland's TANF/WIOA Alignment Process: "It's the Right Thing to Do"

Report

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the first federal legislative reform of the public workforce system in over 16 years. It presents unique opportunities to increase the economic opportunities and stability of disadvantaged jobseekers. The state of Maryland became one of only 29 states and 2 territories that opted to develop a Combined State Plan which aligns its workforce and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs across the state, requiring its 12 Local...

Workforce Primer and Workforce System Basic Training

Stakeholder Resource

This webpage provides information on a workforce primer and other resources provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. The resources offer a high-level overview of the public workforce development system and convey basic knowledge about the fundamentals of the one-stop career center system, which is the main service delivery model for workforce services.

Workforce Investment Act & Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Side-by-Side

Stakeholder Resource

This document from the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) presents information in two columns to clearly identify differences between the statutory language of WIA and WIOA. It identifies provisions in WIA that were not included or repealed in WIOA, provisions that were added to WIOA that were not originally part of WIA, and areas where there are similarities between provisions in the two laws despite different statutory language.

Career Pathways

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These resources provide strategies for TANF and WIOA collaboration on career pathways efforts that connect participants to employment and advancement opportunities.

Career Pathways: Catalog of Toolkits

Toolkit

The Office of Family Assistance’s Career Pathways: Catalog of Toolkits is an online directory of free resources available for planning a Career Pathways initiative. Toolkits in this Catalog provide clear action steps for starting a Career Pathways initiative and help different sectors – education, workforce, human services, industry, and policy – learn to communicate with each other about resources and priorities. This version of the Catalog includes 23 newly identified toolkits that were...

SNAP E&T and WIOA: Partnering to Raise Skills and Employment

Stakeholder Resource

This policy brief describes the opportunities for collaboration between SNAP Employment...

New Perspectives on Practice: A Guide to Measuring Self-Regulation and Goal-Related Outcomes in Employment Programs

Report

This brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is aimed at practitioners interested in helping clients reach self-sufficiency by focusing on goal-making abilities. The brief describes the importance of the ability to set and achieve goals and what, when, and how to measure to determine a program's ability to help its participants with this need. Specific real-world program examples are highlighted throughout the brief.

One-Stop Operations

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These resources include information on WIOA One-Stop operations, including customer service and partnership strategies aimed at providing job seekers with high-quality, comprehensive career and supportive services.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training: A Funding Source for Jobseekers Experiencing Homelessness or Housing Instability

Stakeholder Resource

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low-income individuals and families. SNAP funding also includes resources dedicated to employment and training services. SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E...

American Job Centers (AJC)

Stakeholder Resource

American Job Centers (AJC), which are also known as One-Stop Centers, are designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers in one building, and the resources are also available on one website. Established under the Workforce Investment Act, and reauthorized in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2014, the centers offer training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and other employment-related services. The website offers users the ability to find local...

A Snapshot of Maryland's TANF/WIOA Alignment Process: "It's the Right Thing to Do"

Report

Partnership

Local Workforce Development Boards and Child Care

Report

Skill development and job or educational training are essential tools for low-income or low-skilled workers to increase their labor market prospects and decrease their unemployment rates, so Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) provide these services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. However, child care barriers can prevent families from fully utilizing LWDB resources. The Urban Institute surveyed LWDBs that actively support child care needs to create a recommended list...

Integrating Financial Security Services into Workforce Development Program: Collaboration Releases Four Issue Briefs

Research-To-Practice Brief

Integrating financial security services into workforce development programs can achieve greater impact without requiring significant cost and time. Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) and The Financial Clinic (the Clinic) have partnered to analyze the effects of financial security services on workforce development programs, with results released in four issue briefs. The briefs can be retrieved individually, or in their entirety. Issue Brief #1 is Why Should We Integrate?...

WIOA Wednesday - MOU Negotiations: The Partner Perspective - A Virtual Roundtable

Webinar / Webcast

Customer Services

Making ApprenticeshipUSA Work for the Public Workforce System: Customer Flow in One-Stop Centers

Stakeholder Resource

This guide from the Department of Labor, ApprenticeshipUSA provides tips for one-stop center staff to help job seekers prepare for and enter Registered Apprenticeship programs and to help businesses find qualified apprentices. The guide is a resource for local workforce professionals who are working to incorporate apprenticeship into their service delivery strategies for job seekers and employers.

One Stop Career Centers Fact Sheet

Fact / Tip Sheet

This fact sheet from Workforce3One highlights WIOA reforms for One-Stop Centers. Since WIOA presents an opportunity to improve career options for workers and job-seekers through an integrated, job-driven public workforce system, this resource shares how One-Stop Centers will gain improved access to comprehensive services, enhanced and streamlined operations, and better public recognition.

Performance

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These resources share information on WIOA performance measures and potential strategies for aligning these measures with TANF work requirements.

A Snapshot of Maryland's TANF/WIOA Alignment Process: "It's the Right Thing to Do"

Report

WIOA/TANF/SNAP Cohort Announcement

Policy Announcement / Memoranda

ETA is excited to announce the launch of a national cohort of states focusing on partnership of WIOA Titles 1 & 3, TANF Employment & Training and SNAP Employment & Training agencies and programs. This is a prestigious opportunity to work with your peers from across the country in an organized setting to tackle the challenges faced by states in leveraging funding and resources and integrating services—and explore models to develop an action plan to help advance your goals. Both...

Beyond Reporting: Using Data as a Performance Management Tool

Research-To-Practice Brief

This MDRC brief is part of a series that documents the implementation of the Change Capital Fund, an economic mobility initiative in New York City. The Change Capital Fund was a consortium of donors who invested in local community development corporations that were pursuing antipoverty strategies that integrated housing, education, and employment services. In this brief, the authors focus on how the Change Capital fund used program data as a tool for continuous learning and improvement,...

State Plan Development

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These resources provide information and strategies on the development and implementation of WIOA State Plans.

A Snapshot of Maryland's TANF/WIOA Alignment Process: "It's the Right Thing to Do"

Report

WIOA Wednesday - MOU Negotiations: The Partner Perspective - A Virtual Roundtable

Webinar / Webcast

How Communities Work Together: Lessons from the Chicago Community Networks Study

Report

This series from MDRC explores what networks of organizations can accomplish in communities. The researchers are focusing on nine Chicago neighborhoods, combining social network analysis with in-depth interviews to see how community organizations can collaborate with one another on local improvement projects. Specifically, the researchers are studying how networks affect the power of individual community groups, how networks promote effective partnerships, how those partnerships can unite...

Target Populations

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These resources provide information on shared target populations for both TANF and WIOA programs, including youth and participants with multiple barriers to employment.

ACF Family Room Blog: Putting People at the Center - Highlighting Local Efforts to Promote Economic Mobility

Stakeholder Resource

A new HHS series “Self Sufficiency Series: Solutions from the Field” will highlight programs that promote employment for those with substance abuse disorders. The series will feature blog posts and profiles on programs that are working well in local communities, especially those working with low-income and hard-to-service families. "Putting People at the Center" is the first blog in the series.

Work Matters: A Framework for States on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities

Report

Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, people with disabilities still experience unemployment rates higher than the national average, thus experiencing poverty and economic insecurity higher than those without disabilities. The National Conference of State Legislatures and the Council of State Governments partnered to convene the National Task Force on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities. The Work Matters report outlines the culmination of this...

The Role of Workplace Accommodations in the Employment of People with Disabilities

Journal Article

This article, published in the IZA Journal of Labor Policy, highlights the prevalence of workplace accommodations and how they reduce employment barriers and increase access for people with disabilities. The article finds that people with disabilities that are not working cite employment barriers that could be addressed by accommodations. Additionally, people with poorer health are less likely to get needed accommodations in the workplace. Most importantly, the article highlights that...

Fathers

Final Evaluation Report: The DAD MAP Evaluation: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Culturally Tailored Parenting and Responsible Fatherhood Program, February 2018

Report

This study from the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network provides the final evaluation results of a randomized controlled trial of a culturally tailored fatherhood curriculum for low-income fathers residing in Baltimore, Maryland. The program is called “Developing all Dads for Manhood and Parenting” (DAD MAP); study results showed some gains in desired outcomes in the short term, but the gains waned as time passed after program completion.

Workforce Development to Support and Engage Young Fathers

Webinar / Webcast

This webinar from the Office of Adolescent Health presents relevant research and strategies for engaging young fathers in workforce development and employment activities. The webinar featured two example programs from different states as well an experienced researcher who provided an overview of what is known through the existing research about engaging young fathers.

UPNEXT: A Second Chance at Life and Fatherhood

Video

This video from the Center for Court Innovation explains the UPNEXT program, a workforce development program for fathers, many of whom have interacted with the justice system. The information is given from the perspective of a successful program participant who explains how UPNEXT helped him become updated on his child support, find and maintain a job, and regain custody of his daughter.

Immigrants/Refugees

Understanding the Intersection Between TANF and Refugee Cash Assistance Services - Serving Refugee Families Through TANF: Lessons from the Field

Report

This brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation presents findings from the Understanding the Intersection Between TANF and Refugee Cash Assistance Services (TANF-RCA) study which was designed to find out more about the interactions and services to refugee families through both the TANF and RCA programs. The brief presents challenges TANF agencies face in serving refugees and then provides promising strategies that have been used in the field to best serve refugees.

Economic and Fiscal Impact of Refugees in Colorado

Report

This study was commissioned by the Colorado Department of Human Services and conducted by ICF to better understand the economic impact of thousands of refugees who now call Colorado home. It specifically focuses on the impact of the public support given to refugees and their wage earnings over time. In addition to the economic data, the study includes three case studies to provide a fuller picture of the issue. Findings indicate that for each public dollar spent, the state received more back in...

Small Dollars for Big Change: Immigrant Financial Inclusion and Access to Credit

Report

This paper from the National Council of La Raza explains the challenges that immigrants may face when learning about the U.S. financial system, such as using banks, accessing credit, and avoiding predatory loans. It then presents options for safe, affordable financial services that fit many immigrants’ needs and are available in most communities through credit unions and community development financial institutions.

Multiple Barriers

Designed to Fit the Times: Flexible Design Elements for Subsidized Job Programs

Report

This report comments on the effectiveness of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Fund (TANF EF) in creating subsidized employment and suggests more subsidized job creation to aid low-income families and weather economic downturns. Subsidized employment that offers temporary government-funded work has been widely proven to be beneficial in providing income support, increasing employment, boosting wages, and improving child support and recidivism numbers. TANF EF was...

Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success, Accessed May 2018

Stakeholder Resource

This curriculum from the Office of Disability Employment Policy within the U.S. Department of Labor is designed for youth development professionals to introduce the concept and practice of soft skills with youth aged 14-21. It is a modular curriculum that includes various activities and works through six key areas when building soft skills: communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

Opioid Overdoses Clustered in Poor Areas with Few Job Opportunities

Stakeholder Resource

This article from Partnership for Drug-Free Kids highlights a recent research finding that shows that the opioid epidemic is concentrated in high-poverty counties, particularly those in Appalachia. This finding provides significant information to guide stakeholders and policymakers as targeting resources to address the crisis are discussed. The article links to the findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Youth

The PILOT Assessment: A Guide to Integrating Positive Youth Development into Workforce Training Settings

Stakeholder Resource

Positive Youth Development (PYD) is a capacity-building approach to program interventions that aims to promote soft skills, positive relationships, community involvement, family-school-work linkages, and academic engagement among youth to create a fully supportive and safe environment. The PILOT tool, developed by Child Trends, works on implementing those strategies concretely in the workforce for youth in primarily middle skill jobs. After working with five organizations to integrate the PILOT...

Youth Committees Under WIOA

Stakeholder Resource

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) encourages local workforce development boards to create and utilize Youth Committees to provide youth services effectively. New provisions in the requirements allow boards greater flexibility in naming Youth Committees from previous existing youth councils. This posting compiles webinars and a success guide from the DOL’s Division of Youth Services to help stakeholders learn more about and implement...

Bridging the Opportunity Divide for Low-Income Youth: Implementation and Early Impacts of the Year Up Program

Report

This report evaluates the early impacts of the Year Up program. Year Up is a national training program for youth between 18-24 years of age. It provides individuals with 6 months of full-time training in IT and financial service sectors, followed by a 6-month internship, with an emphasis on professional and technical skills development. Findings indicate that Year Up participants reported higher-than-average earnings after assignment, as well as high satisfaction rates within the classroom....