Minor Parents Exempt from TANF Activity Requirements

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
1	The jurisdiction's TANF program exempts unaccompanied minor parents from activity requirements
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3	SOURCE: Welfare Rules Database Project website, wrd.urban.org/wrd/query/query.cfm, downloaded on October 4 2023, Copyright (C) 2015, The Urban Institute
4	State	Date Began	Coverage	Unit Type	Coverage Description	Age which parents are exempt from Activities Requirements	Notes	Age which parents currently enrolled in school are exempt from Activities Requirements	Notes	Exemptions that apply differently to minor parent units	Notes
5	Alabama	2017/10/01	Statewide, full coverage			16	See minor parent unit notes	19	See minor parent unit notes	Minor parents that are the unit head are considered adults and are not exempt from work requirements. Non-unit head minor parents that are included as dependent children in a larger assistance unit are exempt from work requirements but may voluntarily participate in work program to receive support services.
6	Alaska	2016/08/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
7	Arizona	2020/03/31	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		20		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.
8	Arkansas	2008/10/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption	Exempt if they are not head of household.	No Exemption		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.	A review of the exemptions occurs at least every 6 months.
9	California	2020/03/13	Not statewide		Los Angeles County	16	Statewide exemption Does not apply to minor parents who have not completed high school or equivalent.	18	If the recipient drops out of school, s/he cannot reapply for this exemption. S/he must attend school as her/his activity requirement.	Custodial minor parents under age 16 are not exempt if they have not completed high school or equivalent. Exemption from activities requirements for the care of young children does not apply to pregnant and parenting teens under 20 who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent.	Counties had the option to vary some activities exemptions. Statewide exemptions are noted, all other exemptions apply only to Los Angeles County.
10	Colorado	2020/07/01	Not statewide		Denver County	No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.	Counties have the option to vary some activities exemptions. Statewide exemptions are noted, all other exemptions apply only to Denver County.
11	Connecticut	2020/03/26	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		19		Minor Parents who are not the head of the assistance unit are exempt from employment services and must attend school.
12	Delaware	2020/03/31	Statewide, full coverage			16		16	Although the minor parent is not exempt, attending school does fulfill the activity requirement.	n.a.
13	District of Columbia	2008/12/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		19		n.a.
14	Florida	2009/07/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Teen parent head-of-unit will not be required to register for work, but will be referred to the Regional Workforce Board for school attendance monitoring.
15	Georgia	2020/03/14	Statewide, full coverage			18	Applies to dependent children/parents only. Minor custodial parent who is included as a dependent child in the assistance unit is exempt from work requirements but school attendance requirements still apply.	No Exemption		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.
16	Hawaii	2020/03/27	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
17	Idaho	2006/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
18	Illinois	2020/04/18	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		A parent under age 20, without a high school diploma, cannot claim an exemption if child is under 12 months old. Child must be under 12 weeks old for the exemption to be granted.
19	Indiana	2011/11/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
20	Iowa	2005/11/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
21	Kansas	2018/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		The exemption for caring for a child under 3 months does not apply to a minor parent if that parent does not have his/her high school diploma or GED.	Units in the Grandparents as Caregivers program are exempt from all work requirements.
22	Kentucky	2020/03/19	Statewide, full coverage			18	Minor parents must be in school to even meet eligibility criteria for inclusion in the assistance unit.	19	Teen parents with a child under 12 weeks old are not required to attend school.	Teen parents with a child under 12 weeks old are not required to attend school.
23	Louisiana	2018/12/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Minor parents with a child under 3 months do not have to participate.	A good cause determination may be granted to a work-eligible recipient for no more than 6 months to temporarily excuse the recipient from participation in assigned work activities, if conditions exist that warrant approval of good cause by a supervisor. Good cause is granted when the work-eligible recipient is: temporarily incapacitated, ill, or disabled, as documented by a medical professional; unable to obtain child care; or a victim of domestic violence, as verified by evidence from law enforcement agencies or domestic violence providers. Months in which a good cause determination is granted when appropriate child care is unavailable and for victims of domestic violence count toward the recipient's 24-month time limit.
24	Maine	2017/02/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.
25	Maryland	2018/02/20	Statewide, full coverage			16		19		Minor parents without a high school diploma or equivalent are exempt from education activities if they have a child under 12 weeks old.	A family crisis includes having a housing crisis or experiencing homelessness and thus is good cause for an activities exemption.
26	Massachusetts	2006/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			n.a.		n.a.		n.a.	Recipients who are in the Exempt component are automatically exempt from activities requirements. To be included in this component, recipients have to meet certain criteria. For a full listing of these criteria, see the Components listing.
27	Michigan	2015/05/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		18		Minor parents are expected to attend school as their activity.	Good cause or noncompliance with employment and/or self-sufficiency related activities includes the following: employed 40 hours, client unfit, illness or injury, reasonable accommodation for a disability is not provided, lack of child care, no transportation, employment involves illegal activities, discrimination, unplanned event or factor, the client becomes employed in a comparable job with similar hours/salary, long commute, or if the client is on EFIP. Applicants may have the opportunity to extend their Last Date to Complete the Application Eligibility Period for one week, due to unforeseen circumstances.
28	Minnesota	2018/08/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		18 and 19 year old parents may be exempt from the school attendance requirement if (1) transportation services are not available, (2) appropriate child care is not available, (3) the caregiver is ill or disabled severely enough to prevent school attendance, (4) the caregiver is needed at home for the illness/disability of another unit member, or (5) the caregiver is parent of a child less that 6 weeks old.	Family Stabilization Services (FSS) is a service track for families who are not making significant progress in MFIP or DWP due to a variety of barriers to employment. All women who give a live birth while receiving cash assistance are granted sanctions exemptions under presumptive medical disability for the month of the baby's birth and the 2 full months following the month of birth (not to exceed 3 months). Although these mothers may not be sanctioned for non-compliance with activities requirements, they are still expected to participate in assigned activities to the best of their abilities. For a pregnancy that does not end in a live birth, medical documentation is required to verify pregnancy end date. For a baby that does not enter the home, the mother is still covered by presumptive medical disability good cause. Verification of birth is required. When a mother who is granted presumptive medical disability good cause is in sanction for non-cooperation with Employment Services or Financial Orientation, lift any sanctions that have been imposed for the month of her baby's birth and 2 full months following the month of delivery. This does not apply to child support sanctions or drug felon sanctions.
29	Mississippi	2009/12/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Teen parents under age 20 must be in school if they have not completed high school or GED program, unless they are caring for a child under 12 weeks old.
30	Missouri	2020/03/01	Statewide, full coverage			16	Minor parents who are not the head of household are exempt until the age of 18.	20		Teen parents under age 18 without high school diploma are exempt from participation in educational activities if they have a child under 12 weeks old. Minor parents, age 16 to 18, without a high school education are not exempt from work activities if they are caring for a child under 3 months old.
31	Montana	2018/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		18		n.a.
32	Nebraska	2007/10/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
33	Nevada	2008/09/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.
34	New Hampshire	2020/03/13	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Parents under age 18 with no high school diploma or GED must participate in educational activities when the child is 12 weeks old; parents age 18 through 20 with no high school diploma or GED must participate in education activities when the child is 6 months old.	Participants were granted good cause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
35	New Jersey	2020/04/06	Statewide, full coverage			16		18		n.a.
36	New Mexico	2020/03/20	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.	A participant may request a limited work participation status reducing their individual standard work participation to no less than one hour per week, as determined by the department. Individuals who demonstrate extraordinary circumstances may be granted zero hour limited work participations status. A person may qualify for a limited work participation status if they meet one of the following conditions: 1) a person age 60 or older; 2) a single parent, with a child under the age of 12 months; 3) a single custodial parent caring for a child less than 6 years of age or who is a medically fragile child; 4) a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy or 6 weeks post-partum; 5) a parent whose personal circumstances preclude participation for a period not to exceed one month in a calendar year; 6) a parent who demonstrates family violence or threat of family violence effectively bars the parent from employment; 7) a parent who is completely impaired; 8) a parent entitled to the family violence option (FVO); 9) a parent who is the sole provider of the care for an ill or incapacitated person; 10) a participant that may demonstrate good cause.
37	New York	2008/10/01	Statewide, full coverage			16		19		Person caring for a child under x months if child care is not guaranteed is exempt: Unmarried teen parents without a high school degree or equivalent are required to participate in educational activities or approved alternative education or training activities unless they have a child who is less than 12 weeks old.	While SSI/SSDI recipients are exempt and cannot be required to participate in work activities, such individuals remain eligible to participate in work activities on a voluntary basis while their family continues to receive temporary assistance and would therefore be eligible for supportive services.
38	North Carolina	2020/04/15	Statewide, full coverage			18	Unless individual receives emancipated minor status.	18		Living at home and school attendance requirements may be waived for minor parents in situations with domestic abuse if living at home or school attendance poses a threat to the safety and well being of the minor/child.	Other exemption: If caseworker determines that any unit other than a child-only unit failed to meet requirements due to good cause, the caseworker can still issue the TANF benefit for that months. Acceptable reasons for good cause include disability of individual or family member as substantiated by medical professional, a family crisis or change, civil leave (including jury duty) or court appearance, lack of available child care, an exception in the minor parent rules, and other unique circumstances as determined by the social services board. For two-parent cases, both parents must be included in the evaluation for good cause because both parents are accountable for the completion of the required hours of participation.
39	North Dakota	2012/07/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
40	Ohio	2020/07/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption	A minor parent who is not head of household is exempt. A Minor parent who is head of household may also be exempt if they are subject to LEAP (learning earning and parenting) which does require school attendance.	No Exemption	A minor parent who is not head of household is exempt. A Minor parent who is head of household may also be exempt if they are subject to LEAP (learning earning and parenting) which does require school attendance.	See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.
41	Oklahoma	2020/03/18	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
42	Oregon	2017/10/01	Statewide, full coverage	All, except Minor Parents		No Exemption		No Exemption		Person Caring for a child under X months old is exempt: Clients 19 years of age and younger are exempt up to 16 weeks.
43	Pennsylvania	2013/04/11	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		18		n.a.	Parents who are medically proven to be incapacitated are typically ineligible to care for their children) through work activities. Incapacity is defined as a reduction of the parent's ability, via a medial or physical defect, to support the child, which is expected to last more than 30 days.
44	Rhode Island	2020/04/24	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Person caring for a child under X months: A single minor parent without a high school diploma or GED is only exempt for 12 weeks from the birth of the child.
45	South Carolina	2013/10/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions. Minor parents who are not the head of household are exempt.	n.a.
46	South Dakota	2006/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		n.a.
47	Tennessee	2014/07/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption	Minor parents who are included in an assistance unit as a dependent child (versus minor caretakers) have no activity requirement other than staying in school.	n.a.	While not exempt, individuals who live in a residential shelter that provides rehabilitative services and requires sole participation in those services are considered to have met activities requirements. Individuals who live in a residential shelter that does not require sole participation in shelter services are subject to activities requirements, unless participation poses a threat to the safety of the individual.
48	Texas	2020/03/23	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		19		n.a.
49	Utah	2020/04/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.	Long Term Limited Participation: Recipients with long term physical, emotional, or mental limitations may only be required to participate at their optimal achievable level as determined by the caseworker. Short Term Limited Participation: Recipients who are pregnant, caring for a small child, or have short term physical or mental limitations may only be required to participate at their optimum achievable level as determined by the caseworker for up to 12 months. Two-parent households (FEP/TP) that have applied for benefits due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are unable to work due to the pandemic are able to be determined incapacitated.
50	Vermont	2018/07/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		1. Minor under 16 is not exempt 2. Minor caring for an ill or incapacitated member is not exempt 3. Minor caring for a child under 24 months of age is not exempt
51	Virginia	2011/07/01	Statewide, full coverage			18		19		n.a.	If a recipient meets any of the above exemption criteria, they are in the 'All except for VIEW' component and are exempt from activities requirements, therefore they do not have activities sanctions.
52	Washington	2020/03/16	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Person caring for a child under x months old is exempted: Minor parents are only exempt if their child is under 12 weeks old.
53	West Virginia	2011/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Minor parents without a high school diploma or GED are only exempt if caring for a child under 12 weeks. If a minor parent is exempt if they are non-recipients and are not the head of household.
54	Wisconsin	2020/03/23	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption	Certain minor parents must participate in Learnfare unless they have completed high school or have a GED. Minor parents participating in Learnfare are exempt from other activities requirements. (See Minor Parent Activities Requirement category for details)	No Exemption	Certain minor parents must participate in Learnfare unless their have completed high school or have a GED. Minor parents participating in Learnfare are exempt from other activities requirements. (See Minor Parent Activities Requirement category for details)	See additional notes fields next to individual exemptions.	The following minor parents are exempt from Learnfare: A parent who is the caretaker of a child less than 45 days old and child care is not available at school or home instruction is not available, a parent who needs child care to attend school but that care or transportation to and from that care is not available, a parent who is prohibited from attending school while an expulsion is pending, a parent that was expelled from school and there is no other school available, a parent with a physicians order to delay returning to school after giving birth, a parent is or family member is ill, injured or incapacitated, a parent is temporarily incarcerated, the parent is on a waiting list for a children-at-risk program.
55	Wyoming	2017/01/01	Statewide, full coverage			No Exemption		No Exemption		Person caring for a child under x months: Minor and teen parents under 20 without a high school diploma or equivalent are not exempt.	Good cause determinations may be made if the applicant or recipient offers an explanation within three working days of receipt of the Failure to Comply Notice.
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