Last Updated 09/13/2013
In recent years, some states have used TANF funds to provide extra cash benefits to SNAP recipients. These benefits serve multiple purposes. First and foremost, they provide additional benefits to SNAP recipients to help them meet their basic needs. Second, they provide a quick and administratively efficient way to provide cash benefits to a large group of families during emergencies such as the pandemic. Finally, they can help states to meet their work participation rate. When states provide these payments, they generally provide them through a separate state program (SSP) using state funds that are not co-mingled with other TANF funds. This is because families that receive benefits through an SSP are not subject to time limits or child support cooperation and assignment requirements. (You can provide more information on SSP programs at this link: xxxx)