Did the Recovery Act include a change in the use of unspent Federal TANF funds carried over into a succeeding fiscal year?
A1: Yes. The Recovery Act includes a provision that lifts the restriction on unspent Federal TANF funds reserved or “carried over” into a succeeding fiscal year. Previously, carry-over funds could only be used to provide assistance (the ongoing basic needs payment, and supportive services such as transportation and child care to families not employed). Now jurisdictions (States, Territories, D.C., and Tribes) may use any unspent Federal TANF money from a prior fiscal year to provide any allowable TANF benefit, service, or activity – i.e., not just assistance.
Related Questions
- Are the IDEA funds provided in the Recovery Act in addition to the regular annual federal appropriations these programs receive each year?
- Why weren’t federal funds that Minnesota received in 2009 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) used for this project?
- Are IDEA Recovery Act funds subject to different accountability measures than the regular IDEA federal appropriations?
