May a jurisdiction serve youth over the age of 18 in a subsidized employment program?
A2: Yes. A jurisdiction may use Federal TANF funds to serve older youth in non-assistance programs, such as subsidized employment, under TANF statutory Purpose One. Since TANF Purpose One refers to “children” rather than “minor children,” a jurisdiction has discretion to establish a reasonable definition of “child” for this purpose that exceeds the age level of a minor child. We have concluded that a jurisdiction could reasonably set an age for a child that includes an individual under the age of 25, (or a lower age if the jurisdiction chooses). This definition could, but need not, coincide with an applicable age of majority under a jurisdiction’s law. This does not in any way affect a jurisdiction’s authority to use Federal TANF funds to provide assistance to needy families with children, because “assistance” is limited to families that include a minor child (as defined by statute) or a pregnant woman. Using Federal TANF funds, a jurisdiction may provide non-assistance benefits, inclu
