When an applicant or recipient receives 60 months or more of TANF benefits, a hardship extension must be completed and approved by Adult and Family Services (AFS) TANF staff before further benefits are approved.  The system will send an automatic notice in the 57^th month of benefit receipt to inform the client benefits are ending soon and request the client to contact their worker.

The workers County Worker Activity (CWA) report 57 shows all TANF cases within 90 calendar days of the 60 month limit.    When the case number appears on the report, the worker makes a home visit or sends the client Form 08AD092E requesting a face to face interview to determine if the client wishes to request a hardship extension. When the client meets all other eligibility factors and requests a hardship extension, the worker and applicant complete and sign Part I of Form 08TW024E, Extension Request for TANF during a face to face interview.

Hardship extension reasons are:

• Under-employment
• Chronically under employed
• Pending SSI or SSA
• Care of disabled child spouse
• Clinical diagnosis of mental illness
• Substance abuse treatment plan
• Continuing training or educational activity

The worker gathers information to determine if the applicant meets the hardship criteria and gives the applicant form 08AD092E to request additional documentation to support the hardship request when needed and uploads document to the case record that supports the hardship request such as assessments, diagnostic tests, and medical records and statements.  The worker will also need to document the interview and reasons a hardship extension is requested in FACS case notes.

Once the information has been gathered and form 08TW024E has been completed and all supportive documents for the extension request have been received,

• all extensions request must be emailed to your supervisor
• Supervisors will forward the request to TANF@okdhs.org  
• AFS TANF staff will assign case to be reviewed
• Worker will be notified by email of receipt of the request
• AFS TANF staff reviews all documentation provided and completes part II of Form 08TW024E 
• Form is emailed to worker with an Approval or Denial and also uploaded to imaged record
• Worker is responsible for making a packet labeled “Hardship Extension Approval/Review with month and year

The worker enters a TANF Work authorization in FACS using the appropriate TANF Work extension component to designate the reason for the extension and enters the review date shown on Form 08TW024E.  When the approval is based on client agreement to participate in a work activity, the worker opens a TANF Work authorization for the activity to track participation hours and pay the client a participation allowance; or when the continued extension is approved, the worker updates the review date on the TANF Work hardship extension authorization and makes updates as needed to open TANF Work authorizations to track participation hours.

Employment and Training (ET) authorization is entered with the following component:

XU

under-employment

XC

chronic under-employment due to documented barriers

XS

SSI/SSA disability

XA

substance abuse

XM

clinical diagnosis of mental illness

XD:

disability of child or spouse

XT:

continuing training or educational activity