Welfare Reform 

Information Technology: 

A Study of Issues in Implementing Information Systems 

for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 

(TANF) Program 

October 2000 

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services 

 Administration for Children and Families 
Prepared by the State Information Technology Consortium 

2214 Rock Hill Road 

Herndon, VA 20170-4227 

Phone: (703) 742-7103
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SECTION PAGE 

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... 1 

Background ...................................................................................................................... 3 

Objective .......................................................................................................................... 3 

Approach .......................................................................................................................... 3 

This Report in Perspective ............................................................................................... 4 

Organization of Report..................................................................................................... 4 

Overarching Issue............................................................................................................. 5

Overarching Barrier........................................................................................................ 10 

Data Collection, Reporting, and Systems Integration .................................................... 11 

Case Management and Service Delivery........................................................................ 21 

Technology and Resource Management ........................................................................ 28 

Security and Confidentiality........................................................................................... 34 

Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 36 

Matrix of Emerging Practices ........................................................................................ 38 

August 23,1999 TANF Focus Group Attendee List ...................................................... 41 

TANF Workshop Attendee List ..................................................................................... 41 

7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 1 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Recent reforms of the nation’s human services programs have 

dramatically changed the States’ approaches to managing and 

administering assistance services. While providing more discretion and 

flexibility to individual States in determining how funds will be 

disbursed, the reforms also establish new eligibility limits and 

requirements, an emphasis on work and job placement, and new program 

and fiscal reporting requirements. These new requirements create 

significant challenges for States’ information systems and information 

systems managers in human services organizations, as well as those in 

the partner organizations that deliver services. 

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), in response to 

Social Services Research, Senate Report 105-300 and Conference Report 

105-825, initiated the Welfare Reform Information Technology (WRIT) 

project. Its purpose is to examine information systems issues 

confronting States as a result of welfare reform and to evaluate and 

disseminate lessons learned from various State initiatives. This report, a 

product of the WRIT project, identifies the major challenges facing 

States in terms of an overarching issue, overarching barrier, and twelve 

high-level issues as follows: 

OVERARCHING ISSUE: The transition of the nation’s human services 

programs from income maintenance to self-sufficiency requires a 

system-wide paradigm shift that affects people, culture, 

processes, procedures, information, and information systems.

OVERARCHING BARRIER: In general, legacy IT human services systems 

are old, have limited functionality and database capacity, and are 

not easily modified.

DATA COLLECTION, REPORTING, AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

Issue 1: The TANF program requires new information not 

previously collected, used, or reported by human services 

programs. 

Issue 2: The TANF program requires that information be 

obtained from and shared with new sources. 

Issue 3: As a practical requirement, TANF implies significant 

sharing of data between States, especially related to the time 

limit. 

Issue 4: The TANF program requires that information be 

collected and maintained over a longer-term life cycle of 

support. 

These new 

requirements 

create 

significant 

challenges ... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 2 

CASE MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Issue 5: Additional functionality in IT systems is required to 

meet expanded and changing services and goals under TANF. 

Issue 6: New roles and responsibilities in case management and 

service delivery require new processes, procedures, and uses of 

information. 

Issue 7: TANF service delivery requires interaction with other 

organizations and infrastructures that serve purposes other than 

TANF administration. 

TECHNOLOGY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 

Issue 8: The inability of States to recruit and retain sufficient 

qualified information systems staff affects their ability to 

implement information technology solutions necessary to realize 

the new goals and directions of TANF. 

Issue 9: The skills necessary to manage large-scale information 

technology projects are not readily available within many States. 

Issue 10: Funding dynamics for automation of human services 

systems have changed significantly. 

SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Issue 11: Because TANF requires a significant amount of data 

sharing among a wide variety of different State and Federal 

programs, security of this shared information is a significant 

issue. 

Issue 12: TANF requirements for sharing data across programs 

and organizations raise issues on confidentiality. 

In researching the information systems issues confronting States, we 

attempted to gather information on promising practices that States are 

employing to address the issues. Based on our findings, as well as 

information from a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report, it 

appears that many States have not yet modified their information systems 

to meet the needs of case managers. GAO reports that, while solutions 

are emerging, the transition of States’ information systems to support 

TANF is, in many cases, just beginning. State systems have “major 

limitations” in key areas. For example, some are not able to obtain 

information on TANF recipients from agencies serving them. Others do 

not provide sufficient information to plan service strategies for the TANF 

caseload.1
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 3 

BACKGROUND

On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed the Personal 

Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), 

Public Law 104-193. This legislation changed the nation’s human 

services programs by creating the Temporary Assistance for Needy 

Families (TANF) program, which replaced the Federal Aid to Families 

with Dependent Children (AFDC) entitlement program with a block 

grant to the States. 

The new law brought not only more discretion and flexibility to 

individual States, but also new eligibility limits and requirements, an 

emphasis on work and job placement, and new program and fiscal 

reporting requirements. While these new requirements create significant 

challenges for information systems and information systems managers in 

human services organizations at all levels of government, the largest 

impact is felt in the States. ACF, in response to Social Services 

Research, Senate Report 105-300 and Conference Report 105-825, 

initiated the WRIT project to address these challenges. The Senate and 

Conference Reports called for a pilot study to (1) carefully examine 

information issues confronting States as a result of welfare reform, such 

as data collection and reporting requirements, case management systems, 

and the integration of multiple systems and (2) evaluate and disseminate 

lessons learned from various State initiatives. 

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the WRIT project is to examine the information systems 

issues confronting States as a result of welfare reform and to evaluate 

and disseminate lessons learned from various State initiatives. These 

issues arise in four broad areas: data collection, reporting, and systems 

integration; case management and service delivery; technology and 

resource management; and security and confidentiality. The issues and 

lessons learned in this report are organized under these broad headings. 

APPROACH

To develop information for this report, the WRIT team used numerous 

methodologies including—

Facilitated workshops with ACF and State-level TANF program and 

IT representatives (see attachment for participants), 

Pre-workshop identification by participating States of top 

programmatic and information technology challenges, and 

Meetings (by phone and in person) with State-level TANF program 

and IT representatives. 

The objective of 

the WRIT 

project is to 

examine the 

information 

systems issues 

confronting 

States ...

The Senate and 

Conference 

Reports called 

for a pilot study 

... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 4 

In addition, the WRIT team, led by representatives of the Administration 

for Children and Families, included among its members a former Statelevel TANF program and policy expert and the former head of a State 

human services program’s information technology organization. 

THIS REPORT IN PERSPECTIVE

The purpose of this report is to examine the information systems issues 

confronting States as a result of welfare reform. It is important to 

understand that there are some very legitimate issues that can not be 

solved within the construct of an information technology solution, due to 

such barriers as lack of statutory authority and lack of appropriated 

funds. Nonetheless, it is within the purview of this project to discuss 

such issues and, therefore, inform the overall process. 

It is also important to understand that the degree to which a State can 

take action to meet the full intent of the TANF program is at times 

limited by State legislation and judicial precedents. For example, data 

sharing across programs, even at the intra-State level, may be limited by 

laws and lawsuits related to confidentiality and privacy. Such issues are 

not easily resolved. These factors and others limit the broad applicability 

of one State’s solution across all or even most of the remaining States. 

ORGANIZATION OF REPORT 

This report has an overarching issue and barrier and four broad 

groupings under which issues are addressed. The overarching issue is 

the transition of the nation’s human services programs from income 

maintenance to self-sufficiency, which has significant program and 

systems implications. The overarching barrier relates to the age and 

limited capability of States’ information systems. The issue groupings 

are—

Data collection, reporting, and systems integration, 

Case management and service delivery, 

Technology and resource management, and 

Security and confidentiality. 

As issues were identified from the concerns and needs expressed by State 

representatives, they were tested for inclusion in this report against four 

prioritization standards: 

Is the issue related in some way, either positively or negatively, to 

information technology? 

Does the issue present the possibility of identifying emerging 

practices or lessons learned that may be useful to States and local 

organizations? 

... there are 

some very 

legitimate 

issues that can 

not be solved 

within the 

construct of an 

information 

technology 

solution. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 5 

Is the scope of the issue such that inter-State, inter-agency, or intergovernmental cooperation may be required? 

Does the issue result from — or was it significantly intensified by —

the establishment of the TANF program (e.g., security and data 

confidentiality)? 

Where issues are encumbered by barriers to their resolution, they are 

identified. At times these barriers render the issue virtually insolvable at 

the State or local level. Hence, no emerging practices or lessons learned 

are extant. For others, emerging practices and/or lessons learned have 

been found, analyzed, and included below. 

OVERARCHING ISSUE 

As the WRIT team began to examine the needs and issues of State TANF 

program and information technology managers and staff, it became clear 

that there is an overarching issue from which many of the other issues 

spring. That is, the TANF legislation re-engineered the basic purpose of 

the nation’s human services programs from income maintenance to selfsufficiency. This overarching issue can be expressed as follows: 

THE TRANSITION OF THE NATION’S HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS 

FROM INCOME MAINTENANCE TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY REQUIRES A 

SYSTEM-WIDE PARADIGM SHIFT THAT AFFECTS PEOPLE, CULTURE, 

PROCESSES, PROCEDURES, INFORMATION, AND INFORMATION 

SYSTEMS. 

The table on page 7 reflects the characteristics and differences between 

an income maintenance program and a self-sufficiency program. 

Even though a paradigm shift is taking place, it is important to 

understand that the transition of the nation’s human services programs 

from a focus on income maintenance to self-sufficiency does not 

diminish the importance of correct determination of eligibility for 

services. Programs will still need to maintain strong quality control 

systems in order to ensure that services are provided only to those 

individuals who are eligible. 

The important evolution, however, is that the relative percentages of staff 

resources, performance measurement focus, and client interaction having 

to do with income maintenance versus self-sufficiency functions change 

dramatically. While establishing and monitoring eligibility for income 

maintenance services remains important, it is a much smaller “slice of 

the pie” under TANF than it was previously. Income maintenance is no 

longer the overall goal of the organization: increasing self-sufficiency is. 

This means that the “culture” of the organization must change to reflect 

the new goal. 

... TANF 

legislation reengineered the 

basic purpose 

of the nation’s 

human services 

program. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 6 

Income maintenance will always be a part of increasing self-sufficiency 

because stabilizing families by providing basic resources will be a 

critical “first step” in creating a situation under which clients can be 

effectively moved toward greater independence. However, appropriate 

income maintenance becomes simply a means to an end, rather than an 

end in itself. Organizations may have near perfect eligibility systems in 

place, but unless they also have strong services leading to selfsufficiency, they will fail in the new mission of TANF. 

Note that the profound organizational changes required to shift the 

overall mission from income maintenance to self-sufficiency also impact 

all aspects of information in these organizations. The characteristics of 

information in income maintenance programs versus self-sufficiency 

programs are summarized in the table on page 8 and discussed more fully 

in the following sections. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION IN PREVIOUS (AFDC) 

INCOME MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS 

All critical information was held in the system. The 

eligibility process gathered all necessary information from 

clients (branching out to verify client information when 

necessary). The manipulation of data, use of data, reporting 

of data, and purpose of data was almost exclusively internal 

to the program. 

Information was gathered primarily to meet eligibility rules 

and requirements, and staff used the information for the 

express purpose of ensuring timely and accurate benefits. 

Consequently, there may have been little capacity built into 

the system for additional functionality. Further, managers 

and staff may have had little experience analyzing critical 

information needs beyond the function of issuing timely and 

accurate benefits. This was especially true for effectively 

and strategically gathering information tied to desired 

outcomes, such as job retention and wage progression, that 

were not directly related to income maintenance services. 

Primary information exchange was with Federal agencies, 

and most systems were mainframe-based. Modifications and 

improvements in the system were centrally driven. 

The eligibility process represented the primary or only 

source of contact and information sharing with most clients. 

It was necessary to gather and check a comprehensive 

amount of information to minimize errors, fraud, and abuse. 

Significant resources in income maintenance systems were 

focused on avoiding inaccurate expenditures — a logical 

approach given the fact that any case that was determined 

eligible must be provided benefits, and every open case had 

the potential to collect a large amount of money over time. 

... the profound 

organizational 

changes 

required to shift 

the overall 

mission from 

income 

maintenance to 

self-sufficiency 

also impact all 

aspects of 

information ... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 7 

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN 

INCOME MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

CHARACTERISTICS OF A 

SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM

Primary goal – Timely and accurate 

benefits. 

Primary goal – Decreasing dependence on 

public assistance through work and other 

resources. 

Rule-based decisions – Eligibility 

decisions are based in rules. There is a 

“right answer” in any given decision. 

Individuals are held accountable for 

getting the answer right. 

Principle-based decisions – Self-sufficiency 

service decisions are based on principles, 

outcomes, and an assessment of the individual 

situation. There is not one “right answer.” 

Individuals are held accountable for making 

decisions that reflect principles/outcomes. 

Process focus – How things must be done 

is very clear in the program. 

Outcome focus – What must be achieved is 

very clear in the program. Principles guide the 

how. 

Managers know the answers –

Management structure needs to minimize 

mistakes in the program and ensure 

consistency. 

Managers know how to get people to ask 

good questions – Management structure needs 

to facilitate experimentation, keep focus on 

outcomes and principles, and move good 

decision-making to the front-line level. 

Error Avoidance – Individuals are 

extensively trained to avoid costly errors, 

resulting in a focus on what can’t be done. 

Individuals try to operate as much as 

possible in “black and white” clarity in 

decision-making in order to reduce 

problems in the program. 

Experiment – Individuals are extensively 

trained to experiment with the best ways to 

reach outcomes, resulting in a focus on what 

can be done. Individuals operate primarily in 

areas of many shades of gray. New leadership 

and team structures result from this focus on 

service outcomes and experimentation. 

Limited expectations – Focus is on 

certifying client needs and lack of 

resources as part of the eligibility process. 

Program is geared to help people by 

providing for their basic needs since they 

have demonstrated in the eligibility 

process that they are not doing so for 

themselves. 

High expectations – Focus is on discovering 

client strengths and resources. There are high 

expectations of the client. There is a social 

contract in which the basic support services are 

provided in exchange for participation in 

actitivies leading to self-sufficiency. 

Services provided for or to clients – Staff 

have ultimate authority and expertise to get 

clients benefits. 

Services provided with clients – Staff can’t 

“make” clients self-sufficient. Staff can only 

work with clients on process, taking part in 

process, not controlling it. 

Entitlement system – All who are eligible 

must receive all benefits for which they are 

eligible and to which they are entitled. 

Temporary assistance – Wide range of 

choices made at State, local, and worker level 

that influences the type of benefits provided. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 8 

CHARACTERISTICS OF 

INFORMATION IN AN

INCOME MAINTENANCE SYSTEM 

CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION IN A 

SELF-SUFFICIENCY SYSTEM

Self-Contained – Information is held 

internally. Information needs are met almost 

exclusively through internal systems and 

processes. 

Dispersed – Information is held both internally 

and externally with other service providers. 

Information needs are met through a 

complicated, changing and wide-reaching 

network of internal and external IT systems. 

Consistent User Needs – Information 

required to issue timely and accurate benefits 

is clear and well-documented, resulting in 

relatively straight-forward user needs analysis 

and action by IT. Specific information 

changes over time, but overall purpose and 

scope of information gathering remains tied to 

timely and accurate benefits. 

Variable User Needs – Information required to 

effectively move clients to self-sufficiency is 

complex and variable, resulting in complicated 

and difficult process for user-needs analysis and 

action by IT. Scope of information and specific 

data needed will vary from client to client, 

depending on intensity of services required. 

Overall expansion to purpose of program means 

much greater depth and breadth in information 

needs. 

Standardized Information – Goal of timely 

and accurate benefits requires standardized 

information from all applicants. Application 

information stays the same from client to 

client. Eligibility data elements are 

universally collected and reported. 

Individualized Information – Goal of selfsufficiency requires individualized client 

information to develop service plan. Information 

gathering will vary widely from client to client. 

It is difficult to determine which of these “new”

data elements should be universally collected and 

reported in order to learn what elements are tied 

to what types of outcomes. 

Centralized – IT modifications and 

improvements are generally made centrally to 

a self-contained system. Even in more 

decentralized structures, there is a single 

overarching agency identity. 

Decentralized – IT modifications and 

improvements must be made across many 

systems to ensure needed data collection and 

reporting. There are many separate organizations 

involved. 

Client service process is data-based –

Majority of contact with client is carefully 

structured to collect and report standardized 

eligibility information in order to ensure 

timely and accurate benefits. 

Client service process is outcome-based –

Majority of contact with client is structured 

around activities designed to reach employment 

and training goals. Information collected varies 

across activities carried out in support of each 

client. 

Narrow Audience – While overall interest in 

welfare dynamics may be high, the audience 

for information collected and reported related 

to timely and accurate benefits is generally 

narrow. There are well-defined purposes and 

uses for the information, many of which are 

federally driven. 

Expanding Audience – As more information is 

available on the movement of clients to selfsufficiency, a much broader audience has interest 

in both reviewing and influencing the 

information being collected. There are multiple 

purposes and uses for information about program 

activities. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 9 

CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION IN SELF-SUFFICIENCY 

SYSTEMS 

In self-sufficiency systems, the focus is on information that 

promotes the outcome of moving people from welfare to 

self-sufficiency. Programs should have information that 

allows them to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of 

employment and education services in delivering desired 

outcomes. This requires information of broader scope and 

purpose than that in income maintenance systems. 

Movement from welfare to self-sufficiency will generally 

require that the client receives services from multiple service 

providers. Services may take place prior to being on a grant, 

while on a grant, and after the closure of a grant. Some 

service providers will have a contractual relationship with 

the TANF agency, some will have informal agreements for 

jointly assisting clients, and some will work together with 

the TANF agency at a high level of integration of services. 

Building information exchange processes across all these 

organizations and systems is critical to successful service 

delivery. 

A great deal of critical information related to clients moving 

toward self-sufficiency may not be gathered by the TANF 

agency or held internally. Rather, much information about 

client activities and progress will be developed and 

maintained outside the TANF agency. 

Information coming from the TANF agency to partner 

organizations must “make sense” from new perspectives. 

Measures that focus solely on caseload decline, for example, 

may seem helpful from a TANF perspective, but both TANF 

and partner agencies will want information that indicates 

what has happened to the people who are no longer receiving 

cash assistance but are not yet self-sufficient. 

While minimizing errors, fraud, and abuse is also important 

under self-sufficiency systems, from the perspective of 

safeguarding the use of public funds, the equation is very 

different. First of all, the level of potential benefits any 

eligible client may collect is dramatically reduced (compared 

to that in the AFDC program) by time limits and 

participation requirements. Second, the eligibility process is 

not the only or primary means of gathering information 

about clients and ensuring that they are eligible. Since 

clients under TANF are assumed to be involved in or 

preparing for participation in work-related activities, they are 

actively interacting with program staff and many “red flags”

to fraud and abuse will be spotted during participation. In 

addition, the benefits themselves under TANF are an implied 

Programs must 

have information 

... to evaluate 

the efficiency and 

effectivness of ...

services in 

delivering 

desired 

outcomes. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 10 

“payment” for satisfactory participation. Without action on 

the part of the client, the “payment” will not automatically 

be made. 

There are multiple purposes and audiences for information 

about the program and what is happening with clients. 

Federal reporting requirements are not necessarily the 

primary driver in the system. State and local elected 

officials, community and partner agencies, and related 

service systems will be pushing for information on such 

things as detailed caseload demographics, post-placement 

progress of clients, recidivism rates, and overlapping service 

involvement with other agencies (such as child protective 

services providers or employment and training providers). 

These other constituencies will want to have information that 

has not traditionally been collected. 

Information exchange operates across a wide variety of 

organizations and platforms. Some information needs may 

be met using PC-based systems, while others will involve 

mainframe-based systems. Modifications and improvements 

to data gathering and reporting may need to be coordinated 

across many decentralized information systems, such as 

locally based kindergarten to 12th grade and community 

college systems. 

OVERARCHING BARRIER

As the WRIT team began to examine the issues confronting State TANF 

information technology managers and staff and the barriers to providing 

automation solutions to these issues, it became clear that there is an 

overarching barrier affecting States. A majority of existing State systems 

reflect the capabilities and approaches of previous decades. This 

overarching barrier can be expressed as follows: 

IN GENERAL, LEGACY IT HUMAN SERVICES SYSTEMS ARE OLD, HAVE 

LIMITED FUNCTIONALITY AND DATABASE CAPACITY, AND ARE NOT 

EASILY MODIFIED. 

Survey results from November/December 19962

 show that many States’

systems first became operational in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. 

Since then, technology has evolved and delivered new solutions to 

information management, such as client server architectures and Internetbased architectures. As the General Accounting Office recently noted, 

“The need to update both hardware and software is especially 

pronounced in the welfare arena because many states are using older 

automated systems to manage their welfare programs.”

3

 

... a majority of 

existing State 

systems reflect 

the capabilities 

and applications 

systems design 

approaches of 

previous decades. 

State and local 

elected officials, 

community and 

partner agencies, 

and related 

service systems 

will be pushing 

for information 

... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 11 

States have modified (rather than replaced) their existing systems to 

accommodate the minimum TANF requirements. Factors affecting this 

decision include Y2K, the timeline for developing new software, the risk 

of switching to new technology, and the cost of starting over. Costs not 

only include hardware and software, but also training, conversion of data 

from an old system to a new one, and modifying other technology 

infrastructures to operate with the new system. These factors constrain 

the States’ ability to take advantage of technological improvements to 

collect and share new data requirements. 

This overarching barrier has significant implications. For example, in 

the TANF environment, it is not enough for the systems to deliver fixed, 

batch-processing style reports. Managers need not just ad hoc reporting, 

but also the ability to interface with the data directly and to manipulate it. 

The same is true of the providers of services. Whereas their actions preTANF tended to rely on a relatively limited scope of information, the 

same is not true in TANF. Users need to be much more “IT proficient”

and able to manipulate their way through the system and its information 

(to the extent possible). Furthermore, tending to TANF needs — both in 

“feeding” the system and extracting information from it — takes more of 

caseworkers’ time and shifts the nature of the work that they perform. 

The problem is that caseworkers need to operate in an environment of 

more sophisticated technology and information availability that supports 

decision-making, rather than rule-driven eligibility. Caseworkers need 

information tools for decision support. This requires more sophisticated 

technology not generally available in current State systems. 

In the sections that follow, the specific information and technologyrelated issues that spring from the overarching issue and barrier are 

addressed. As described previously, these issues are grouped in four 

broad areas: data collection, reporting, and systems integration; case 

management and service delivery; technology and resource management; 

and security and confidentiality. 

DATA COLLECTION, REPORTING, AND SYSTEMS 

INTEGRATION

To facilitate moving individuals into self-sufficiency, it is necessary that 

information be obtained and shared among a wide variety of 

organizations. Some of these organizations, such as employment 

security and community colleges, have worked with public assistance 

organizations in the past, but their roles and responsibilities may have 

expanded dramatically under TANF. Others, such as school districts and 

community-based organizations, may have had only limited contact prior 

to the TANF changes. Since these other organizations are independently 

managed and funded, agreements must be made with them in such areas 

as sharing their information and service delivery systems, the priorities 

of these activities versus their traditional priorities, and so forth. This 

Users need to 

be much more 

“IT 

proficient”...
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 12 

section describes the issues associated with data collection, reporting, 

and systems integration. 

ISSUE 1: THE TANF PROGRAM REQUIRES NEW 

INFORMATION NOT PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED, USED, OR 

REPORTED BY HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

One consequence of changing the program purpose under 

TANF is that the information and systems needed to support 

the new program must change also. In many cases, often 

due to Y2K and conflicting priorities, this has not fully 

occurred, and much the same information is being collected. 

A methodical analysis of newly required information has 

often not been made by the State human services program. 

The rules-driven AFDC program required only a fairly 

narrow range of information to assure that timely and 

accurate benefits were made and that AFDC goals were met. 

In the TANF system, managers and staff need to identify, 

collect, analyze, and act upon a much wider range of 

information. This includes—

Collecting information needed to identify resources 

such as service providers who can assist in moving 

the client to self-sufficiency. 

Collecting new non-financial information related 

to, for example, compliance with immigration 

requirements, fleeing felon status, domestic 

violence/mental health, dependents’ school 

attendance, probation status, and substance abuse. 

Collecting information important in determining 

whether appropriate progress is being made by 

individual clients and staff. 

Collecting information important in terms of 

assessing outcomes within the TANF agency. 

With regard to the latter point above, management 

information systems and quality control systems need to 

gather new information in order to assess the performance of 

staff and managers in managing cases and delivering 

services. While staff and office error rates were key drivers 

for personnel action and training under AFDC, a much 

broader range of information is needed to assess 

effectiveness in reaching TANF goals. Included may be 

such measures as—

A methodical 

examination of 

newly required 

information has 

often not been 

made. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 13 

Percentage of caseload participating; 

Percentage of caseload satisfactorily completing 

activities; 

Percentage of caseload referred to activities; 

Percentage of caseload placed in jobs; 

Average wage at placement; 

Percentage of closed cases still working at periodic 

tracking times; 

Percentage of caseload increasing wages after one, 

four, six, or eight quarters of employment; and 

Percentage of caseload receiving transitional 

benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit. 

A majority of existing State systems are written in and 

operate on older technologies that have been modified to 

accommodate the minimum TANF requirements. This 

limits the States’ ability to use the newer technologies to 

collect and share new data. 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ In OREGON, the need to analyze performance and outcomes 

has resulted in development of a new reporting capability. 

This involves examining both the characteristics of the 

clients on the remaining caseload in order to determine what 

services “match” the existing caseload, as well as the need to 

look at case manager activities to determine whether a case 

manager’s actions are reflected in client outcomes. The 

report provides both a profile of the caseload and a profile of 

individual case manager activities. 

This report is used at the field level in order to provide 

coaching and support to case managers who are not reaching 

expected outcomes; to analyze the effectiveness of service 

components; to monitor support service expenditures and 

appropriateness; and to establish reasonable expectations 

across groups of staff. 

This report, adapted from information in the State system 

developed for federal reporting under the JOBS program, 

looks at such aspects as the percentage of clients in each 

countable activity; the percentage of clients in other 

components; the amount of support service expenditures per 

... the need to 

analyze 

performance 

and outcomes 

has resulted in 

development of 

a new reporting 

capability. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 14 

case manager; the placement activities per case manager; and 

the average wage at placement for each case manager.4 

➨ In UTAH, management information systems are gathering 

new information to assess the performance of staff and give 

continuous feedback to the management teams. This 

required the identification of key business processes, 

determination of outcome indicators of performance that 

affect the key business processes, and development of initial 

measures as indicators of performance. For example, one of 

the 15 performance indicators is the percentage of TANF 

households subject to work participation requirements and 

Utah time limits that have earned income. 

Utah uses two management information systems to collect 

and report data on TANF households. 

First, the State continues to use a legacy system called 

PACMIS (Public Assistance Case Management Information 

System) for eligibility determination and issuance. It is an 

older system that keeps track of household composition, 

income, assets, and other data used to determine initial and 

continued eligibility for several programs, including TANF, 

Food Stamps, and Medicaid. PACMIS is a mainframe 

system with a central database, and it is accessed from more 

than 1200 PCs (that serve as terminals) at 43 one-stop 

employment centers throughout the State. Two innovations 

involving PACMIS will make collecting, using, and 

reporting data easier: 

First, during the next two years, there are plans to webenable PACMIS to provide greater flexibility to case 

managers to enter and retrieve data. 

Second, flat files of raw data will be extracted from 

PACMIS and loaded into a data warehouse where 

information can be cross-tabulated and queried with data 

from other systems. 

Second, Utah is developing UWORKS (Utah’s Workforce 

System). This web-enabled system is a case management 

and employment exchange system accessed from more than 

1200 PCs (the same ones used for PACMIS) in all 43 onestop centers throughout the State. In addition to basic case 

data (characteristics and demographics), UWORKS will 

track information on households (all members) related to 

their barriers to employment and self-sufficiency, risk 

factors, work/training participation activities and 

employment/career planning. The first phase of UWORKS 

was deployed on July 5, 2000. Future phases of UWORKS 

are planned for September 2000 and early 2001. Eventually, 

UWORKS will have the functionality of a complete labor 

In Utah, 

management 

information 

systems are 

gathering new 

information to 

assess the 

performance of 

staff and give 

continuous 

feedback to the 

management 

teams. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 15 

exchange (job matching) and case management system to 

administer services to workforce customers funded by 

TANF, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), WagnerPeyser, and Food Stamps Employment and Training. Data 

from UWORKS will be extracted and loaded into a data 

warehouse where information can be coupled with PACMIS 

and other MIS systems for query. 

The data warehouse will combine data from multiple MIS 

systems including PACMIS, UWORKS, the Unemployment 

Insurance System (GUIDE), Quarterly Earnings (Wage) 

File, New Hire Registry, and the UI Tax Contributions 

System (CATS). The first phase of the data warehouse will 

contain only data from PACMIS and UWORKS. It will be 

operational in September 2000. Next year, the agency will 

web-enable the data warehouse so case managers and 

supervisors can query data on customers as needed to 

determine eligibility and assist them in becoming selfsufficient. Eventually, all Federal reports will come from the 

data warehouse.5

ISSUE 2: THE TANF PROGRAM REQUIRES THAT 

INFORMATION BE OBTAINED FROM AND SHARED WITH NEW 

SOURCES. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

TANF introduced new requirements for information that 

must be obtained from local and community-based entities, 

such as schools and employment organizations. This 

requires both the development of new relationships and the 

development of the means of information exchange. 

There is a lack of standards related to data exchange. 

There are no common definitions for data elements. 

There may not be an information technology architecture 

sufficient to fully support TANF information collection 

requirements. 

Other entities may not be equally motivated or empowered 

to provide or share the required TANF information. 

Sometimes the information that is needed from the new 

sources is simply not available. For example, TANF 

organizations need specific information about the hours 

clients participate in activities. Many community colleges 

do not ordinarily track daily student attendance in classes. 

However, this level of information is necessary in order for 

community colleges and TANF organizations to deliver 

Sometimes the 

information that 

is needed from 

the new sources 

is simply not 

available. 

... the agency 

will web-enable 

the data 

warehouse so 

case managers 

and supervisors 

can query data 

on customers as 

needed ... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 16 

services together. How such information is collected, 

verified, and reported has significant implications for staff 

time and training. 

It is necessary to obtain information and services from a 

wide variety of sources that have never been accessed by the 

legacy human services delivery systems. This implies new 

interfaces between systems in order to give the case workers 

all the information they need, from a wide variety of sources, 

to manage a case, ideally providing the impression to the 

client that these systems are all integrated into a single 

service delivery system. 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ In OREGON, the Shared Information System was designed to 

provide new information to new audiences and to gather this 

information from all the primary partners in the workforce/ 

welfare reform system. This system was also developed to 

provide policy makers with the information necessary to 

make appropriate choices under newly flexible and 

consolidated programs. A core of 14 performance measures 

that relate to all the key education, employment, and public 

assistance systems involved in workforce development was 

cooperatively developed through interagency efforts. 

Information on all of these measures will be reported to the 

respective individual systems as it is gathered. Currently, 

information on placement, wages, and upward mobility in 

wages over time is reported to the welfare system. This 

information could not be accessed without a Shared 

Information System. 

The Shared Information System will also provide a much 

clearer picture of participant activities across multiple 

systems, something self-contained agency systems were 

never able to do. Because all systems are using the same 

client identifier, it will be possible to analyze the proportion 

of participants who access services from several 

organizations, how the pattern of service usage changes or 

does not change over time, and what level of services or 

other factors are associated with sustained employment.6

LESSONS LEARNED: 

Staff in Oregon offered these lessons learned: 

Designing and implementing a system that gathers 

key information across many dissimilar 

organizations is a long-term undertaking. 

Development of the Shared Information System 

began in 1993. Numerous legal, technical, political, 

and operational issues have affected the design and 

A core of 14 

performance 

measures ... 

was 

cooperatively 

developed ... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 17 

implementation of the system. Strong legislative 

and interagency commitment, in terms of both policy 

and resources, has been necessary for success. 

Exhaustive “up front” work on the system was 

necessary in order to clarify overall goals, project 

parameters, project tasks, etc. In Oregon, this 

process was tightly structured and facilitated, and 

included extensive outreach to eventual users. 

➨ NORTH CAROLINA recognized that information technology 

could enable the restructuring of government operations and 

service delivery, and that to do so, it would be necessary to 

share information/data across the many programs currently 

automated in the State. However, they also recognized that 

“the state’s present technical infrastructure constrains its 

ability to improve the way it does business.” That present 

technical architecture largely reflects the capabilities and 

applications systems design approaches of the 1970s and 

early 1980s. 

As a result, the Office of Information Management 

developed, published, and is implementing a statewide 

architecture that enables the sharing and management of data 

on a statewide basis. The North Carolina architecture can be 

viewed at http://irm.state.nc.us/techarch/archfrm.htm.

7

LESSONS LEARNED: 

North Carolina offers the following lessons learned in 

implementing a statewide architecture: 

Know that it can be done. 

Do not implement or attempt to implement a 

technical architecture for technical reasons: 

implement for business reasons. 

Ensure leadership from the top and collaboration 

among the stakeholders. 

Make compliance with the architecture relevant to 

people’s lives and careers. 

➨ The OHIO Department of Human Services (ODHS) has 

embarked on a project called the Integrated Client 

Management System (ICMS). The primary objectives of 

ICMS are to: 

Provide a common front end to ODHS’ client 

information databases, 

North Carolina 

... developed, 

published, and 

is implementing 

a statewide 

architecture, 

that enables the 

sharing and 

management of 

data on a 

statewide basis. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 18 

Automate case management and referrals for each 

county, and 

Track participants both within and on exit from public 

assistance caseloads. 

The sharing of data will be performed transparently to the 

user. Relevant data will be automatically passed from ICMS 

to each affected legacy system and vice versa. 

ICMS is currently a pilot program and county participation is 

voluntary. Twelve counties are involved. The programs 

currently included in ICMS are: 

Eligibility, 

Medicaid (partial), 

Food Stamps, 

Child Welfare, and 

Child Support Enforcement.8

➨ WISCONSIN’s one-stop strategy, which incorporates the 

State’s TANF program into the local one-stop delivery 

models, has the objective of making all of the different 

agencies and service providers invisible to the client. For 

example, in Kenosha County, the one-stop strategy brings 

together multiple agencies by forming Integrated Service 

Teams that have the mission to assist participants in 

achieving long-term self-sufficiency. Integrated Service 

Teams jointly perform the functions of the Financial and 

Employment Planner under the Wisconsin Works Program. 

These Integrated Service Teams manage the activities of 

participants as they progress through the various levels of 

economic support and Welfare-To-Work program activities. 

The system encompasses economic support eligibility 

determination and case maintenance, Welfare-To-Work 

program case management, and support services.9

 

ISSUE 3: AS A PRACTICAL REQUIREMENT, TANF IMPLIES 

SIGNIFICANT SHARING OF DATA BETWEEN STATES, 

ESPECIALLY RELATED TO THE TIME LIMIT. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

Title I of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 

Reconciliation Act contains provisions that require States to 

track TANF recipients. The establishment of a time limit on 

benefits, whether provided in one or multiple States, and 

concerns about duplicate participation, imply the need for 

States to access information from other States. Although 

States have some experience with exchanging information, 

Wisconsin’s 

one-stop 

strategy ... has 

the objective of 

making all of 

the different 

agencies and 

service 

providers 

invisible to the 

client. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 19 

the legislation implies new exchanges of information 

between States. 

There is a lack of standards related to data exchange. 

There are no common definitions for data elements. 

No inter-state architecture has been defined or agreed upon 

to support this level of data sharing across State boundaries. 

No entity has been given the statutory authority to solve this 

problem. 

No entity has been funded to solve data sharing across State 

boundaries. 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ Among others, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, and FLORIDA

are using the Public Assistance Reporting Information 

System (PARIS) to compare records. PARIS is an 

information exchange system that provides participating 

State public assistance agencies with information from 

Federal and State benefit payment systems. This 

information can then be used by State agencies to verify 

client-reported circumstances and identify possible interstate 

duplicate public assistance payments. 

Between 1993 and 1997, the Administration for Children 

and Families (ACF) provided 29 State public assistance 

agencies with VA compensation and benefit information for 

their use in verifying public assistance client circumstances 

when determining public assistance eligibility and benefits. 

As a result, the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, KANSAS, NEW 

YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, and TENNESSEE reported actual 

and projected savings in various programs: AFDC, 

Medicaid, Food Stamps, SSI, and other Federal and State 

public assistance programs. While the remaining 24 States 

did not provide written reports, they did indicate generally 

that the information proved useful when verifying client 

circumstances. 

In September 1997, ACF also provided information to 16 

States regarding possible duplicate interstate public 

assistance payments in the same programs mentioned above. 

States participating in this initiative signed State-to-State 

agreements for the interstate exchange of information. The 

State of PENNSYLVANIA reported to ACF that program 

savings of more than $1.5 million were realized through this 

interstate exchange of information. 

... program 

savings of more 

than $1.5 

million were 

realized 

through this 

interstate 

exchange of 

information. 

Although States 

have some 

experience with 

exchanging 

information, the 

legislation 

implies new 

exchanges of 

information 

between States. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 20 

PARIS is facilitated by ACF. PARIS development and 

operation are supported by the Defense Manpower Data 

Center (DMDC) and telecommunications are provided by 

the Social Security Administration (SSA). 

The PARIS system is currently run quarterly at the DMDC 

site in Monterey, California. State participation in PARIS is 

optional and States may choose to participate in any, all, or 

none of the PARIS quarterly runs. The PARIS User Group 

has both State and Federal members. However, all issues —

such as State input and output record layouts, frequency and 

timing of runs, and data filtering — are determined by the 

participating States. There are no charges to States for 

participating in the PARIS quarterly runs or for membership 

in the PARIS User Group.10 

ISSUE 4: THE TANF PROGRAM REQUIRES THAT 

INFORMATION BE COLLECTED AND MAINTAINED OVER A 

LONGER TERM LIFE CYCLE OF SUPPORT. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

Under AFDC, the traditional “start point” and “end point” of 

case manager involvement with a client has been the opening 

and closure of the cash grant. TANF legislation moves both 

the “start point” (through increased options to use resources 

to divert clients from opening a grant) and the “end point”

(through increased options to support movement from initial 

employment to better employment). 

Information (generally not available) is needed over the long 

term about “what works” to support better case management 

and service delivery. For example—

Information on diversion activities and expenditures 

becomes important with the expanded life cycle of 

services. It is not just people who receive cash grants 

who must be considered “clients.” Those who come for 

assistance but never open a grant are also important to 

understand in this new system. 

Information on post-placement activities and upward 

mobility of clients becomes important with the expanded 

life cycle of services. Clients who are no longer 

receiving cash assistance may still be receiving 

transitional benefits — such as medical assistance or 

child care subsidies — for an extended period. Even 

clients who are not receiving transitional benefits may 

still be at risk of returning to the caseload. Information 

that leads to an understanding of how and when clients 

move toward self-sufficiency, what services are critical 

Information 

(generally not 

available) is 

needed over the 

long term about 

“what works”...
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 21 

to this journey, and what happens to those who go off 

the caseload is necessary in the new TANF environment. 

The five year life-time limit affects record retention, the 

purging and archiving of information in the data bases, and 

ultimately the size of the data base. In the design of these 

new requirements, it must be recognized that the life of this 

data is now the life of the individual, not just the life of the 

current case in the TANF system. 

CASE MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Case management and service delivery involve the tasks necessary to 

ensure that the client is participating in activities that will lead from 

welfare to self-sufficiency. Case management is the process of 

assessing, initiating, implementing, coordinating, planning, monitoring, 

and evaluating needed services. Service delivery involves all the tools, 

processes, and procedures necessary to ensure that client services are 

available, appropriate, and monitored for efficiency and effectiveness. 

Due to expanded services and goals under TANF, case management and 

service delivery are more complex than under AFDC. This factor is 

reflected in the technical, programmatic, and information-related 

challenges in the issues that follow. 

ISSUE 5: ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY IN IT SYSTEMS IS 

REQUIRED TO MEET EXPANDED AND CHANGING SERVICES 

AND GOALS UNDER TANF. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

IT systems designed primarily to meet federal reporting 

requirements and to issue benefits need to be enhanced to 

provide functions necessary to support expanded service 

delivery, performance measurement, and program 

evaluation. 

IT solutions to information needs and issues must be carried 

out in an environment of ongoing change in TANF program 

services and caseload dynamics. IT solutions must not 

assume that new information needs and new sources of 

information addressed this year will be the same as those 

that are critical next year. While eligibility requirements 

also changed over time, both the speed and the magnitude of 

such changes were significantly less. 

Due to 

expanded 

services and 

goals under 

TANF, case 

management 

and service 

delivery are 

more complex 

...
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 22 

IT and program leaders will need to constantly analyze, 

project, and make decisions regarding the most critical 

information needs. The rapid rate of change may require 

both short- and long-term strategies. It may be that the most 

comprehensive “fix” may not be the most productive or 

effective solution. 

ISSUE 6: NEW ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN CASE 

MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE DELIVERY REQUIRE NEW 

PROCESSES, PROCEDURES, AND USES OF INFORMATION. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

While most decisions related to eligibility are clearly 

mandated by law or policy, many decisions under TANF 

require using information in new ways to make good choices 

related to case management and service delivery. Such 

decisions include the following: 

What services are available and appropriate for this 

client, prior to opening a cash grant and/or during 

receipt of a cash grant, and following closure of the 

cash grant? 

What services, from within and outside the TANF 

organization, need to be included in the client’s plan 

to move to self-sufficiency? 

What is the best way to monitor and evaluate this 

client’s progress based on the information available? 

What “new” information is needed that is not now 

available? 

What is the best way to monitor and evaluate the 

effectiveness of the services this client is receiving? 

How can information from other organizations best 

be used to facilitate and coordinate the delivery of 

multiple services to this client? 

Which clients who have gone to work will be most 

in need of job retention services? Which clients will 

benefit from wage progression services? Will client 

information be used proactively to determine who 

will be served in post-placement services (for 

instance, by client characteristic or category)? Will 

post-placement services be provided based on which 

clients request such services, or come back to TANF 

with additional needs? 

IT and program 

leaders will 

need to 

constantly 

analyze, 

project, and 

make decisions 

regarding the 

most critical 

information 

needs. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 23 

What policy guidance exists for the use of new 

information? What factors will be considered in 

using information to make decisions where there is 

no clear cut “right” answer? 

Under TANF, determining what constitutes “success” is 

much more complex, requiring new uses of information, 

analytical skills, processes, and procedures. Case workers 

and managers must consider—

How, when, and in what form do case managers and 

line managers need to have information delivered in 

order to use it effectively in client and service 

delivery decisions? 

What procedures, processes, or training help ensure 

that case managers and line managers understand the 

connections between various types of information, 

service decisions, and program outcomes? In other 

words, what information should be used for what 

types of decisions in order to create what type of 

program outcome? 

What case management approaches result in the best 

client outcomes (in addition to timely and accurate 

benefits)? What case management approaches 

impact caseload declines, job retention, wage 

progression, effective service referral and usage, and 

other performance indicators? 

In addition to error rates and traditional measures of 

staff efficiency and effectiveness under AFDC, what 

additional information will be used to evaluate how 

well staff and managers are carrying out their new 

roles and responsibilities under TANF? 

Under TANF, the population served is much more dynamic, 

requiring dynamic adaptation in processes, procedures, and 

uses of information. The caseload is a constantly changing 

configuration of “easy to serve” and “harder to serve”

clients. In service delivery decisions, what information is 

necessary, when it is necessary, where it comes from, and 

how it is used will all be influenced by the “type” of client 

being served. 

New information technology solutions are required for these 

new roles and responsibilities in case management in order 

to effect client-specific decision making. In many cases, 

these new solutions will displace traditional functions and 

relationships and necessitate major redesign or abandonment 

Under TANF, 

determining 

what constitutes 

“success” is 

much more 

complex ... 

New 

information 

technology 

solutions are 

required for 

these new roles 

and 

responsibilities 

... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 24 

of legacy systems. The IT requirements include, but are not 

limited to the following: 

More coordination between programmatic and 

information technology staff in order to construct 

and understand rapidly changing user requirements. 

The need to access and map data on employers, child 

care, school attendance, etc., that has not historically 

been shared between programs and providers. 

New decision-support capabilities to help guide 

caseworkers and decision makers in the generation 

of client-specific plans for self-sufficiency. 

Decision-support functionality requires sophisticated 

technology and information tools. 

Ad-hoc reporting capabilities against new data in 

order to develop better management information for 

case plans and service delivery systems. 

More IT proficiency by case workers to manipulate 

their way through the system. 

More complex database management capability. 

EMERGING PRACTICES:

➨ The STATE OF WASHINGTON has initiated WPLEX, a 

centralized, follow-up effort to ensure that TANF clients 

who have gone to work at least 20 hours per week are 

contacted after placement in order to explore additional 

needed services for upward mobility and family stability. 

These could include educational services, job upgrade 

services, transitional benefits, help with the Earned Income 

Tax Credit, or reconnection with TANF case managers for 

needed resources or services. Employment Security staff 

work from a call center, reaching out to clients across the 

State. 

This effort required IT coordination of information from the 

Employment Security System (related to available jobs), the 

community college system (related to training opportunities 

and available resources), and the TANF system (related to 

client status and contact information). Call center staff have 

direct access to both the Employment Security JobNet 

system and the Department of Health and Social Services 

JAS system. (JAS is the acronym for JOBS Automated 

System, a State system designed to meet federal reporting 

requirements under the JOBS program.) Codes were 

designed to report back to TANF caseworkers what was 

This effort 

required IT 

coordination of 

information ... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 25 

happening with the clients WPLEX staff were charged with 

contacting.11

➨ The STATE OF WASHINGTON is using an internal website to 

assist caseworkers with new data collection and reporting 

requirements. This website not only keeps caseworkers 

current on quickly changing aspects of data collection and 

reporting requirements, but offers clever incentives for 

caseworkers to “test their knowledge” through awarding 

prizes and promotional items.12 

LESSONS LEARNED: 

Staff in Washington offered this lesson learned: An 

overly ambitious schedule was not helpful. A more 

realistic schedule would have been better. 

➨ In OREGON, 23 counties are in the early implementation 

stages of a new case management data system that is 

expected to greatly increase functionality. The system is 

intended for use in programs that include many service 

providers, and is designed to track client information across 

multiple providers. Client data can be manipulated to 

generate a variety of both standard and ad hoc reports. In 

addition, the data can be “rolled-up” by geographic area for 

more comprehensive reports. Case management functions 

such as program planning, referral, monitoring and 

documentation are supported by the system.13 

➨ UTAH is currently developing Utah’s Workforce System 

(UWORKS), a computer system to facilitate service delivery 

through its one-stop centers and the Internet. The overall 

goal of UWORKS is to support customers through services 

and information needed to obtain employment and provide 

for their families. The system can be accessed through selfservice or with staff assistance. The first phase of this system 

was implemented July 5, 2000. 

UWORKS will consolidate current mainframe case 

management computer systems used to track Federal and 

State program and funding requirements (TANF, WIA, FS 

E&T, Wagner Peyser, etc.). UWORKS will provide State 

employees the ability to track services in a seamless manner 

to the customer, while capturing required program and 

funding source information. UWORKS will assist State 

employees in managing caseloads, scheduling resources, and 

providing accountability and outcomes for the customers 

served. 

UWORKS tracks customers through such phases as: 

The State of 

Washington is 

using an 

internal website 

to assist 

caseworkers 

with new data 

collection and 

reporting 

requirements. 

UWORKS will 

provide State 

employees the 

ability to track 

services in a 

seamless 

manner to the 

customer, while 

capturing 

required 

program and 

funding source 

information. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 26 

Registration/Intake 

Assessment 

Employment Planning 

Labor Market Information 

Job Search Services 

Education and Training Provider Information 

Progress Tracking/Case Management 

Eligibility 

Monitoring/Activity Tracking 

Evaluation/Placement Outcome 

Counselor Notes 

Interface with legacy computer systems14

ISSUE 7: TANF SERVICE DELIVERY REQUIRES INTERACTION 

WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURES THAT 

SERVE PURPOSES OTHER THAN TANF ADMINISTRATION. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

It is not only the technical aspects of TANF information systems 

that make integrated service delivery so difficult. Many 

organizations are involved and those organizations have different 

“cultures.” Missions, goals, organizational values, operational 

norms, personnel systems, and legislative mandates all 

complicate cooperation and case management across these 

organizations. In order to build information systems that meet 

the needs of the new TANF system, it is first necessary to reach 

programmatic and policy agreement on “common ground”

related to information needs across partner organizations. 

Education, employment and training, human services, and 

community-based organizations often have information 

systems that serve very different functions and reflect very 

different organizational values. For example, human 

services organizations’ legacy information systems were 

designed to address eligibility determination and fraud/abuse 

issues. Education organizations have built information 

systems directed toward service delivery and individual 

student grading. Employment and training organizations 

focus on specific service outcomes, such as job placement, 

wage at placement, and job retention, and have built 

information systems to report on these outcomes. 

Organizational values related to data collection and reporting 

can make interagency approaches difficult. For example, in 

organizations such as community colleges in which selfreporting of information is the norm, verification of 

information may seem an unnecessary and intrusive step. In 

systems such as TANF in which independent verification is 

the norm, acceptance of self-reported information may seem 

It is not only the 

technical 

aspects of 

TANF 

information 

systems that 

make integrated 

service delivery 

so difficult. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 27 

inappropriate and bring into question the accuracy of the 

information. These are “cultural” judgments that relate to 

unspoken but strongly held beliefs about the individuals 

being served, the information necessary to serve them, and 

the proper use of that information. Building effective 

interagency information systems or information agreements 

involves not only technical alignment of information 

technology but alignment of these “cultural” elements, as 

well. 

Even within the same organizational culture, there may be 

disagreements about the information that must be shared to 

provide services and ensure program success. Not 

surprisingly, these disagreements are magnified when trying 

to determine what is appropriate across organizations. 

Considerations include: 

Type of information: What kinds of things do we 

need to know? 

Amount of information: How much do we need to 

know? 

Use of information: How do we use what we know? 

Sensitivity of information: What are the 

implications (including the “downside”) of having 

the information? 

Level of verification of information: What can we 

use self-reporting for? What information do we 

need verified? How extensive must the verification 

be? 

Appropriate level of sharing of information with 

other agencies: Who should have access to what 

information and under what circumstances? 

Appropriate security measures: How do we agree to 

safeguard the information? 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ Recognizing that moving individuals to self-sufficiency 

could not be done solely with government resources, 

KENTUCKY used the Internet to connect numerous 

community-based organizations to assist individuals seeking 

services, in a system called “KYCARES.”

KYCARES is an Internet guide to thousands of health, 

human, and employment service providers throughout 

Kentucky. It is easy to use, accessible from any computer 

with Internet access, free, and available to everyone 24 hours 

Building 

effective 

interagency 

information 

systems or 

information 

agreements 

involves not 

only technical 

alignment of 

information 

technology but 

alignment of 

these “cultural”

elements, as 

well. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 28 

a day, seven days a week. A person with little or no Internet 

experience can easily navigate the site. Point-and-click 

selections make the system easy to use and understand. 

Individuals perform key word searches to find providers of 

services they are seeking. They may also answer a series of 

questions about their individual situation, and the answers to 

these questions will lead the individual to the appropriate 

service provider and provide general eligibility information. 

Users of the system remain anonymous in their search for 

services. To keep the information current, service providers 

are responsible for updates to their information.15

TECHNOLOGY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The level of automation necessary to satisfy the new TANF environment 

requires information technology staff and skills that are in short supply in 

many States. The ability of States to staff and manage this level and 

scope of project and technology is being put to the test. This section 

identifies the major issues this has presented to the States in terms of 

technology and resource management. 

ISSUE 8: THE INABILITY OF STATES TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN 

SUFFICIENT QUALIFIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS STAFF 

AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT INFORMATION 

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS NECESSARY TO REALIZE THE NEW 

GOALS AND DIRECTIONS OF TANF. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

Nationwide, there is an acute shortage of qualified 

information technology professionals, and State 

governments represent just one more competitor for these 

scarce resources. 

Typically, State compensation plans do not compete very 

well with those of the private sector, making it more difficult 

for States to hire and retain qualified staff. 

Existing State information technology staff, who have been 

maintaining the older technology legacy systems, and/or 

doing Year 2000 remediation for the last few years, have not 

been trained in the new technologies necessary to support the 

more complex systems necessitated by TANF. 

The level of 

automation 

necessary to 

satisfy the new 

TANF 

environment 

requires 

information 

technology staff 

and skills that 

are in short 

supply ...
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 29 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ Like most other government entities with salaries that have 

not kept pace with the private sector, MISSOURI faced the 

problem of how to recruit and retain qualified information 

technology staff. Analyzing the problem, they found the 

stability of their workforce came from those who were born, 

raised, and had family ties to the area, whereas those 

recruited from “outside” tended to stay several years then 

move away to higher paying private-sector jobs. So 

Missouri initiated a project to focus on developing a local 

information technology workforce. 

Tapping local Chambers of Commerce, industry, and 

colleges and universities, Missouri formed a coalition that 

focused on two target groups of potential information 

technology professionals: the working adult and middle and 

high school students. For the working adults — those 

underemployed and/or seeking a career change — the 

coalition hosted job fairs and produced public service 

announcements. For the second targeted group, the coalition 

formed a speakers’ bureau that works with local schools to 

regularly address assemblies and classes. In addition, a local 

television station produced a five-minute video, targeted to 

the age group, showing the benefits and opportunities of an 

information technology career. 

Results have been impressive. Local colleges and 

universities have had to add evening information technology 

classes, and one university added an evening information 

technology degree program.16

LESSONS LEARNED: 

Staff in Missouri offered these lessons learned: 

Understand that the need to recruit and retain quality 

people is not unique to your organization. There are 

other organizations in your region who need 

information technology staff and are experiencing 

the same difficulties. While a normal reaction 

would be to view them as competitors for limited 

resources, be willing to collaborate with them to 

solve the common problem. You will learn that they 

are eager to participate with you. 

Be bold in pursuit of your vision. This coalition 

established themselves as a non-profit. As such, 

they have been able to take positions on some local 

school bond measures, which were intended to 

improve technology in the local schools. The 

coalition believed that improving the schools’

Results have 

been 

impressive. 

Missouri 

initiated a 

project to focus 

on developing a 

local 

information 

technology 

workforce. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 30 

technology capacity was consistent with their goal of 

increasing the pool of qualified technology 

individuals. 

Recognize that the educational community really 

wants to turn out employable graduates, but doesn’t 

always know what is needed. Including them in the 

coalition with the local employers provides the 

employers a new opportunity to influence curricula. 

Several employees of the coalition partners have 

become adjunct professors at the universities and, as 

such, can even further influence the curricula 

towards satisfying the needs of the local labor 

market. 

It’s amazing what can be done “on a shoestring”

with dedicated individuals working toward a 

common goal. Funding comes from annual fees of 

$500 per employer and $250 per school. This 

funding has been used to develop Public Service 

Announcements, outreach brochures, etc. 

Make it neutral. The coalition included the local 

Chamber of Commerce, economic development unit, 

in its coalition. The coalition always meets at the 

Chamber facility as opposed to another member 

facility. There was a concern that, if they always 

met at one of the employer or educational facilities, 

it would appear that the program was sponsored by 

that interest. 

➨ IDAHO had also experienced a significant workforce loss 

from information technology staff leaving State government 

positions. This exodus was putting at risk Idaho’s 

significant investment in information technology as well as 

their ability to maintain normal business operations. Exit 

interviews revealed that “lack of training” was often cited as 

a major reason for departure. 

In response, Idaho’s Information Technology Resource 

Management Council (ITRMC), with seed money from the 

Idaho Department of Labor, established the “Information 

Technology Training Program” (ITTP). 

The ITTP provides statewide professional development 

training for information technology professionals, in both 

classroom-based and Web-based formats. Further, there is a 

uniform curriculum that assists in the establishment of 

statewide standard methodologies and practices. Examples 

of classes include NT or Novell System Administration, 

programming, Project Management, Oracle database, and so 

forth. 

It’s amazing 

what can be 

done “on a 

shoestring”

with dedicated 

individuals 

working toward 

a common goal. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 31 

In addition to meeting employees’ needs, the ITTP has saved 

money, estimated to range from a 20 to 35 percent reduction 

in the cost of training per class, depending on the subject 

matter. Between January 1998 and March 1999, Idaho 

trained 736 professional IT staff and 4,727 other staff on 

desktop applications, with an estimated savings in excess of 

$500,000 when compared to comparable training available 

from retail sources.17

LESSONS LEARNED: 

Staff in Idaho offered these lessons learned: 

Remember: Competition is key. Capitalism works. 

The State does not establish large single contracts 

for all training; rather for each subject or product, 

they obtain competitive bids from a variety of 

vendor and educational institutions. This has 

resulted in better classes and very competitive 

prices. 

Use dynamic curriculums that stay current with 

industry-standard and State-standard software 

products and methodologies. 

Recognize that individuals learn in different ways, 

so offer training in a variety of modalities: face-toface, web-based and computer-based training, and 

video. 

Have training facilities geographically dispersed 

around the State to accommodate remote training. 

Idaho uses classrooms in six regional technical 

colleges. 

Come together for a common good. This is one area 

where various State agencies can cooperate and get 

better solutions at better prices than going it on their 

own. 

➨ In recent years, KANSAS State government has experienced 

extremely high turnover among IT staff, a situation 

complicated by a dwindling pool of highly skilled IT 

workers. 

In response to the problem, computer technology and human 

resource experts from across Kansas government met to 

study, discuss, and seek resolution to employment issues in 

the IT job field. As a result, Kansas initiated a recruitment 

and retention program that includes “bonusing” with 

repayment provisions, functional user IT aptitude 

assessments, advanced training, employee contracting, and 

[There were] 

estimated 

savings in 

excess of 

$500,000 when 

compared to 

comparable 

training 

available from 

retail sources. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 32 

home telecommuting. Two of these strategies merit further 

discussion in this report: bonuses and aptitude testing and 

training. 

The bonuses are targeted. That is, they do not cover all IT 

jobs, but instead target predefined skills. All bonuses are 

linked to an approved list of mission-critical, marketsensitive skills and contain payback provisions to discourage 

employees from leaving their jobs. 

Functional users with an aptitude for information technology 

receive ten weeks of basic skills training from Kansas 

Vocational Training Schools. In return for the training, the 

employee is committed by contract to stay with the State for 

three years or incur an obligation under payback provisions. 

The program, funded from internal resources, has reduced 

the IT staff turnover rate to under 7 percent per year, 

compared to turnover rates that formerly exceeded 33 

percent per year in some agencies. Projects are now on 

schedule and recruiting is manageable. The program did not 

change or affect Kansas’ classification system or pay plan.18

➨ UTAH’S Department of Workforce Services recognized an 

untapped resource: current departmental staff who were 

interested in pursuing an IT position, but were missing one 

or more required qualifications to be considered a candidate 

for the job. The department decided to offer four career 

mobility positions in the IT Division. 

Departmental staff interested in the IT Trainee Program 

submitted resumes and took the Computer Programmer 

Aptitude Battery test, copyrighted by National Computer 

Systems. This test was administered and scored by a 

certified tester. All applicants were asked to sign an 

Employment Agreement which included special terms and 

conditions: 

If selected, the employee may not refuse to participate in 

required training. 

If employment is terminated prior to 12 months from the 

conclusion of training, the employee is responsible to 

reimburse the department the cost associated with the 

training course. 

The Department agrees to inform the employee in 

advance of all associated training costs. 

Costs associated with typical employee training 

(customer service, employee orientation, etc.) will not 

require reimbursement. 

The program ...

has reduced the 

IT staff turnover 

rate to under 7 

percent per 

year ... 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 33 

If employee remains employed for 48 months or more, 

the terms of agreement will not apply. 

With regard to results, after six months, three out of four 

staff were promoted to permanent status, and one had career 

mobility extended for an additional six months. At the end 

of an additional six months, this person was also promoted to 

permanent status. With regard to retention, three out of four 

still work for the State and are exceptional employees. The 

fourth left State employment for private sector employment 

in the technology field.19

ISSUE 9: THE SKILLS NECESSARY TO MANAGE LARGE-SCALE 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS ARE NOT READILY 

AVAILABLE WITHIN MANY STATES. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

As a result of the shortages of qualified State technology 

staff, States often contract out the development of new 

technology systems, requiring more experienced 

procurement/project management staff at the State level. 

There is a nationwide shortage of qualified project and 

contract managers. 

Typically, State compensation plans do not compete very 

well with those of the private sector, making it more difficult 

for States to hire qualified staff. 

The dynamic nature of the human services programs causes 

changes in scope of work before final solutions can be 

implemented, adding to the complexity of the systems being 

developed and deployed and making project management 

more difficult. 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ As CALIFORNIA began the task of automating welfare 

reform, the legislature recognized, based on past experience, 

that the State and county IT staff — who would be 

responsible for the day-to-day management of these new, 

very large IT projects — did not have the skill sets necessary 

to manage these efforts successfully. As a result, California 

required (through the budget process) the development of a 

project management curriculum to be taught to all mid-leveland-above managers associated with these automation 

projects. 

The course curriculum (now in place) is designed to qualify 

individuals to obtain the Project Management Professional 

... three out of 

four still work 

for the State 

and are 

exceptional 

employees. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 34 

(PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. 

Private-sector instructors, experienced in project 

management, teach the course. To date, California has 

trained over 36 managers associated with the automation of 

welfare reform, both at the State and county level. Early 

indications are that having all the managers on a project 

trained in the same process is improving the management of 

the projects.20

ISSUE 10: FUNDING DYNAMICS FOR AUTOMATION OF HUMAN 

SERVICES SYSTEMS HAVE CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

Pre-TANF, when States initiated information technology 

projects and were justifying and obtaining funding for the 

proposed project, the funding was available specifically for 

information technology on an administrative matching basis, 

sometimes at enhanced Federal participation rates. In this 

environment, the only competition was for State matching 

funds. 

Today, when requesting funding for information technology 

projects, the merits of the project are compared against other 

programmatic uses of the money. This means that State 

decision makers consider this question: Instead of funding 

an information technology project, would the money be 

better spent on child care or some other direct service? This 

dynamic makes it more difficult for information technology 

projects to obtain funding. 

Historically, when welfare systems have been automated, the 

costs associated with that automation have been allocated to 

traditionally participating programs (such as AFDC, Food 

Stamps, and HCFA) in accordance with approved cost 

allocation formulas. In the TANF world, additional 

programs and partners, like employment security and 

education, are being included in the new automated 

solutions. Establishing the proper cost allocation formulas 

between and among these new partners takes analysis and 

time. 

SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

As stated earlier in the report, implementing TANF necessitates 

the sharing of data between various programs and organizations. 

Each of these programs and organizations has its own laws, 

regulations, policies, procedures, and case law concerning the 

... having all 

the managers 

on a project 

trained in the 

same process is 

improving the 

management of 

the projects. 

Instead of 

funding an 

information 

technology 

project, would 

the money be 

better spent on 

child care or 

some other 

direct service? 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 35 

security and confidentiality of information collected and used for 

their systems. Furthermore, the guidance under which one 

program operates can be in conflict with others to the extent that 

it either prevents the sharing of data — or that, once shared, the 

data has a lower security level in the new system than it had in 

the old system.

ISSUE 11: BECAUSE TANF REQUIRES A SIGNIFICANT 

AMOUNT OF DATA SHARING AMONG A WIDE VARIETY OF 

DIFFERENT STATE AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS, SECURITY OF 

THIS SHARED INFORMATION IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

As data are now moved around the network, shared with 

systems and individuals never before envisioned using the 

information, there are a significant number of technical, 

operational, cultural and leadership issues involved in 

making certain that an equivalent level of security can be 

maintained. 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ In WISCONSIN, in order to insure the confidentiality of 

information, each major system has a Data Steward. The 

Data Steward, appointed specifically for the task, is 

responsible for the development and administration of data 

exchange agreements with other systems as well as with 

other outside organizations. Data exchange agreements are 

confidentiality agreements between the associated entities, 

enumerating the business purposes for the exchange of data. 

These agreements form a chain of accountability that holds 

the parties in the agreement to strict confidentiality 

requirements. If security requirements are violated and 

confidential client information is compromised to 

unauthorized parties, the agreement spells out corrective 

actions that are to be taken, including the denial of system 

access. In addition, individuals who compromise the 

confidentiality of client information are subject to Wisconsin 

State Statutes on computer crime.21

ISSUE 12: TANF REQUIREMENTS FOR SHARING DATA ACROSS 

PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS RAISE ISSUES ON 

CONFIDENTIALITY. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS: 

There are barriers to the achievement of TANF 

implementation in laws and regulations designed to protect 

the privacy of individuals. One example is that TANF 

... the guidance 

under which 

one program 

operates can be 

in conflict with 

others ... 

In Wisconsin ...

each major 

system has a 

Data Steward. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 36 

requires school attendance information as a condition of 

continued eligibility. In some States, school districts are 

restricted from releasing that information to anyone other 

than the parent or guardian. Another example is that in some 

organizations, as a matter of policy, staff refrain from using 

client names in e-mail correspondence. Other organizations 

they now must interface with believe this inhibits their 

ability to work effectively together. Therefore, TANF 

requirements for sharing of data are at times in conflict with 

State privacy and confidentiality laws and partner 

organizations’ practices. 

EMERGING PRACTICES: 

➨ The OHIO Family and Children First (OFCF) Cabinet 

Council entered into an agreement that permits and 

encourages local political subdivisions and their contractual 

providers to share information. Clients are asked by each 

system involved to complete a release of information form.22 

CONCLUSION

Recent reforms to the nation’s human services programs have created 

significant challenges for States’ information systems and information 

systems managers in human services organizations, as well as those in 

the partner organizations that deliver services. Those challenges relate to 

the sweeping changes in the collection, use, and reporting of information; 

in the ways that systems and people interact; in the manner in which 

cases are managed and services delivered; in the skills and abilities of the 

people supporting TANF; and in the funding dynamics of information 

technology projects. 

This study identified issues and challenges facing State IT executives as 

a result of welfare reform, surveyed the States’ potential solutions to 

those problems, and evaluated and disseminated lessons learned from the 

various State initiatives. As part of this study, we met with experts from 

States in TANF and IT, creating an exchange of information among and 

within States. We conducted a workshop, which included ACF and 

fourteen State IT and TANF program leaders, to identify major 

challenges among the States. Twelve major issues were identified. 

While solutions for these issues and challenges are emerging and some 

may have applicability beyond the borders of a single State, the results of 

this study suggest that the transition of States’ information systems to 

support TANF is still in its early stages. 

Nonetheless, States have achieved notable success in moving people 

from welfare to self-sufficiency. For example, in 1998, more than 1.3 

million parents went to work. The earnings of families that remained 

... States have 

achieved 

notable success 

in moving 

people from 

welfare to selfsufficiency. 
7/31/00 Final Report Administration for Children and Families Page 37 

employed two quarters later increased by 23 percent. Welfare caseloads 

have decreased in historic numbers. There were half as many families on 

welfare in 1999 as there were in 1993. Further, all States are meeting the 

1996 welfare reform law’s requirement for a minimum percentage of all 

families working or participating in work activities. Nationally, 35 

percent of all welfare recipients were working or in work-related 

activities in 1998, nearly quadruple the percentage from 1992.23 To take 

success to the next level, States need to continue to improve their use of 

information and information systems.  

Attachments: 

Matrix of Emerging Practices 

Focus Group and Stakeholders 

Endnotes 

To take success 

to the next level, 

States need to 

continue to 

improve their 

use of 

information and 

information 

systems. 
MATRIX OF EMERGING PRACTICES

Issue Area Issue # State Description of Emerging Practice Page # For 

Data Collection, Reporting, and Systems Integration 

1 OR Performance Reporting 13 Debbie 

373-19

 1 UT Utah’s management information systems, contact 14 Rick L 2 OR Shared Information Systems 16 John G 2 NC Establishment of a statewide architecture that permits 

sharing and management of data 

17 Rick W

981-Rick

http://ihfrm.h

 2 OH Development of the Integrated Client Management 

System (ICMS) 

17 Phil H

Gwen harrisg

 2 WI Services planned and delivered by Integrated Service 

Teams 

18 Christi

7269 http://wdesw2/
MATRIX OF EMERGING PRACTICES

Issue Area Issue # State Description of Emerging Practice Page # For 

 3 NY, 

NJ, 

FL 

PARIS information exchange system 19 Bill Da

6404 

Case Management and Service Delivery 

6 WA WPLEX follow-up call center 24 Cindy 

Glynni

 6 WA Website 25 Sydney 

doresm

 6 OR Case management 25 Jeff Di

ext. 22 jeffd@

 6 UT Utah’s Workforce System (UWORKS) 25 Marie 

4377 

 7 KY KYCARES: Internet guide to health, human, and 

employment services in Kentucky 

27 Patrice 

X227 www.k

Technology and Resource Management 

8 MO Coalition to develop local IT workforce 29 Jan Gr

grecij@
MATRIX OF EMERGING PRACTICES

Issue Area Issue # State Description of Emerging Practice Page # For 

 8 ID Establishment of Information Technology Training 

Program 

30 Cliff G

ITTP@

 8 KS Kansas initiated a recruitment and retention program 31 Don H

donh@www.nsas5.do

 8 UT IT Trainee Program 32 Marie 

4377 

 9 CA Project Management Professional certification 33 Del LuSecurity and Confidentiality 

11 WI Data Steward 35 Tim H

hinelti

 12 OH Development of an agreement for information sharing 36 Marlen

(513) 8
 41

WRIT: TANF FOCUS GROUP AND STAKEHOLDERS

AUGUST 23,1999 TANF FOCUS GROUP ATTENDEE LIST

Name State or Agency represented 

Jeffrey Borkman IT, District of Columbia 

Arlene Conover Director TANF Policy, District of Columbia 

Vashiti Savage IT Manager, Maryland 

Joseph Costa ACF 

Bill Davis ACF 

Russ Bohart TANF Consultant to SITC 

Tom Davies TANF Consultant to SITC 

Ernest Hodge SITC 

George Loulis SITC 

Jim Marple SITC 

TANF WORKSHOP ATTENDEE LIST

State Name Title Policy or IT 

 

Alabama Jeff Barnes BP Reengineering Analyst IT 

 Tom Sellers Assistant Director CIS IT 

 Debbie Wood Director, Office of Policy 

 Program Operations 

 

Colorado Maureen DoveYuhas Program Specialist Policy 

 Orlando Dunn Programmer/Analyst IT 

 

Delaware Nina Licht Social Service Administrator Policy 

 Jim Salb IT Architect IT 
 42

State Name Title Policy or IT 

 

District of 

Columbia 

Arlene Conover Director Policy 

 

Florida Mr. Kim Brock Chief - Tech & Sys 

Development 

Policy 

 William Hudgens Database Administrator IT 

 

Georgia Linda Russell IT Manager IT 

 Lynn Sims Application Manager IT 

 

Indiana Charles Jackson Project Manager IT 

 Carol McMichen Deputy Project Manager IT 

 

Kansas Roger Lewis Systems Administrator Policy 

Kentucky Trish Greathouse Resource Mgmt Analyst IT 

 Kelly Jackson Internal Policy Analyst Policy 

 

Michigan Bev Hedin Director Program 

Coordination 

Policy 

 

Minnesota Kate Wulf Director, MAXIS Division Policy 

New Jersey Rich Ambrass Manager, Office of IT IT 

 Beth Connolly Special Projects Coordinator Policy 

 

Washington Scott Reese Manager Special Projects Policy 

Wisconsin Tim Hineline IT Supervisor IT 

 Christine Williams IT Supervisor IT 

 

Consultants Russ Bohart 

ACF Joe Costa 

 Bill Davis 

 

SITC Ernie Hodge 

 George Loulis 

 Jim Marple 

 
 43

 

1 Welfare Reform: Improving State Automated Systems Requires Coordinated Federal Effort, General 

Accounting Office, GAO/HEHS-00-48, April 2000. 2 Report to Congress on Data Processing, State Survey Results, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 

(TANF), Appendix B, December 1997, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration 

for Children and Families. 3

 Welfare Reform: Improving State Automated Systems Requires Coordinated Federal Effort, op. cit., 

page 57. 4

 For further information on the Oregon performance and outcomes reporting, contact Michael Buckley at 

(503) 945-6127. 5

 For further information on Utah’s management information systems, contact Rick Little at (801) 526-

9719. 6

 For further information on Oregon’s Shared Information System, contact John Glen, Employment 

Department, at (503) 947-1234 or john.l.glen@state.or.us. The URL for additional information is 

http://findit.emp.state.or.us/sis/. 7

 For further information on the North Carolina architecture project, contact Rick Webb, State CIO, at 

(919) 981-2680 or Rick.Webb@NCMail.net. 8

 For further information on Ohio ICMS, contact Phil Harrell at (614) 564-1409. 

9

 For further information on Wisconsin’s one-stop strategy, contact Christine Williams at (608) 267-7269 

and/or see http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/desw2/ResourceGuide/. 10 For further information on PARIS, contact Bill Davis of the Administration for Children and Families at 

(202) 401-6404. 11 For further information on the State of Washington WPLEX project, contact Cindy Mund, Workfirst 

DSHS, at (360) 413-3206 or Glynnis Ashley, Employment Security, at (360) 438-4063. 12 For further information about the State of Washington website, contact Sydney Doré, Communications 

and Policy Assurance Manager, State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services, 

doresm@dshs.wa.gov 13 For further information about Oregon case management, contact Jeff Dickason, Director of 

Development, The Oregon Consortium and Oregon Workforce Alliance, (541) 928-0241 Ext. 227, 

jeffd@tocowa.org. 14 For further information about Utah’s Workforce System (UWORKS), contact Marie Christman, Director 

Service Delivery Support, at (801)526-4377. 15 For further information about KYCARES, contact Patrice Carroll at (502) 564-1856 X227 or 

Pcarroll2@mail.state.ky.us. The URL for additional information is www.kycares.org. 16 For further information about Missouri’s workforce initiatives, contact Jan Grecian at (573) 526-7743 or 

grecij@mail.oit.state.mo.us. See also www.jcitc.org. 17 For further information on Idaho’s Information Technology Training Program, contact Cliff Green at 

(208) 334-3216 or ITTP@adm.state.id.us. 18 For further information on Kansas’ workforce program, see www.nasire.org/scoring/files/kansas5.doc or 

contact Don Heiman, Chief Information Officer, State of Kansas, 900 SW Jackson, Suite 751, Topeka, 

KS 66012, (785) 296-2731, donh@dadisc1.wpo.state.ks.us. 

19 For further information about Utah’s IT Trainee Program, contact Marie Christman, Director Service 

Delivery Support, at (801)526-4377. 20 For further information on California’s project management training, contact Del Luttges at (916) 739-

7500 or Dluttges@HWDC.state.ca.us. 21 For further information on Wisconsin’s Data Steward, contact Tim Hineline at (608) 266-2721 or 

hinelti@dwd.state.wi.us. 22 For further information about the Ohio agreement, contact Marlene Preston-Rombach at (513) 852-3280) 

and Scott Johnson at (614) 466-6511. 23 Welfare Reform: Improving State Automated Systems Requires Coordinated Federal Effort, op. cit., 

page 72, comments of the Department of Health and Human Services.