Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 340 - Department of Human Services › Chapter 10 - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) › Subchapter 19 - Eligibility Requirements for Emergency Assistance to Needy Families With Children › Section 340:10-19-2 - Emergency assistance to needy families with children

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
The Emergency Assistance Program consists of Emergency Family
				  Services (EFS) administered by the Children and Family Services Division
				  (CFSD), Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA), and Temporary Assistance for Needy
				  Families (TANF) Emergency Assistance (TANF-EA) administered by the Family
				  Support Services Division (FSSD).
(1)
EFS.
EFS are services to families in which immediate action is
				necessary to avoid placement of a child(ren) in out-of-home care or to assist
				in reuniting a child(ren) with the family when in out-of-home placement and
				thereby prevent destitution of a child(ren) or family.
(2)
TANF-EA.
TANF-EA is
				administered by FSSD. TANF-EA is available to or on behalf of a needy
				child(ren) if the assistance is necessary to avoid destitution of the
				child(ren). TANF-EA payments are state disaster relief funds to families for
				food, medicine, shelter, utilities, clothing, and personal items. These
				payments are authorized
only
after all other resources such as
				emergency funds from the Social Security Administration (SSA), Bureau of Indian
				Affairs (BIA), Veterans' Administration (VA), other federal, or state, county,
				city agencies, and community organizations have been determined unavailable.
(A)
Persons who might be eligible for
				TANF-EA.
The assistance unit for TANF-EA is defined as containing the
				natural or adoptive parent(s) if residing with the child(ren) or if the
				parent(s) is absent from the home, the applicant who is of the specified degree
				of relationship, the applicant's spouse and any dependent child(ren) in the
				home who meet the age and relationship requirements. The applicant must be
				responsible for meeting the emergency need(s) of the child(ren) and unable to
				meet such need(s). The assistance unit must have suffered a major loss to their
				home as a result of a natural disaster and whose interest was not protected by
				insurance. In this instance, income and resources may be disregarded if they
				are not available or are insufficient to meet the emergency need. Partial
				insurance coverage must be considered when determining the amount to be
				disregarded.
(B)
TANF-EA
				emergency benefits.
Emergency benefits for persons eligible for TANF-EA
				are:
(i) food which is not available through
				the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Program;
(ii) medicines or medical supplies not
				otherwise covered under the SoonerCare (Medicaid) Program;
(iii) shelter or emergency repairs on the
				home. If the client owns the home or is responsible for repairs, benefits can
				be provided for emergency repairs required to make the home livable.
				Verification of the repair cost must be documented in the case record. If the
				request is for new shelter, the worker contacts the prospective landlord,
				either in person or by telephone, to document details regarding the new shelter
				plan;
(iv) utilities when services
				have been discontinued. A written notice is required from the supplier that
				services or fuel cannot be provided or utilities turned on until a payment is
				received. The notice must be other than routinely printed on the regular bill
				and must include client's name, address, amount of bill, and account number;
				and
(v) clothing and personal items
				lost or destroyed.