Okla. Stat. tit. 56, § 56-230.52

for Needy Families (TANF) program - Information management -

Implementation guidelines - List of recipients - Grant diversion

program and emergency assistance services authorized.

A. Except for specific exceptions, conditions or restrictions

authorized by the Statewide Temporary Assistance Responsibility

System (STARS) and rules promulgated by the Commission for Human

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Services pursuant thereto, the following are the minimum mandatory

requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

program:

1. A recipient shall be eligible to receive assistance pursuant

to the TANF program only for a lifetime total of five (5) years,

subject to the exemptions allowed by federal law. Child-only cases

are not subject to the five-year limitation;

2. Single parents receiving temporary assistance pursuant to

the TANF program shall participate in work activities for a minimum

of twenty (20) hours per week during the month. Two-parent families

receiving temporary assistance pursuant to the TANF program shall

participate in work activities for a minimum of thirty-five (35)

hours per week during the month;

3. A recipient must be engaged in one or more of the work

activities set out in paragraph 4 of this subsection as soon as

required by the Department of Human Services pursuant to the TANF

program, but not later than twenty-four (24) months after

certification of the application for assistance, unless the person

is exempt from work requirements under rules promulgated by the

Department pursuant to the STARS;

4. The Department shall develop and describe categories of

approved work activities for the TANF program recipients in

accordance with this paragraph. Work activities that qualify in

meeting the requirements include, but are not limited to:

a. (1) unsubsidized employment which is full-time

employment or part-time employment that is not

directly supplemented by federal or state funds,

(2) subsidized private sector employment which is

employment in a private for-profit enterprise or

a private not-for-profit enterprise that is

directly supplemented by federal or state funds.

Prior to receiving any subsidy or incentive, the

employer shall enter into a written contract with

the Department, and

(3) subsidized public sector employment which is

employment by an agency of a federal, state, or

local governmental entity which is directly

supplemented by federal or state funds. Prior to

receiving any subsidy or incentive, the employer

shall enter into a written contract with the

Department.

Subsidized hourly employment or unsubsidized hourly

employment pursuant to this subparagraph shall only be

approved by the Department as work activity if such

employment is subject to:

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(a) the federal minimum wage requirements

pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act of

1938, as amended,

(b) the federal Social Security tax and Medicare

tax, and
zed hourly employment or unsubsidized hourly

employment pursuant to this subparagraph shall only be

approved by the Department as work activity if such

employment is subject to:

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(a) the federal minimum wage requirements

pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act of

1938, as amended,

(b) the federal Social Security tax and Medicare

tax, and

(c) regulations promulgated pursuant to the

federal Occupational Safety and Health Act

of 1970 and rules promulgated by the State

Department of Labor pursuant thereto,

b. a program of work experience,

c. on-the-job training,

d. assisted job search which may include supervised or

unsupervised job-seeking activities,

e. job readiness assistance which may include, but is not

limited to:

(1) orientation in the work environment and basic

job-seeking and job retention skills,

(2) instruction in completing an application for

employment and writing a resume,

(3) instruction in conducting oneself during a job

interview, including appropriate dress, and

(4) substance abuse treatment and mental health

counseling,

f. job skills training which is directly related to

employment in a specific occupation for which there is

a written commitment by an employer to offer

employment to a recipient who successfully completes

the training. Job skills training includes, but is

not limited to, customized training designed to meet

the needs of a specific employer or a specific

industry,

g. community service programs which are job-training

activities provided in areas where sufficient public

or private sector employment is not available. Such

activities are linked to both education or training

and activities that substantially enhance a

recipient’s employability,

h. literacy and adult basic education programs,

i. vocational-educational programs, not to exceed twelve

(12) months for any individual, which are directed

toward vocational-educational training and education

directly related to employment,

j. education programs which are directly related to

specific employment opportunities, if a recipient has

not received a high school diploma or General

Equivalency Degree, and

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k. child care for other STARS recipients. The recipient

must meet training and licensing requirements for

child care providers as required by the Oklahoma Child

Care Facilities Licensing Act;

5. Single, custodial parents with a child up to one (1) year of

age may be exempt from work activities for a lifetime total

exemption of twelve (12) months;

6. In order to receive assistance, unmarried teen parents of a

minor child at least twelve (12) weeks of age must participate in

educational activities or work activities approved by the state;

7. For single-parent families, except for teen parents,

educational activities, other than vocational-technical training, do

not count toward meeting the required twenty (20) hours of work

activity. For two-parent families, educational activities, except

vocational-technical training, do not count toward meeting the

required thirty-five (35) hours of work activity;

8. A teen parent must live at home or in an approved, adult-

supervised setting as specified in Section 230.55 of this title to

receive TANF assistance;

9. An applicant or recipient with an unborn child and who does

not have children living in the home qualifies for TANF to the same

extent as a parent with minor children living in the home;

10. A recipient must comply with immunization requirements

established pursuant to the TANF program;

11. The following recipient resources are exempt from resource

determination criteria:

a. an automobile with an equity allowance of not more

than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) pursuant to

Section 230.53 of this title,

b. individual development accounts established pursuant

to the Family Savings Initiative Act, or individual
ization requirements

established pursuant to the TANF program;

11. The following recipient resources are exempt from resource

determination criteria:

a. an automobile with an equity allowance of not more

than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) pursuant to

Section 230.53 of this title,

b. individual development accounts established pursuant

to the Family Savings Initiative Act, or individual

development accounts established prior to November 1,

1998, pursuant to the provisions of Section 230.54 of

this title in an amount not to exceed Two Thousand

Dollars ($2,000.00),

c. the equity value of funeral arrangements owned by a

recipient that does not exceed the limitation

specified by Section 165 of this title, and

d. earned income disregards not to exceed One Hundred

Twenty Dollars ($120.00) and one-half (1/2) of the

remainder of the earned income;

12. An applicant who applies and is otherwise eligible to

receive TANF benefits but who has resided in this state less than

twelve (12) months shall be subject to Section 230.57 of this title;

13. The recipient shall enter into a personal responsibility

agreement with the Department for receipt of assistance pursuant to

Section 230.65 of this title;

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14. The Department shall, beginning November 1, 2023, screen

all adult TANF recipients as part of the required TANF employability

plan to determine if they are engaged in the illegal use of a

controlled substance or substances. If the Department has made a

determination that the recipient is engaged in the illegal use of a

controlled substance or substances, the recipient’s TANF

employability plan will include substance abuse treatment and/or

mental health counseling as a part of the assigned work activities

as set out in paragraph 4 of this subsection. The Department of

Human Services shall adopt rules to implement the requirements of

this paragraph consistent with the following:

a. the Department shall create a controlled substance

screening process to be administered during the

assessment process that determines the TANF

employability plan. The process shall, at a minimum,

include a Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory

(SASSI) or other similar screening methods. If

necessary to establish a reasonable expectation of

certainty, the Department is authorized to use further

screening methods, which may include, but are not

limited to, a clinical interview and consideration of

the Department’s history with the applicant. If the

Department has reasonable cause to believe that the

recipient is engaged in the illegal use of a

controlled substance or substances, the Department is

authorized, though not required, to request

administration of a chemical drug test. The cost of

all such initial screenings shall not be borne by the

recipient,

b. if at any time during the controlled substance

screening process, the recipient refuses to

participate without good cause, that refusal shall

lead to a closure of TANF benefits;

15. a. As a condition of participating in the STARS, all

recipients are deemed to have given authorization for

the release of any and all information necessary to

allow all state and federal agencies to meet the

program needs of the recipient.

b. The recipient shall be provided a release form to sign

in order to obtain the required information. Failure

to sign the release form may result in case closure;

and

16. The recipient shall comply with all other conditions and

requirements of the STARS, and rules of the Commission promulgated

pursuant thereto.

B. 1. Agencies of this state involved in providing services to

recipients pursuant to the STARS shall exchange information as

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necessary for each agency to accomplish objectives and fulfill

obligations created or imposed by the STARS and rules promulgated

pursuant thereto.
the STARS, and rules of the Commission promulgated

pursuant thereto.

B. 1. Agencies of this state involved in providing services to

recipients pursuant to the STARS shall exchange information as

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necessary for each agency to accomplish objectives and fulfill

obligations created or imposed by the STARS and rules promulgated

pursuant thereto.

2. Information received pursuant to the STARS shall be

maintained by the applicable agency and, except as otherwise

provided by this subsection, shall be disclosed only in accordance

with any confidentiality provisions applicable to the agency

originating the information.

3. The various agencies of the state shall execute operating

agreements to facilitate information exchanges pursuant to the

STARS.

C. In implementing the TANF program, the Department shall:

1. Provide assistance to aliens pursuant to Section 230.73 of

this title;

2. Provide for the closure of the TANF case when the adult

recipient refuses to cooperate with agreed upon work activities or

other case requirements pursuant to the TANF program;

3. Provide for the sanctioning of parents who do not require

their minor children to attend school; and

4. Deny temporary assistance to fugitive felons.

D. In order to ensure that the needy citizens of this state are

receiving necessary benefits, the Department shall maintain a

listing of all recipients receiving public assistance. The listing

shall reflect each recipient’s income, social security number, and

the programs in which the recipient is participating including, but

not limited to, TANF, food stamps, child care, and medical

assistance.

E. The Department is hereby authorized to establish a grant

diversion program and emergency assistance services.