Effective Dates: 05/23/2023 - Present Previous | Next

SI NY00830.403 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) paid by the Division of Family Development (DFD) in the State of New Jersey (08/2005)

A. Background

The State of New Jersey uses the incremental method in determining TANF family grant amounts administered by DFD. The kinship care subsidy program pays up to $250 monthly per child to a caregiver who goes to court to acquire legal guardianship over a child who no longer lives in a parental household. The kinship care program began in 2002 and is funded with TANF monies. In the State of New Jersey, a child or adult cannot receive both TANF and SSI funds for the same period of eligibility. Therefore, until the child or adult is removed from the TANF grant, the monthly amount of SSI payment must be reduced dollar for dollar by the child's share of the TANF grant.

In the past, field offices in New Jersey have requested TANF verification in writing from the local county welfare office. To standardize the format in requesting this information, the SSI 23 NJ (Exhibit A) is used in New Jersey. New Jersey field offices may develop local procedures with their local welfare offices to allow phone contacts to verify TANF information. If local procedures are used, local management must ensure their procedures conform to the requirements in SI 00830.403.

B. Family Assistance Management Information Systems (FAMIS)

Based on an agreement with the State of New Jersey, SSA field offices in New Jersey have recently obtained authorization to access the State's online database called “FAMIS” to verify TANF information. FAMIS will be used to verify the receipt of TANF monies, receipt of food stamps, the members on the TANF grant, the monthly grant amount, and the date a member was added or removed from the TANF grant. It cannot be used to verify income from other sources, identity information, or other data where DFD is not the custodian of the data.

Data access is limited to a few individuals in each New Jersey field office, to be determined by each individual office.

Federal disclosure and confidentiality laws apply to FAMIS data. Unauthorized use or disclosure of information is strictly prohibited.

C. Procedure

Obtaining online TANF queries should be the initial step in developing TANF income administered by DFD. If the data online is discrepant from other evidence in the SSI file, use the data received online. The data is directly from the State's files and therefore considered evidence from the State.

When documenting income for initial claims or postentitlement (PE) situations, an audit trail must be established. In initial claim situations, record the information in associated REMARKS of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families page. In PE and non-MSSICS situations, record the information on a Report of Contact page or EVID screen. The Report of Contact page must be locked after recording the information. Record the name of the agency (DFD) whose records were accessed, the system (FAMIS) used for access, the date of access, the family grant amount for each month of SSI eligibility, the number of individuals on the grant, and the FAMIS screen where this information was located.

1. Verification of the Incremental/Flat Rate Share

The State of New Jersey does not store an individual's incremental share of the TANF grant online nor does it store the grant amount if a specific person was removed. Since the State cannot provide this information directly, we cannot use the website for that purpose. Instead, a chart has been provided (Exhibit B) to verify the incremental share in those cases where the grant amount and household size on FAMIS corresponds to one on the chart. The incremental amount on the chart can then be used as the verified amount of type “F” unearned income we charge for SSI purposes and the amount we document on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families page . The rates in the chart are based on household size and apply to all counties in the State of New Jersey. When the online data does not correspond to one on the chart, the chart cannot be used. In those cases, use Exhibit A to request written verification from the local welfare office.

The kinship care subsidy amount is a flat rate of up to $250.00 monthly per child. The amount received may be less than $250.00 if the child has other countable income. In the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families page, code the “amount without the individual” as zero since the grant includes one person.

When an SSI claim is allowed and adjudicated to payment, the field office must notify the local welfare office when the first SSI payment is released. Parts I and III of Exhibit A can be used for this action. After notifying the welfare office, query FAMIS in 30 days to verify if a removal date is present for the claimant. If FAMIS does not show a removal date, send a follow up request to the local welfare office to remove the claimant from the TANF grant.

2. Verification of Termination Date

The date an individual was removed from the TANF grant can be verified on FAMIS. On page 13 of the 105A screen, if “A/R” indicator = R or S and “REAS REMVD” = SS for that individual, use the date in “A/R Date” as the date of removal. Normally, the first day of a month is used for the removal date. For example, if a person was removed on 8/1/05, terminate the TANF unearned income with the month of July 2005.

Be alert to situations where the person is removed from the grant for reasons other than for SSI eligibility. Refer to the FAMIS Coding Manual under block “QJ” for the list of removal reasons.

The payment history in the HIST segment may not always show a decrease in the payment amount after the person is removed. In some instances when a person has other income, removing the person from the grant may result in the grant amount not changing or actually increasing. In either case, there is no chargeable type “F” unearned income.

3. Logon to Online Access

There is a two tier logon. The first logon is mainframe access to the Department of Human Services (DHS). The password is limited to 6 characters using either alphas and/or numerics. CAPS cannot be used.

After logging on successfully to the DHS site, a second logon will be presented to enter FAMIS. On the second logon, enter your operator number (USER ID), password, and function keyword. On your initial logon, you may be required to change the password initially assigned to you. Your password must be in CAPS. The function keyword is FAMINQ. Before proceeding, wait for the display message “logon successful” before clearing the screen.

NOTE: To limit the number of suspensions, stop after two attempts to get into the database. Logout and call the HELP DESK for assistance.

Any problems in online access should be reported to the HELP desk at (609) 588-3717.

See the screens below to illustrate the logon process.

The address for the NJ Department of Human Services is https://wbull.dhs.state.nj.us

If you have difficulty entering the site by clicking on the above link, then back out and cut and paste the address directly on your browser.

logon screen example

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logon screen example

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4. Retrieving Data Online

Keys displayed at the bottom of each screen should be used to navigate within FAMIS.

To get a blank screen, enter the clear button at the bottom of the screen you are on.

To retrieve data on a specific TANF case, a 10 position case number is needed. This consists of the 7 position case number + zero + 2 position county code. For example, the 10 position case number for case number C111199 and county code 08 is C111199008.

See Exhibit C for a list of county codes in New Jersey.

a. FIND Screen

To find a case number or to find the county code of a specific grant, go to the FIND screen. On a blank screen, enter FIND in the upper left hand corner.

On the FIND screen –

  • –

    Enter “C” or “all” in the segment field.

  • –

    Enter the name, date of birth, and social security number.

After you transmit the FIND screen, you will be brought to the “SCRL” screen. The SCRL screen presents you with a list of possible matches of the case you are looking for. A 'P' or 'G' in the IS status means TANF status is active. Write down the case number and county code of the case you have selected.

b. 105A Screen

The 105A screen can be used to verify information on a specific grant. To retrieve a specific case, go to a blank screen. In the upper left hand corner, type 105A, two commas and the 10 position case number. For example, if the case number is C112233 in county 08, type

105A,,C112233008

You must include two commas between the screen name and first character of the case number.

You can select specific information from the 105A menu. To navigate to a specific page, go to the upper right hand corner and over key the page number. If you want the next page in the path, type next in CNTL. Once you are in a specific grant, you can transfer to another screen by typing the screen name in SCRN.

In the top line of the screen, GRANT refers to the TANF grant amount and COUP refers to the food stamp amount. ELU refers to the eligible unit of the TANF grant. The first 2 positions show the number of children. The last position shows the number of adults. Over to the far right, a G or P under the C, means active TANF.

To obtain a list of household members, go to page 13. Page 13 will list the person code, person name, birth date, add or removal date, and reason for the add or removal from the grant.

To obtain information on an adult member, go to pages 3 and 4. Page 3 will give you demographic information. Page 4 will give you income information.

To obtain information on a child member, type in the person code (page 13) in CNTL and go to page 14.

The add or removal indicators for an adult are

  • •

    A added to TANF/Medicaid

  • •

    B added to Medicaid only

  • •

    D removed due to death

  • •

    F transferred to an institution

  • •

    R removed from TANF and/or Medicaid

  • •

    S receiving SSI

  • •

    T added to TANF only

An SS under reason removed indicates individual receives SSI.

The add or removal indicators for a child are

  • •

    A added to TANF/Medicaid

  • •

    D removed due to death

  • •

    F certified for foster care or transferred from TANF/Medicaid to foster care

  • •

    R removed from TANF/Medicaid

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    S receiving SSI

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    T added to TANF

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    U unborn child (Medicaid only)

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    Y added to Medicaid

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    Y with CD Family cap child (excluded child)

  • •

    Y with KC Kinship child

An SS under reason removed indicates individual receives SSI.

c. HIST Screen

The HIST screen will display a menu. Enter page 5 in the upper right hand corner to see a history of payment amounts. TANF benefits are issued once a month. The regular monthly check will show PAY TYP = 00.

d. Example

A parent lives with a daughter Jill. Jill is disabled. On August 15, 2005, The parent goes into a social security office and files an SSI claim for Jill. The parent alleges the only income in the household is TANF. When the field office queries FAMIS, the 105A and HIST screens show the following -

HIST screen example

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The above queries show there is 1 child and 1 adult in the eligible TANF unit. The TANF grant is $322 monthly. The household receives $217 in monthly food stamps. Using Exhibit B, Jill is charged $160 monthly in type F unearned income. In the associated REMARKS on theTemporary Assistance for Needy Families page, the CR annotates the following, On 8/15/05 NJ DFD's TANF records were accessed online using FAMIS. The 105A screen shows there are 2 persons on the TANF grant at a monthly rate of $322. See SI NY00830.403, Exhibit A for the monthly incremental share charged.

On October 15, 2005, the CR queries FAMIS to verify the TANF termination date for Jill. Jill's claim was allowed and adjudicated to payment on September 15, 2005. The local welfare office was notified of Jill's first SSI payment. The 105A screen now shows Jill will be removed from the TANF grant effective 11/01/05.

105A Screen

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Using the verification above, the CR can terminate type F unearned income in October 2005.

EXHIBIT A - SSI 23 NJ

Form SSI 23 NJ

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EXHIBIT B

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

TANF GRANT AMOUNT BY HOUSEHOLD SIZE

NO INCOME IN HOUSEHOLD

 

 

NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN ELIGIBLE UNIT

MONTHLY GRANT AMOUNT

1

$214

2

$425

3

$559

4

$644

5

$728

6

$814

7

$894

8

$961

More than 8 individuals

$66 each additional person

Monthly Amount charged as type “F” unearned income

 

 

Individuals go from 8 to 7

$67

Individuals go from 7 to 6

$80

Individuals go from 6 to 5

$86

Individuals go from 5 to 4

$84

Individuals go from 4 to 3

$85

Individuals go from 3 to 2

$134

Individuals go from 2 to 1

$211

Individuals go from 1 to 0

$214

 

EXHIBIT C

 

NJ COUNTY CODES

 

 

 

County Code

County Name

01

Atlantic

02

Bergen

03

Burlington

04

Camden

05

Cape May

06

Cumberland

07

Essex

08

Gloucester

09

Hudson

10

Hunterdon

11

Mercer

12

Middlesex

13

Monmouth

14

Morris

15

Ocean

16

Passaic

17

Salem

18

Somerset

19

Sussex

20

Union

21

Warren
To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0500830403NY
SI NY00830.403 - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) paid by the Division of Family Development (DFD) in the State of New Jersey (08/2005) - 05/23/2023
Batch run: 05/23/2023
Rev:05/23/2023