Service Tree

The Service Tree lists all services in "branched" groups, starting with the very general and moving to the very specific. Click on the name of any group name to see the sub-groups available within it. Click on a service code to see its details and the providers who offer that service.

Basic Income Maintenance Programs

Gap Group Income Maintenance Programs

State, county or municipal programs which provide cash income on a regular basis for targeted individuals who do not qualify for other income maintenance programs, e.g., families or people with disabilities who do not qualify for TANF or SSI because of resources or income from employment. Also included are programs that provide supplementary income for individuals receiving other forms of basic maintenance in situations where the authorizing agent considers the primary award to be inadequate.

General Relief

An income maintenance program administered and funded entirely by the county that provides basic financial assistance for people who are indigent, usually adults who have no minor children in the home and are ineligible for any of the federally-funded cash grant programs. Services available through the program vary by jurisdiction, but may include cash allowances for qualifying individuals who have targeted special needs, emergency assistance in the form of temporary housing for people who are homeless and the means to return to the state of legal residence for people who are stranded.

SSI

A federal income maintenance program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides basic financial assistance in the form of monthly checks for people who are age 65 and older, blind or have a disability and who have little or no income and resources. Some states supplement SSI checks for certain categories of recipients. If the state's supplemental payment is federally administered, individuals are automatically assessed for SSP eligibility when they apply for SSI and the supplemental payment is included in their SSI check. If a state administers its own supplemental payments, individuals must apply separately at the state agency.

TANF

A state program with matching federal block grant funds administered by the county or the state under state guidelines that provides time-limited cash assistance for needy families with (or expecting) children as well as job preparation, work opportunities and access to supportive services such as child care which enable parents receiving assistance to leave the program and become self-sufficient. TANF, which ends the federal entitlement known as AFDC, creates a five-year lifetime limit on cash assistance for most adult recipients; requires that recipients be working or participating in a work-related activity within two years and cooperate with comprehensive child support enforcement efforts including paternity establishment; and contains special live at home and stay in school provisions for teenage parents. States have wide latitude in structuring their TANF programs and may obtain waivers which exempt them from specific federal requirements. Recipients may receive monthly checks or be given electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards which allow them to access their cash benefits at automated teller machines (ATMs) or point of sale (POS) equipment that is located in grocery stores, banks and other commercial locations.

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