Using Work-Oriented Sanctions to Increase TANF Program Participation

Sanctions, or financial penalties for noncompliance with program requirements, have long been perceived as a major tool for encouraging TANF recipients to participate in work activities. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 changed the way TANF work participation rates are calculated and thereby effectively increased the rates required of states. This report, based on a study of sanction policies and practices in eight sites located in seven states, documents how some jurisdictions are responding, in their sanction policies and procedures, to the changes. It also presents lessons learned from the sites’ experiences that can help decision makers consider the limits and possibilities for using sanction policies to increase work participation rates.