The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was developed to help needy families become self-sufficient.¹ The TANF program was created by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996.² TANF was created by the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) from the pre-existing Assistance to Families with Dependent Children program (AFDC), itself created by Congress in 1935 as part of the Social Security Act.² There were some notable differences between PRWORA and TANF at the time of its creation, the most noted differences being that TANF allowed states to use TANF dollars to support child care, job search support, social services, etc. and there were no requirements on how much could be spent directly on cash assistance.² Additionally, the entitlement aspect of PRWORA ended and states were not required to serve all eligible families/individuals.²There are four primary purposes of the TANF and are: 1) Provide assistance to needy families so that their children can be cared for in their own homes, 2) Reduce the dependence of needy parents by promoting preparation for work, employment, and marriage, 3) Prevent and reduce attendance of missed pregnancies among married couples and 4) Encourage the formation of two-parent families.¹ What the TANF program provides to these needy families are cash benefits to help them overcome their financial difficulties. Currently state and local agencies are responsible for establishing eligibility requirements for their respective TANF program; the federal government does not. In Tennessee, there are general eligibility requirements and work requirements. While not all of the specific eligibility requirements will be… half the document… they are long overdue for a review. There are several aspects that will need to be addressed in the future. These are 1) How to make the TANF program more of an effective safety net for families in need, 2) How to make TANF a more effective jobs program through training and education, 3) How to better target state and federal funds, and 4) How to strengthen federal funding and emergency funds, which the ACA intends to achieve. ⁴ The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will likely impact this program in many ways. It will provide the opportunity for TANF to become a more efficient program by changing income and eligibility requirements. The ACA will expand health care in most states, allowing more funding to be directed to programs like TANF. The ACA will also provide more education and training to TANF recipients through programs such as the Health Professions Opportunity Grants (HPOG).¹