Self-Support Index

The Self-Support Index is an outcome measure that reports the number of participants no longer receiving cash assistance or working at least 30 hours a week while receiving that assistance.

· The measure looks at all adults receiving assistance through MFIP in a quarter and checks back 1 year, 2 and 3 years later in the same quarter to see how many are still receiving cash assistance through MFIP and, if so, how many are working at least 30 hours a week.

· Those who left MFIP after reaching 60 counted MFIP months (time limit), and those who left due to 100% sanction, are only counted as a success if they worked an average of 30 hours per week in their last month of program eligibility, or began receiving Supplemental Security Income after MFIP cash ended.

The 3-year Self-Support Index has a related standard called the range of expected performance used to make better, fairer comparisons across service areas and tribal providers.

· Performance is assessed as above, within or below the range of expected performance, an interval based on caseload characteristics and economic conditions in each service area.

· More challenging situations lower the expected range.

· Providers cannot influence the size or location of the range of expected performance because it is calculated based on demographic and economic characteristics beyond the control of service areas and providers.

· Providers can, however, influence the Self-Support Index through services that help MFIP participants increase employment and earnings.

The Work Participation Rate

The Work Participation Rate is the federal performance measure for TANF.

· It is a process measure.

· It focuses on the adults receiving TANF funded assistance who must meet work requirements.

· It counts the percentage of those adults in federally-recognized work activities for a minimum number of hours in a month.

· Families with children all younger than 6 must be in at least 20 hours a week of officially recognized activities to meet the Work participation Rate requirements.

· Those with children all 6 or older must be in at least 30 hours a week of those activities.

TANF Work Participation Reviews
To meet federal TANF requirements, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families must develop a work verification plan.

· That plan must include an outline of how the state will monitor the verification of hours used to calculate the Work Participation Rate.

· Every 6 months the Department conducts case file reviews of a stratified random sample of 68 federally-funded MFIP cases to verify that proper documentation of hours is recorded in case files.

· Counties or tribes whose cases are reviewed receive a report of the individual case findings.

· DCYF also publishes semi -annual reports on the findings of the full sample. They are available on the Reports page of PartnerLink.