The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA)7 significantly changed federal welfare policy for lowincome families with children, from a program that entitled eligible families to monthly cash payments to a capped block grant that emphasizes employment and work supports for most adult recipients. As part of PRWORA, Congress created the TANF program,8 through which HHS provides states about $16.5 billion each year in block grant funds to implement the program.