From Senator Dolores R. Gresham. Email Legislator. Republican, District 26.
TANF Emergency Benefits during COVID – 19
– The Tennessee Department of Human Services will be issuing Emergency Pandemic TANF which is an emergency cash assistance program for those impacted by COVID-19. Emergency Pandemic TANF will utilize existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds.
– To qualify, a family must:
Have children in the household
Be at or below the 85th percentile of the State Median Income
▪ Example: below approximately $52,000 a year for a family of 3
Be able to show they are impacted by COVID-19.
▪ Examples: job loss due to employer closure for COVID-19
– The emergency benefits will be available to families in the following amounts:
For a family of 1-2 $500
For a family of 3-4 $750
For a family of 5+ $1000
– These benefits will be available for up to 2 months.
– TDHS encourages individuals who wish to apply to go ahead and begin gathering birth certificates, tax returns, school attendance records, or other documentation, to verify that there are children in the household.
– This program is NOT currently operational but the Department is anticipating the program details, including qualifications and requirements, will available within the week.
– TDHS encourages Tennesseans in need to apply online when the application becomes available at https://www.tn.gov/humanservices.html in order to encourage social distancing.
Questions and Answers
My employer closed because of COVID-19 and I am out of work. Can I file for unemployment?
When a Tennessee business closes to help slow the spread of the virus and temporarily has to lay off
employees, those workers can collect unemployment benefits, if they meet other eligibility
requirements.
If I do not have a job waiting for me after the COVID-19 emergency, do I still need to do weekly
job searches?
The state of Tennessee is working with the United States Department of Labor to find flexibility of the
job search requirement. As of March 17, if you don’t have a return to work date, you are still required
to do job searches. We will update this page if that changes.
My doctor has ordered me to quarantine because of COVID-19. Am I eligible for
unemployment?
If you are quarantined by your doctor, an executive order from Governor Bill Lee allows you to
receive unemployment benefits if all other eligibility requirements are met.
How long will it take me to receive my money?
The COVID-19 emergency has created a tremendous amount of unemployment claims. The
Department is processing them as quickly as possible. You can check the status of your claim on your
Jobs4TN.gov dashboard.
My elderly parent has COVID-19; can I leave work and collect unemployment while I provide
care?
No. Federal and state law does not allow you to collect unemployment benefits.
I am nervous about working in my building and would like to self-quarantine. Can I collect
unemployment if I do not go to work?
No, you cannot collect unemployment benefits.
