45 CFR § 286.75 - What must be included in the Tribal Family Assistance Plan?
(a) The TFAP must outline the Tribe's approach to providing welfare-related services for the three-year period covered by the plan, including:
(1) Information on the general eligibility criteria the Tribe has established, which includes a definition of “needy family,” including income and resource limits and the Tribe's definition of “Tribal member family” or “Indian family.”
(2) A description of the assistance, services, and activities to be offered, and the means by which they will be offered. The description of the services, assistance, and activities to be provided includes whether the Tribe will provide cash assistance, and what other assistance, services, and activities will be provided.
(3) If the Tribe will not provide the same services, assistance, and activities in all parts of the service area, the TFAP must indicate any variations.
(4) If the Tribe opts to provide different services to specific populations, including teen parents and individuals who are transitioning off TANF assistance, the TFAP must indicate whether any of these services will be provided and, if so, what services will be provided.
(5) The Tribe's goals for its TANF program and the means of measuring progress towards those goals;
(6) Assurance that a 45-day public comment period on the Tribal TANF plan concluded prior to the submission of the TFAP.
(7) Assurance that the Tribe has developed a dispute resolution process to be used when individuals or families want to challenge the Tribe's decision to deny, reduce, suspend, sanction or terminate assistance.
(8) Tribes may require cooperation with child support enforcement agencies as a condition of eligibility for TANF assistance. Good cause and other exceptions to cooperation shall be defined by the Tribal TANF program.
(b) The TFAP must identify which Tribal agency is designated by the Tribe as the lead agency for the overall administration of the Tribal TANF program along with a description of the administrative structure for supervision of the TANF program.
(c) The TFAP must indicate whether the services, assistance and activities will be provided by the Tribe itself or through grants, contracts or compacts with inter-Tribal consortia, States, or other entities.
(d) The TFAP must identify the population to be served by the Tribal TANF program.
(1) The TFAP must identify whether it will serve Tribal member families only, or whether it will serve all Indian families residing in the Tribal TANF service area.
(2) If the Tribe wishes to serve any non-Indian families (and thus include non-Indians in its service population), an agreement with the State TANF agency must be included in the TFAP. This agreement must provide that, where non-Indians are to be served by Tribal TANF, these families are subject to Tribal TANF program rules.
(e) The TFAP must include a description of the geographic area to be served by the Tribal TANF program, including a specific description of any “near reservation” areas, as defined at 45 CFR 20.1(r), or any areas beyond “near reservation” to be included in the Tribal TANF service area.
(1) In areas beyond those defined as “near reservation”, the TFAP must demonstrate the Tribe's administrative capacity to serve such areas and the State(s)', and if applicable, other Tribe(s)' concurrence with the proposed defined boundaries.
(2) A Tribe cannot extend its service area boundaries beyond the boundaries of the State(s) in which the reservation and BIA near-reservation designations are located.
(3) For Tribes in Oklahoma, if the Tribe defines its service area as other than its “tribal jurisdiction statistical area” (TJSA), the Tribe must include an agreement with the other Tribe(s) reflecting agreement to the service area. TJSAs are areas delineated by the Census Bureau for each federally-recognized Tribe in Oklahoma without a reservation.
(f) The TFAP must provide that a family receiving assistance under the plan may not receive duplicative assistance from other State or Tribal TANF programs and must include a description of the means by which the Tribe will ensure duplication does not occur.
(g) The TFAP must identify the employment opportunities in and near the service area and the manner in which the Tribe will cooperate and participate in enhancing such opportunities for recipients of assistance under the plan, consistent with any applicable State standards. This should include:
(1) A description of the employment opportunities available, in both the public and private sector, within and near the Tribal service area; and
(2) A description of how the Tribe will work with public and private sector employers to enhance the opportunities available for Tribal TANF recipients.
(h) The TFAP must provide an assurance that the Tribe applies the fiscal accountability provisions of section 5(f)(1) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450c(f)(1)), relating to the submission of a single-agency audit report required by chapter 75 of title 31, United States Code.