09/16/2021
Policy Memo
Summary:
- A $250 stipend will be issued for all active TANF cases and selected SNAP households with dependent children who have no reported income as of August 2021.
- The stipend is considered a lump sum (single, one-time and non-recurring) payment for both TANF and SNAP households.
- Payments will begin in September of 2021 and will be issued beginning 09/11/2021 thru 09/18/2021.
- The stipend is exempt from budgeting for all Cash and SNAP programs.
- Client Notice CN 21.06/CN 21.06S will be mailed to notify all active TANF and SNAP households who are eligible to receive the stipend.
- The $250 stipend should not be included in overpayment calculations.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, created the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) in section 403(c) of the Social Security Act. The PEAF provides funding to states administering the TANF program to assist needy families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This $250 one-time payment is for all TANF cases and selected SNAP households with dependent children who have no reported income as of August 2021.
TANF
A one-time $250 stipend will be issued for all TANF cases active in August 2021. The payments will be issued beginning 09/11/2021 through 09/18/2021 for all active TANF cases (TANF zero grant included) with a certification end date greater than 08/31/2021.
SNAP
A one-time $250 stipend will be issued for all active SNAP households with dependent children who have no income (earned or unearned) reported in August 2021. The payments will be issued beginning 09/11/2021 through 09/18/2021 for all selected SNAP households with a certification end date greater than 08/31/2021. For SNAP only cases, the cash stipend will be issued as cash assistance to the customer's Link card. The stipend will not be a SNAP issuance.
Issuance and Availability Dates
| Regular Availability Date |
Availability Date for ARPA |
| 08/01/2021 |
09/11/2021 |
|
08/02/2021
08/03/2021
|
09/12/2021 |
| 08/04/2021 |
09/13/2021 |
|
08/05/2021
08/06/2021
|
09/14/2021 |
| 08/07/2021 |
09/15/2021 |
|
08/08/2021
08/09/2021
|
09/16/2021 |
| 08/10/2021 |
09/17/2021 |
|
08/13/2021
08/17/2021
08/20/2021
|
09/18/2021 |
Exempt Income
The stipend is a lump sum (single, one-time and non-recurring,) payment and is considered as exempt income for all Cash and SNAP programs.
Even though lump sum payments are typically budgeted for Cash, these specific payments are exempt for all Cash programs. See TANF/RRP PM 08-01-08, AABD PM 08-02-07-a and SNAP PM 08-04-04-q.
Overpayments
The $250 stipend should not be included in overpayment calculations.
Client Notice
Client Notice CN 21.06/CN 21.06S will be mailed to notify all active TANF and SNAP households that are eligible for the one-time stipend.
Grace B. Hou
[signed copy on file]
Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services
Forms referenced:
CN 21.06
CN 21.06S
