(a) Except for a child-only grant for temporary assistance, the department shall evaluate appropriate cases to determine if a diversion grant would be effective in meeting a family‘s immediate and compelling need and prevent the family from going on temporary assistance or to assist the family in leaving temporary assistance. The diversion grant shall be awarded pursuant to the requirements in subsections (b) and (c) and the rules of the department.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 71-3-109

  • Assistance: means , unless otherwise required by the context, temporary assistance. See Tennessee Code 71-3-103
  • Department: means the department of human services. See Tennessee Code 71-3-103
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Family: means the eligible unit of children and parent or parents or caretaker relative or relatives residing in a common residence. See Tennessee Code 71-3-103
  • Temporary assistance: means the program to provide economic support and other support services to families that is provided by the state utilizing funds made available by congress and the secretary of health and human services to the state pursuant to the Social Security Act ( 42 U. See Tennessee Code 71-3-103
(b) The diversion grant:

(1) Shall meet immediate needs so that an applicant or recipient can avoid temporary cash assistance;
(2) May be granted as the department considers appropriate;
(3) May not cover the same type of immediate need met by a previous diversion grant unless the department determines that the current immediate need is a new and verified emergency;
(4) May range from one (1) to twelve (12) months of temporary cash assistance, dependent upon the department’s determination that there is a compelling need for a diversion grant;
(5) Shall be calculated based upon the amount of temporary cash assistance an applicant is eligible to receive under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Families First program; and
(6) May not duplicate periods of temporary cash assistance.
(c) The applicant’s temporary assistance eligibility period will be reduced by the number of months the applicant receives a diversion grant.
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