TANF-ACF-PI-2021-03 (Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form)

TO:

State, tribal, and territorial agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, and other eligible territories.

SUBJECT: 

Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form.

REFERENCES:

The American Rescue Plan Act, Public Law 117-2; section 403(c) of the Social Security Act; TANF-ACF-PI-2021-02.

PURPOSE:

To transmit a form and instructions for requesting allotment from the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund.

BACKGROUND:

On March 11, 2021, the President signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2.  Section 9201 of that law created the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) in section 403(c) of the Social Security Act (the Act).  The PEAF provides funding to states (which includes the District of Columbia), tribes administering the TANF program, and five US territories (the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) to assist needy families impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.  To facilitate the allotment process contemplated in section 403(c)(3)(C) of the Act, HHS has created a Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form for states, tribes, and territories to inform the Secretary whether they intend to use all of their allotment. 

Section 3087 of the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in December 2016, added subsection (f) to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act.  This new subsection gives the HHS Secretary the authority to waive Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 USC 3501 et seq.) requirements with respect to voluntary collection of information during a public health emergency (PHE), as declared by the Secretary, or when a disease or disorder is significantly likely to become a public health emergency (SLPHE).

Under this new authority, the HHS Secretary may waive PRA requirements for the voluntary collection of information if the Secretary determines that: (1) a PHE exists according to section 319(a) of the PHS Act or determines that a disease or disorder, including a novel and emerging public health threat, is a SLPHE under section 319(f) of the PHS Act; and (2) the PHE/SLPHE, including the specific preparation for and response to it, necessitates a waiver of the PRA requirements.

The Secretary has determined that the circumstances of the PHE for the COVID-19 pandemic justify waiver of the PRA requirements for the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form. 

ACTION:

Effective immediately, the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form is available for requesting funds from the PEAF.  The instructions explain the procedures for submitting the form.

ATTACHMENT: 

Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund Allotment Request Form and accompanying instructions. (PDF)

INQUIRIES:

Please direct inquiries to the TANF Program Manager in your region.

        /s/

Susan J. Golonka
Acting Director
Office of Family Assistance