The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant, which was created 2 years earlier by the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) and replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Program, gave states greater flexibility to design employment and training services for clients receiving cash assistance. Most States and Localities Coordinated TANF and WIA Services and Some Coordination Efforts Increased between 2000 and 2001

Nearly all states reported coordinating TANF and WIA services at the state or local level, and some of these coordination efforts increased between 2000 and 2001. A Variety of Conditions Influence State and Local Coordination Efforts, but Little Is Known about the Effectiveness of Coordinated Service Delivery on TANF Clients’ Outcomes

A variety of conditions—including historical relationships, geographic considerations, adequate facilities, and different perspectives on how best to serve TANF clients—influence how states and localities choose to coordinate services with one-stop centers. Different Information Systems Used by Welfare and Workforce Agencies Complicate Coordination

Welfare and workforce agencies often use different information systems, complicating efforts to coordinate TANF services with one-stop centers. Workforce Investment Act: Coordination between TANF Services Through One-Stops Has Increased Despite Challenges.
What GAO Found

The 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) required states to provide most federally funded employment-related services through one-stop centers. Two years earlier, welfare reform legislation created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant which provided flexibility to states to focus on helping needy adults with children find and maintain employment. Nearly all states reported some coordination of their TANF and WIA services at the state or local level, and the use of some of these coordination methods increased between 2000 and 2001. Historical relationships, geographic considerations, adequacy of facilities, and different perspectives on how best to serve TANF clients influenced how states and localities choose to coordinate services with one-stop centers. Several challenges, including program differences between TANF and WIA and different information systems used by welfare and workforce agencies, inhibit state and local coordination efforts. Though some states and localities have found creative ways to work around these issues, the differences remain barriers to coordination for many others.