The following rules apply to you if you receive TANF benefits.

[no-lexicon]Child support[/no-lexicon]

You must help DHS in getting the father of any children included on your TANF case to pay child support. 

This includes:

• Identifying the father
• Establishing paternity
• Getting child support
• Enforcing child support orders

You may claim you have good cause for not helping DHS with the child support process when:

• You became pregnant as a result of incest or rape;
• There is a possibility the child is going to be adopted out;
• There may be emotional harm to you or the child; or
• You are afraid because of domestic violence.

If you don’t cooperate and don’t have good cause, you can be punished.

Regular school attendance

Children included on the TANF case are required to regularly go to school. DHS works with your child’s school to determine if your child is truant. Truant means a student who stays away from school without a reason for more than 1% but less than 5% of the past 180 school days. 

If your child is truant, the school will put you in contact with a community organization. The organization will help to increase your child’s attendance.

Your family can be penalized if:

• You don’t work with the community organization; or
• Your child’s attendance does not get better within 3 months.