477 tribes - Tribes can enroll in a 477 plan to streamline their federal reporting requirements.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) - An operating division of the Department of Health & Human Services.
Authority to Operate (ATO) - The approval to permit an information system to store and process federal information. This approval is granted following a risk-management and compliance assessment process.
Block grants - $16.5 billion of TANF funding given to states to distribute to their qualified citizens
Contracting Officer (CO) - A Contracting Officer (CO) is a person who can bind the Federal Government of the United States to a contract. Contracting Officers hold a warrant that allows them to negotiate on behalf of the United States Government. As the Government's agent, only COs may execute, modify, or terminate a contract. There is a need for Contracting Officers both domestically and overseas depending on the agency.
Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) - Contracting officer representative is a federal employee designated in writing by a contracting officer to act as the contracting officer’s representative in monitoring and administering specified aspects of contractor performance after award of a contract or order. This project has two CORs--one from OFA and one from GSA. Breakdown of our COR's responsibilities.
Cross-functional Team (CFT) - Group including OCIO representatives, product owner, and COR.
Data files - aka "Section 1/2/3/4 data" these terms refer to the type of data STTs submit to OFA. There are four types of data files that STTs can submit. When sending universal data, STTs submit Section 1, 2, and 3 data reports based on the entire case load. When sending sampled data, states and territories submit Section 1 and 2 data reports based on sampled cases, Section 3 based on the entire case load, and Section 4 to report the stratum counts. About half of states and territories submit sampled data. OFA staff typically refer to specific data reports by their section number (Section 1, Section 3), while some STTs often use other terms (Disagg, actives, negatives).
Extranet - aka "TDRS Extranet" was a website where STTs could submit Section 3 aggregate data and Section 4 stratum reports through a web form. The TDRS extranet also allowed STTs and regional program specialists to view the data that had been accepted into the OFA system. The extranet is no longer available.
Flat file - aka “fTANF files”, “the fTANF format”, “txt files”, “file layouts”, “transmission files” all these usually refer to data formatted according to the special file format currently accepted by TDRS. This is a txt file format that is not human readable, and required data to be in a specific character order. More detail is available on the ACF website.
fTANF.exe - aka “fTANF”, “the executables”, “the grid” all refer to a desktop application that STTs could download to prepare flat data files that could then be exported and submitted to OFA. fTANF.exe can prepare all sections of data, and data could be entered by importing a flat file or manually inputting values. The application is no longer supported and doesn’t work on newer versions of Windows, but many STTs still use it on older machines.
Information System Security Officer (ISSO) - representative from the OCIO office to help ensure the security and compliance of information systems including for the TDRS system.
Integrated Eligibility System - State or tribe administered human services system that verifies eligibility and manages cases for multiple programs.
Maintenance-of-Effort (MOE) funding - Basically the funds provided by states to match the block grants they receive from OFA. Apx $15b.
Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) - An office that oversees ACF information technology
Office of Family Assistance (OFA) - An office within ACF that administers key federal grant programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Tribal programs, Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood, and Health Profession Opportunity Grants.
Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) - An ACF office that focuses on increasing the quality, usefulness, sharing, and analysis of data to improve ACF programs and program participants’ outcomes. Sibling to OFA.
Sample data - STTs (see definition below) may elect to report TANF information for all families served by the jurisdiction's TANF program or for a stratified sample of families served in the jurisdiction. Sample data, herein, is a reference to data from STTs that submit information for a stratified sample. As of FY2021, 22 STTs submit sample data. Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) - ACF OCIO's software governance framework designates how the TDRS system will undergo a risk-management assessment and receive an Authority to Operate (ATO).
States, Tribes, and Territories (STT) - aka "grantees" who receive block grants from OFA for TANF cash assistance that they then distribute to families in their jurisdiction, as well as other activities that meet a TANF purpose. Territories: Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Currently 75 federally-recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native organizations may elect to operate their own TANF programs.
TANF Data Reporting System (TDRS) - The system used to collect, store, and access TANF data from STTs.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - A program that provides block grants to states, tribes, and territories to help low-income families achieve self-sufficiency.
Universe data - STTs (see definition above) may elect to report TANF information for all families served by the jurisdiction's TANF program or for a stratified sample of families served in the jurisdiction. Universe data, herein, is a reference to data from STTs that submit information for all families served in the jurisdiction. US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) - A Cabinet-level federal department whose mission it is to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. The Administration of Children and Families is a part.
Work Verification Plan - STTs submit Work Verification plans to HHS that detail how they track work in their locality and how they process this information.