TANF law does not require a specific deadline for parties to submit verification forms

In this case, a woman had been receiving benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, commonly referred to as TANF.  Her benefits were later terminated because she had failed to meet the agency’s stated deadline for submitting verification documents to support her renewal application.  The evidence presented at the hearing showed she missed this purported deadline by 13 days.  The Court reversed the termination of TANF benefits, holding that existing TANF law and policy did not set a specific deadline for applicants to submit verification documents.  Rather, the agency’s manual called for the applicant to be given a “reasonable time” for the submission, and the woman ultimately provided the needed documents within the 45-day period the agency had to review the application.