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Return to HHS Home PageI. What Federal Nondiscrimination Laws Apply to TANF Programs?
Federal laws that prohibit discrimination in federally funded programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age apply to the TANF program, Welfare-to-Work (WtW), food stamps, and other welfare programs and the actions of welfare providers, just as they do to other federally funded programs and providers. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) specifically incorporates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
These laws, and other Federal civil rights laws, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the antidiscrimination provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), and the Equal Pay Act (EPA) continue to apply to States and other recipients that provide funds, employment, training, food stamps, and other benefits under the PRWORA.
The purpose of these laws is to ensure that covered programs do not exclude or deny benefits or services to persons, or provide different, lesser benefits to persons on any of these prohibited bases. Welfare providers should be aware that a single action can result in a violation of one or more of these laws.
Date of last revision: March 3, 2006