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"Assisting low-income families achieve sufficiency and move out of poverty by Expecting, Rewarding, & Supporting Work"
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ApplyMN is Minnesota's secure, online system you can use to apply for health care, cash assistance, SNAP (food support), emergency help, and child care assistance programs.
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| To get started, visit Minnesota Human Services Online to use an online pre-screening tool find out if you might qualify for benefits and to register for a user ID and password.
If you already have a user ID and password, you can log-on to ApplyMN directly.
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Welfare Reform began in Minnesota in July 1997. Minnesota began it's version of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). "Entitlement" was eliminated and 60-month lifetime limit was established. The MFIP program went beyond reducing welfare caseloads and sought to move people out of poverty.
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In 2003 Minnesota philosophical changes occurred with legislative updates to the MFIP program. The program shifted from "out of poverty' to "quick attachment to the workforce". |
Employment & Self-sufficiency Supports: |
- MFIP requires both single and 2-parent households to work at least 25+ hours per week.
- A percent of earnings are disregarded before wages impact the family's cash grant.
- Funding streams for specialized services have been combined into a "consolidated MFIP fund" where counties have some local flexibility.
- Types of funding available in the consolidated funds are transportation needs, short-term vocational training, emergency housing and utility needs.
- Other supports for employment and self-sufficiency include food support, child care assistance, transition medical assistance, and a pass-through of child support paid by non-custodial parents.
- In some cases funding is available for transportation needs and short-term vocational training.
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