Social Services Block Grant:
Background and Funding
Karen E. Lynch
Analyst in Social Policy
August 10, 2011
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
Summary
The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) is a flexible source of funds that states use to support a
wide variety of social services activities. States have broad discretion over the use of these funds.
In FY2009, the most recent year for which expenditure data are available, the largest expenditures
for services under the SSBG were for child care, foster care, and special services for the disabled.
The SSBG has received annual appropriations of $1.7 billion in every year since FY2002. Since
FY2001, annual appropriations for the SSBG have included a provision stipulating that states
may transfer up to 10% of their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants to
the SSBG. In addition to funding from annual appropriations, the SSBG received supplemental
appropriations in FY2006 and FY2009 for necessary expenses resulting from natural disasters.
Congress passed eight continuing resolutions (CRs) for FY2011. The final (full-year) FY2011
CR, P.L. 112-10, maintained SSBG funding at $1.7 billion. Prior to the enactment of the full-year
CR, the House had passed a bill (H.R. 1) on February 19, 2011, that would have made cuts to a
number of programs. However, H.R. 1 (like the final CR) would have maintained SSBG funding
at $1.7 billion. On March 9, 2011, the Senate voted to reject H.R. 1 and S.Amdt. 149 to H.R. 1 (in
the nature of a substitute), which would also have funded the SSBG at $1.7 billion.
President Obama released his FY2012 budget on February 14, 2011. The FY2012 President’s
Budget proposes maintaining SSBG funding at $1.7 billion in FY2012. By contrast, the
committee report (H.Rept. 112-58) accompanying the House-passed concurrent resolution on the
FY2012 budget (H.Con.Res. 34) recommends eliminating the SSBG in FY2012.
The SSBG is permanently authorized in Title XX of the Social Security Act (SSA). The 111th
Congress amended Title XX of the SSA in the health care reform legislation signed into law by
President Obama on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA;
P.L. 111-148). This law inserted a new subtitle on elder justice into Title XX, which was itself re-
titled as Block Grants to States for Social Services and Elder Justice. The health reform law also
amended Title XX by establishing two demonstration projects to address the workforce needs of
health care professionals and a new competitive grant program to support the early detection of
medical conditions related to environmental health hazards.
The purpose of this report is to provide background and funding information about the SSBG.
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Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1
Use of Funds .................................................................................................................................... 1
Goals.......................................................................................................................................... 1
Services ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Prohibited Uses.......................................................................................................................... 2
Eligibility ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Allocation of Funds ......................................................................................................................... 3
Transfer of TANF Funds to SSBG................................................................................................... 4
Funding............................................................................................................................................ 5
FY2012 Budget Resolution ....................................................................................................... 5
FY2012 Budget Request by the Obama Administration ........................................................... 5
FY2011 Appropriations ............................................................................................................. 6
FY2011 Budget Request by the Obama Administration ........................................................... 6
FY2010 Appropriations ............................................................................................................. 6
FY2010 Budget Request by the Obama Administration ........................................................... 7
FY2009 Appropriations ............................................................................................................. 7
FY2009 Budget Request by the Bush Administration............................................................... 7
Recent Supplemental Appropriations ........................................................................................ 8
FY2009 Supplemental Appropriation for Major Disasters of 2008 (and
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita) ........................................................................................... 8
Allocation of Funds....................................................................................................... 8
Expenditure of Funds.................................................................................................. 10
FY2006 Supplemental Appropriation for Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005........................ 11
Allocation of Funds..................................................................................................... 11
Expenditure of Funds.................................................................................................. 11
Additional Funding History..................................................................................................... 12
State Reporting Requirements ....................................................................................................... 13
Recent Expenditures ...................................................................................................................... 14
Recent Legislative Action.............................................................................................................. 16
How Did Health Reform Affect the SSBG?............................................................................ 16
New Subtitle on Elder Justice ........................................................................................... 16
New Programs Authorized within the SSBG Subtitle of Title XX ................................... 16
Additional Legislative History ................................................................................................ 17
Figures
Figure 1. HHS Allocation Methodology for the FY2009 SSBG Supplemental Funding ................ 9
Tables
Table 1. Estimated FY2011 SSBG Allotments to States and Territories ......................................... 3
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Table 2. State Allocations and Spending from the FY2009 SSBG Supplemental ......................... 10
Table 3. SSBG Funding, FY1985-FY2010.................................................................................... 12
Table 4. Total SSBG Expenditures by Service Category, FY2009 ................................................ 14
Table A-1. TANF Transfers to the SSBG in FY2009..................................................................... 18
Table B-1. State Spending from the FY2006 SSBG Supplemental ............................................... 20
Appendixes
Appendix A. TANF Transfers to SSBG in FY2009....................................................................... 18
Appendix B. FY2006 Supplemental SSBG Funding..................................................................... 20
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
Introduction
The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) is permanently authorized by Title XX, Subtitle A, of
the Social Security Act as a “capped” entitlement to states. This means that states are entitled to
their share of funds, as determined by formula, out of an amount of money that is capped in
statute at a specific level (also known as a funding ceiling). Although social services for certain
welfare recipients have been authorized under various titles of the Social Security Act since 1956,
the SSBG in its current form was created in 1981 (P.L. 97-35). Block grant funds are given to
states to achieve a wide range of social policy goals, which include promoting self-sufficiency,
preventing child abuse, and supporting community-based care for the elderly and disabled.
In FY2011, funding for the SSBG was subject to a series of eight continuing resolutions. The
final continuing resolution for FY2011 (P.L. 112-10) included $1.7 billion for the SSBG, the same
level of annual funding the block grant has received since FY2002. (This is also the level of
annualized funding the SSBG received under the previous seven continuing resolutions for
FY2011.) In February 2011, the Obama Administration released the FY2012 President’s Budget.
The budget proposes to maintain SSBG funding at $1.7 billion in FY2012. By contrast, the
committee report (H.Rept. 112-58) accompanying the House-passed concurrent resolution on the
FY2012 budget (H.Con.Res. 34) recommends eliminating the SSBG in FY2012.1
In addition to funding from annual appropriations, the SSBG has occasionally received
supplemental appropriations, most recently $600 million in FY2009. The expenditure deadline
for the FY2009 supplemental was originally scheduled for September 30, 2010. However,
Congress passed a bill (S. 3774), which President Obama signed into law (P.L. 111-285),
extending the expenditure deadline for these funds through the end of FY2011 (September 30,
2011). A special SSBG program for enterprise communities and empowerment zones was
authorized in 1993 (P.L. 103-66), but is not currently funded.
Health reform legislation enacted into law (P.L. 111-148) in March 2010 amended Title XX of the
Social Security Act to include a subtitle on elder justice and to establish several other programs.
Although these changes, briefly discussed later in the report, have technical importance for the
statutory citations of the SSBG, they do not substantively amend the provisions within Title XX
that govern the SSBG itself. At the federal level, the SSBG is administered by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Legislation amending Title XX is typically
reported by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.
Use of Funds
Goals
Federal law establishes the five broad goals for the SSBG. Social services funded by states must
be linked to one or more of these goals. The five goals are
1 H.Rept. 112-58, Concurrent Resolution on the Budget, FY2012, April 11, 2011, p. 97.
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• achieving or maintaining economic self-support to prevent, reduce, or eliminate
dependency;
• achieving or maintaining self-sufficiency, including reduction or prevention of
dependency;
• preventing or remedying neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children and adults
unable to protect their own interests, or preserving, rehabilitating or reuniting
families;
• preventing or reducing inappropriate institutional care by providing for
community-based care, home-based care, or other forms of less intensive care;
and
• securing referral or admission for institutional care when other forms of care are
not appropriate, or providing services to individuals in institutions.
Services
States have broad discretion in spending SSBG funds to support these broad goals. The following
are examples of social services, as specified in law, that relate to the SSBG’s broad goals:
child care, protective services for children and adults, services for children and adults in
foster care, services related to the management and maintenance of the home, adult day care,
transportation, family planning, training and related services, employment services, referral
and counseling services, meal preparation delivery, health support services, and services to
meet the special needs of children, the aged, the mentally retarded, the blind, the emotionally
disturbed, the physically handicapped, and alcoholics and drug addicts.
In 1993, HHS issued a regulation establishing uniform definitions for 28 SSBG service
categories. State spending is not limited to these services; instead, these service categories are
used as guidelines for reporting purposes. (Spending on an activity that falls outside the scope of
services defined in regulation is characterized under “other services” on annual reports.) In
addition to supporting social services, SSBG funds may be used for administration, planning,
evaluation, and training. (See Table 4 for a full list of the service categories reported on by
states.) States may also transfer up to 10% of their SSBG allotments to block grants for health
activities and low-income home energy assistance.
Prohibited Uses
Although SSBG funds can be used for a broad array of activities, some restrictions are placed on
the use of these funds. Funds cannot be used for the following: (1) purchase of land, construction,
or major capital improvements; (2) cash payments as a service or for costs of subsistence or room
and board (other than costs of subsistence during rehabilitation, temporary emergency shelter
provided as a protective service, or in the case of vouchers for certain families as allowed under
welfare reform); (3) payment of wages as a social service (except wages of welfare recipients
employed in child day care); (4) most medical care (except family planning, rehabilitation
services, initial detoxification of certain individuals, or medical care provided as an “integral but
subordinate component of a social service”); (5) social services for residents of institutions
(including hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons); (6) educational services generally provided by
public schools; (7) child care that does not meet applicable state or local standards; (8) services
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provided by anyone excluded from participation in Medicare or certain other Social Security Act
programs; or (9) items or services related to assisted suicide (this provision was added in 1997,
under P.L. 105-12).2 Under extraordinary circumstances, the law does allow HHS to waive two of
these prohibitions (use of the SSBG for the purchase of land or capital improvements, or for the
provision of medical care).
Eligibility
There are no federal eligibility criteria for SSBG participants. Thus, states have total discretion to
set their own eligibility criteria. One exception is that welfare reform established an income limit
of 200% of poverty for recipients of services funded by TANF allotments that are transferred to
the SSBG.
Allocation of Funds
SSBG funds are allocated to states according to the relative size of each state’s population. Grants
to Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands are based on their share
of Title XX funds in FY1981, while grants to American Samoa are based on the relative size of
their population compared to the population of the Northern Mariana Islands. No match is
required for federal SSBG funds, and federal law does not specify a sub-state allocation formula.
In other words, states have complete discretion for the distribution of SSBG funds within their
borders. Table 1 displays FY2011 SSBG allotments by state.
Table 1. Estimated FY2011 SSBG Allotments to States and Territories
State / Territory
Allotment ($)
State / Territory
Allotment ($)
Alabama
25,928,224
Nevada
14,553,992
Alaska
3,846,101
New Hampshire
7,293,695
Arizona
36,319,265
New Jersey
47,948,654
Arkansas
15,910,587
New Mexico
11,066,135
California
203,527,234
New York
107,603,864
Colorado
27,668,480
North Carolina
51,655,287
Connecticut
19,373,246
North Dakota
3,561,809
Delaware
4,873,872
Ohio
63,558,897
District of Columbia
3,301,976
Oklahoma
20,302,524
Florida
102,078,238
Oregon
21,065,756
Georgia
54,123,974
Pennsylvania
69,407,410
Hawaii
7,131,822
Rhode Island
5,799,434
Idaho
8,511,862
South Carolina
25,116,211
Illinois
71,090,410
South Dakota
4,473,339
2 See Section 2005(a) of the Social Security Act.
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State / Territory
Allotment ($)
State / Territory
Allotment ($)
Indiana
35,368,495
Tennessee
34,669,953
Iowa
16,562,583
Texas
136,462,292
Kansas
15,521,265
Utah
15,333,082
Kentucky
23,755,410
Vermont
3,423,685
Louisiana
24,735,353
Virginia
43,405,019
Maine
7,259,147
Washington
36,695,999
Maryland
31,383,841
West Virginia
10,020,495
Massachusetts
36,307,200
Wisconsin
31,137,681
Michigan
54,897,717
Wyoming
2,996,991
Minnesota
28,998,098
American Samoa
48,518
Mississippi
16,254,993
Guam
293,103
Missouri
Northern Mariana
32,970,258
Islands
58,621
Montana
5,368,720
Puerto Rico
8,793,103
Nebraska
9,892,977
Virgin Islands
293,103
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from HHS, available online
at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/ssbg/docs/esalloc11.html.
Notes: Figures are based on the annual SSBG appropriation of $1.7 billion, as provided in the final continuing
resolution for FY2011 (P.L. 112-10).
Transfer of TANF Funds to SSBG
The 1996 welfare reform law replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with a
block grant to states, called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), under Title IV-A
of the Social Security Act. The law allowed states to transfer up to 10% of their annual TANF
allotments into the SSBG. Under provisions of the Transportation Equity Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-
178), the amount that states could transfer into SSBG was reduced to 4.25% of their annual
TANF allotments, beginning in FY2001. However, this provision was superseded in FY2001 by
the FY2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which maintained the 10% transfer authority level.
Likewise, the FY2002 appropriations bill presented to the President maintained the 10% transfer
authority for FY2002. Earlier, the House had passed its version of a Labor/HHS/Ed
appropriations bill (H.R. 3061) proposing to maintain the 10% transfer authority, while the
Senate’s amended version proposed a 5.7% transfer level. (The Senate Appropriations Committee
had recommended a 5.9% transfer authority level in S. 1536; however, the full Senate, in passing
an amended H.R. 3061, would have reduced it to 5.7% as a partial offset to funding proposed in
S.Amdt. 2084, which provided increased funding for Hispanic education programs.) Ultimately,
appropriations acts maintained the transfer authority at 10% in FY2003-FY2011 as well.
There has been some confusion about whether or not the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA, P.L. 109-
171) permanently reinstated the 10% transfer authority. This law reauthorized TANF, through the
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end of FY2010, in the manner authorized for FY2004.3 In that fiscal year, the Social Security Act
capped states’ authority to transfer TANF funds to the SSBG at 4.25%, but this law was
superseded by the FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-199), which maintained the
practice of allowing 10% transfers from TANF to the SSBG. In the wake of the DRA, Congress
has continued to ensure that the transfer ceiling stays at 10% by including language to that effect
in appropriations legislation.
Over the course of FY1998-FY2009, states annually transferred more than $9 billion of their
TANF funds to the SSBG. In FY2009 alone, 43 states transferred $1.2 billion to the SSBG, with
32 of those states taking advantage of the higher transfer ceiling by moving more than 4.25% of
their TANF funds to the SSBG (see Table A-1 in Appendix A for FY2009 state-by-state data).4
Funds transferred from TANF to the SSBG can be used only for children and families whose
income is less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Under welfare reform law, states also
may use SSBG funds for vouchers for families that are not eligible for cash assistance because of
time limits under the welfare reform program, or for children who are denied cash assistance
because they were born into families already receiving benefits for another child.
Funding
FY2012 Budget Resolution
On April 15, 2011, the House passed a concurrent resolution on the FY2012 budget (H.Con.Res.
34), which sets broad spending targets for FY2012 and subsequent years. This resolution does not
determine spending amounts for specific programs. For annually appropriated programs, such as
the SSBG, spending amounts are determined through the appropriations process. However, the
committee report (H.Rept. 112-58) accompanying the House-passed FY2012 budget resolution
included a recommendation that the SSBG be eliminated.5 In its critique of the SSBG, the
committee report notes that states are not required to match federal SSBG allotments or to
demonstrate outcomes (“evidence of effectiveness”) from their SSBG spending. The report called
the SSBG a “duplicative” funding stream, noting that many services supported by the SSBG may
also be supported by other federal programs.
FY2012 Budget Request by the Obama Administration
The Obama Administration released the FY2012 Budget on February 14, 2011. The Budget
requests that funding for the SSBG be maintained at $1.7 billion for FY2012, the same amount it
has received annually since FY2002.
3 The conference report for the DRA notes that the House version of the bill increased the maximum transfer to SSBG
to 10%, while the Senate bill had no provision. The conference report recedes to the Senate with regard to the transfer
authority.
4 See FY2009 TANF Financial Data available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/index.html. Calculation is
based on FY2009 dollars spent in FY2009; it does not include prior year funds.
5 H.Rept. 112-58, Concurrent Resolution on the Budget, FY2012, April 11, 2011, p. 97.
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FY2011 Appropriations
Congress did not pass a regular FY2011 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, HHS,
Education, and Related Agencies. Instead, funding for the SSBG was provided under a series of
continuing resolutions (CRs) for the first half of the fiscal year until a final (full-year) FY2011
CR was passed by the Congress and enacted into law (P.L. 112-10) on April 15, 2011. The final
FY2011 CR provided $1.7 billion for the SSBG, the same amount of annual funding the block
grant has received since FY2002. Seven short-term CRs provided temporary funding for the
SSBG prior to the enactment of the final FY2011 CR. Each of these CRs (P.L. 112-8, P.L. 112-6,
P.L. 112-4, P.L. 111-322, P.L. 111-317, P.L. 111-290, P.L. 111-242) maintained SSBG funding at
the annualized level of $1.7 billion.
Prior to the enactment of the final FY2011 CR, the House had passed alternative legislation (H.R.
1) to extend funding through the end of FY2011, which would have reduced funding for many
government programs. However, as passed by the House on February 19, 2011, H.R. 1 would
have maintained SSBG funding at the $1.7 billion level. The Senate voted to reject H.R. 1 on
March 9, 2011. On March 9, the Senate also voted to reject S.Amdt. 149 to H.R. 1 (in the nature
of a substitute), which would have provided full-year funding of $1.7 billion for the SSBG.
Before the passage of the first CR, the House and Senate had initiated the FY2011 appropriations
process for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related
Agencies (L-HHS-ED) in the 111th Congress. The Senate Subcommittee on L-HHS-ED
Appropriations marked up and approved its proposal for FY2011 L-HHS-ED funding on July 27,
2010. The full Senate Appropriations Committee subsequently reported on the proposed FY2011
funding bill (S.Rept. 111-243, S. 3686) on August 2, 2010. This bill would have maintained
SSBG funding at the $1.7 billion level. The House Subcommittee on L-HHS-ED Appropriations
marked up and approved its proposal for FY2011 appropriations on July 15, 2010, but the full
House Appropriations Committee took no action on this legislation in the 111th Congress.
FY2011 Budget Request by the Obama Administration
In February 2010, the Obama Administration released the FY2011 Budget, which requested that
funding for the SSBG be maintained at $1.7 billion for FY2011, the same amount it has received
annually since FY2002.
FY2010 Appropriations
On December 16, 2009, President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, into
law as P.L. 111-117. The measure provided $1.7 billion for the SSBG, reflecting the conference
report (H.Rept. 111-366) filed on the bill, H.R. 3288, on December 8, 2009. The House and
Senate agreed to the conference report on December 10 and December 13, respectively. P.L. 111-
117 also maintained the states’ authority to transfer up to 10% of their TANF funds to the SSBG.
Prior to the passage of H.R. 3288, both the House and Senate had initiated the L-HHS-ED
appropriations process for FY2010. Although the full Senate did not pass a bill to provide L-
HHS-ED appropriations for FY2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee did report such a bill
(S.Rept. 111-66, H.R. 3293) on August 4, 2009, which sought to maintain funding for the SSBG
at the annual level of $1.7 billion. Meanwhile, on July 24, 2009, the House passed its FY2010 L-
HHS-ED appropriations bill, H.R. 3293, which also sought to maintain funding for the SSBG at
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$1.7 billion. Prior to consideration by the full House, this bill was reported by the House
Committee on Appropriations on July 22, 2009 (H.Rept. 111-220).
FY2010 Budget Request by the Obama Administration
In May 2009, the Obama Administration released the detailed FY2010 Budget, which requested
that funding for the SSBG be maintained at $1.7 billion in FY2010. This was a contrast to recent
President’s Budgets submitted by the Bush Administration, which had proposed funding
reductions and, ultimately, full elimination of the SSBG.
FY2009 Appropriations
President Obama signed the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-8) into law on March
11, 2009. The FY2009 Omnibus funded the SSBG at an annual level of $1.7 billion in FY2009,
rejecting the proposed cuts in the FY2009 budget request submitted by President Bush. The
Omnibus also maintained states’ authority to transfer up to 10% of their TANF block grants to the
SSBG.
Prior to the passage of the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, Congress had passed two CRs
for FY2009 (P.L. 110-329 and P.L. 111-6). Both CRs also rejected cuts proposed by the Bush
Administration, maintaining SSBG funding at $1.7 billion. The first of the two CRs (P.L. 110-
329) was signed into law by President Bush on September 30, 2008, and remained in effect until
March 6, 2009. The second CR (P.L. 111-6) was signed into law by President Obama on March 6,
2009, and lasted until it was superseded by the FY2009 Omnibus on March 11, 2009.
In addition to annual appropriations contained in the FY2009 Omnibus, many programs also
received FY2009 funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed
into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009 (P.L. 111-5). The original Senate-passed
version of this bill (H.R. 1) would have appropriated $400 million in SSBG funds, to be obligated
to states within 60 calendar days from the date at which they become available for obligation. The
original House-passed version of H.R. 1, meanwhile, included no funds for SSBG. Ultimately, the
enacted version of this legislation adopted the House position on this and, as a result, the SSBG
received no supplemental funds from the ARRA.6
FY2009 Budget Request by the Bush Administration
President Bush’s FY2009 budget, released on February 4, 2008, originally called for $1.2 billion
in funding for the SSBG in FY2009, a $500 million decrease from the authorized funding level.
However the Bush Administration subsequently submitted to Congress two amendments to the
initial budget request, which combined to reduce the proposed FY2009 SSBG funding level to
$0.7
6 For more information about human services programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, see CRS
Report R40211, Human Services Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, by Gene Falk et al.
7 These two amendments to the FY2009 President’s Budget can be found on the Government Printing Office (GPO)
website at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/USbudget/fy09/amndsup.html (see H.Doc. 110-123 and H.Doc. 110-141).
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In addition to the proposed cut for FY2009, the Bush Administration budget also proposed a plan
to permanently eliminate the SSBG beginning in FY2010. The Administration contended that the
grant’s flexibility and lack of state reporting requirements make it difficult to measure its
performance, and that the broad array of services funded through the SSBG often overlap with
other federal programs.
Recent Supplemental Appropriations
FY2009 Supplemental Appropriation for Major Disasters of 2008 (and
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita)
The first FY2009 CR (P.L. 110-329) included, as Division B, the Disaster Relief and Recovery
Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008. This law provided $600 million in supplemental funds
for the SSBG in FY2008. These funds were appropriated on the last day of FY2008 and were not
allotted to states by HHS until FY2009. The supplemental funds were appropriated for necessary
expenses resulting from “major disasters” (as declared by the President and defined in Title IV of
the Stafford Act) occurring during 2008, including hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.
The appropriation also made these funds available for necessary expenses resulting from
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The appropriations language specified that in addition to other uses permitted by Title XX of the
Social Security Act, states could use their supplemental SSBG funds to provide social and health
services (including mental health services) for individuals, as well as to support the repair,
renovation, or construction of health care facilities, mental health facilities, child care centers, and
other social services facilities affected by related disasters.
Allocation of Funds
The appropriations language explicitly required HHS to distribute funding to eligible states based
on “demonstrated need in accordance with objective criteria that are made available to the
public.” HHS outlined their criteria in Information Memorandum Transmittal No. 02-2009,
FY2008 SSBG Supplemental Appropriation of Disaster Assistance Funds Awarded in FY2009,
which was issued by the Department on January 6, 2009.8 Figure 1 illustrates how the criteria
selected by HHS were used to allocate funds to states.
8 See the Information Memorandum online at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/ssbg/procedures/IM_0109.html.
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Figure 1. HHS Allocation Methodology for the FY2009 SSBG Supplemental Funding
Source: Figure prepared by the Congressional Research Service based on data from HHS.
As specified in the Information Memorandum, HHS identified criteria to determine which
disasters qualified for supplemental SSBG funds. First, HHS specified that qualifying major
disasters were those that occurred between January 1, 2008, and the date of enactment of the
supplemental appropriation (September 30, 2008); in addition, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were
considered to qualify automatically based on appropriations language. Second, HHS restricted
qualifying disasters to those which triggered authorizations for Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance. The FEMA Individual Assistance program provides
money or direct assistance to individuals, families, and businesses in an affected area whose
property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance. HHS
chose Individual Assistance data to serve as a proxy for “demonstrated need,” noting that these
data represent individual households that have declared a loss associated with the disaster and
who have registered for assistance.
Twenty states (including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) were directly affected by qualifying
disasters in 2008, as determined by the HHS criteria. Based on these same criteria, four states
were deemed to be eligible for supplemental funds as a result of the lasting effects of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita (all but one of these states had also been affected by disasters in 2008). In total,
21 states (including Puerto Rico) were eligible to receive some share of the $600 million in
supplemental funds under the HHS methodology.
As shown in Figure 1, the HHS methodology called for three-fourths of the supplemental funds
($450 million) to be reserved for the states that were directly affected by major disasters
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occurring in 2008. One-fourth of the supplemental ($150 million) was then dedicated to the states
facing ongoing needs as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. From there, funds in each
category were allocated to states using two equally-weighted sets of data: (1) the proportional
share of FEMA registrants for Individual Assistance (that is, individuals from affected
communities who validly registered with FEMA after the natural disaster), and (2) the relative
size of state populations according to 2007 data from the Census Bureau’s American Community
Survey. Table 2 displays the amount allocated to each state.
Expenditure of Funds
Based on data from HHS, states had spent more than $501 million (or 83.6%) of the $600 million
in supplemental funds as of July 28, 2011. As shown in Table 2, some states have spent these
funds more quickly than others. For instance, six states (Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maine, and Mississippi) had spent all of their supplemental funds by July 28, 2011, while two
states (Oklahoma and West Virginia) had not yet spent any. The remaining 14 states (including
Puerto Rico) had spent some portion of their funds, ranging from 3.5% of Arkansas’s allotment to
94.6% of Texas’s.
Typically, SSBG funds are subject to a two-year expenditure period—meaning that funds must be
spent by the end of the fiscal year subsequent to the fiscal year in which they were allotted to
states.9 The funds from this supplemental were allotted to states in FY2009, giving states until the
last day of FY2010 (September 30, 2010) to spend them. However, most states had not spent all
of their supplemental funds by the end of FY2010. Recognizing this, Congress passed a bill (S.
3774), which the President signed into law (P.L. 111-285) on November 24, 2010, extending the
expenditure deadline for these funds by one fiscal year (to September 30, 2011).
Table 2. State Allocations and Spending from the FY2009 SSBG Supplemental
(as of July 28, 2011)
State
Allocation ($)
Balance ($)
Percent Spent
Alabama
13,092,588
0
100.0%
Arkansas
7,386,653
7,130,072
3.5%
Colorado
8,931,072
6,569,293
26.4%
Florida
35,384,592
20,058,269
43.3%
Georgia
18,111,127
15,909,499
12.2%
Illinois
30,502,439
9,951,979
67.4%
Indiana
18,139,459
0
100.0%
Iowa
11,157,944
815,000
92.7%
Kentucky
7,732,381
0
100.0%
Louisiana
129,737,880
0
100.0%
Maine
2,425,722
0
100.0%
Mississippi
28,136,577
0
100.0%
9 Section 2002(c) of the Social Security Act.
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
State
Allocation ($)
Balance ($)
Percent Spent
Missouri
12,188,291
2,018,395
83.4%
Nebraska
3,570,592
2,072,383
42.0%
Nevada
4,640,930
1,576,171
66.0%
Oklahoma
6,540,619
6,540,619
0.0%
Puerto Rico
12,427,602
1,364,147
89.0%
Tennessee
11,689,137
4,185,273
64.2%
Texas
218,852,848
11,871,785
94.6%
West Virginia
3,386,574
3,386,574
0.0%
Wisconsin
15,964,973
5,149,947
67.7%
Total 600,000,000
98,599,404
83.6%
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from HHS.
FY2006 Supplemental Appropriation for Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005
The FY2006 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-148) included supplemental SSBG funding in
the amount of $550 million. These funds were for expenses related to the consequences of the
Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005. The Defense Appropriations Act expanded the potential services
for which the additional $550 million could be used to include “health services (including mental
health services) and for repair, renovation and construction of health facilities.”
Allocation of Funds
Factors used to allocate these supplemental funds included the number of FEMA registrants from
hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, as well as the percent of individuals in poverty in each state.
HHS distributed funds to all states that took in evacuees, not just the states that were directly
affected, noting in a February 8, 2006 press release that the Bush Administration had promised no
state would be unfairly disadvantaged for providing services to those affected by the storms.10
Although all states received a portion, Louisiana ($221 million), Mississippi ($128 million),
Texas ($88 million), Florida ($54 million), and Alabama ($28 million) received the bulk of
funding from the supplemental (94%).
Expenditure of Funds
On May 25, 2007, an FY2007 supplemental appropriations act was signed into law (P.L. 110-28),
extending the availability of the supplemental SSBG funds for expenditure through the end of
FY2009. In practical terms, this provision gave states until September 30, 2009, to spend all of
their supplemental funds.11 According to HHS, states failed to spend approximately $28.7 million
(or about 5%) of the $550 million in supplemental funds prior to the expenditure deadline (see
10 See http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20060208a.html.
11 The Terms and Conditions of SSBG grant agreements give states 90 days after the end of the grant period to finalize
spending for funds they had obligated as of September 30, 2009.
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Table B-1 in Appendix B for state-by-state data). This means that about 95% of the supplemental
funds were spent prior to the close of FY2009. Unspent funds reverted to the U.S. Treasury.
Additional Funding History
Table 3 shows SSBG funding levels from 1985 on, including the high of $2.8 billion, which was
provided annually from FY1991-FY1995. Although $2.8 billion was the originally authorized
entitlement ceiling for FY1996, Congress reduced funding to $2.38 billion in that year. Welfare
reform legislation (P.L. 104-193) subsequently set the annual SSBG entitlement ceiling at $2.38
billion in each of fiscal years 1997 through 2002. Under the welfare reform law, the ceiling was
scheduled to return to a permanent level of $2.8 billion in FY2003.
After welfare reform was enacted, Congress passed an appropriations measure for FY1997 (P.L.
104-208) that contained $2.5 billion for the SSBG, exceeding the ceiling established in the
welfare reform law. For FY1998, President Clinton requested that the amount authorized by
welfare reform ($2.38 billion) be appropriated. However, Congress approved an FY1998
appropriations bill (P.L. 105-78) containing $2.299 billion for the SSBG. The Senate
Appropriations Committee explained the reduction by stating that funding is provided for social
services through other federal programs (S.Rept. 105-58). The House Appropriations Committee
expressed concern that HHS lacks information on the effectiveness of SSBG-funded activities
(H.Rept. 105-205).
In 1998, the Transportation Equity Act (TEA, P.L. 105-178) permanently reduced the SSBG
entitlement ceiling to $1.7 billion, beginning in FY2001. However, the entitlement ceiling has not
always reflected the actual appropriation. For example, the $1.725 billion appropriation level for
FY2001 (H.R. 4577) exceeded the $1.7 billion ceiling by $25 million. In addition, a TEA
provision limited the authority for states to transfer TANF funds to the SSBG beginning in
FY2001 (reducing the transfer cap from 10%, as established in welfare reform, to 4.25%).
However, each annual appropriation from FY2001 onward has included override to reinstate the
higher cap, effectively enabling states to transfer up to 10% of their TANF funds to the SSBG.
Table 3 shows SSBG entitlement ceilings and appropriations from FY1985-FY2010. Also shown
for FY1997-FY2008 are the amounts transferred from TANF to SSBG.
Table 3. SSBG Funding, FY1985-FY2010
(Dollars in billions)
Fiscal
Ceiling Appropriation Fiscal
Year Ceiling Appropriation
Transfer from
Year
TANF
1985
2.7 2.725a
1997
2.380 2.5
0.36
1986
2.7 2.584b
1998
2.380 2.299 1.12
1987
2.7 2.7 1999
2.380 1.909 1.32
1988
2.750c 2.7 2000
2.380 1.775 1.10
1989
2.7 2.7 2001
1.700 1.725 0.93
1990
2.8 2.762d
2002
1.700 1.700 1.03
1991
2.8 2.8 2003
1.700 1.700 0.93
1992
2.8 2.8 2004
1.700 1.700 0.77
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
Fiscal
Ceiling Appropriation Fiscal
Year Ceiling Appropriation
Transfer from
Year
TANF
1993
2.8 2.8 2005
1.700 1.700 0.92
1994
2.8 2.8 2006
1.700 1.700+0.550e 0.97
1995
2.8 2.8 2007
1.700 1.700 1.17
1996
2.381 2.381 2008
1.700 1.700+0.600f 1.18
2009
1.700 1.700 1.21
2010
1.700
1.700
data not available
2011
1.700
1.700
data not available
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on budget documents and HHS data. In
this table, TANF transfer figures reflect data from combined year spending reports.
a. Amount includes $25 million earmarked for training of daycare providers, licensing officials, and parents,
including training in the prevention of child abuse in child care settings (P.L. 98-473).
b. The entitlement ceiling for FY1986 was $2.7 billion. However, the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings legislation
sequestration of funds for that period reduced the funding by $116 million.
c. The 1987 Budget Reconciliation Act (P.L. 100-203) included a $50 million increase in the Title XX entitlement
ceiling for FY1988; however, these additional funds were not appropriated.
d. The FY1990 appropriation included a supplemental appropriation of $100 million (P.L. 101-198). The Gramm-
Rudman-Hollings legislation sequestration of funds for FY1990 reduced funding by $37.8 million to $2.762 billion.
e. The FY2006 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act maintained regular SSBG funding at $1.7 billion. The
FY2006 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-148) provided an additional $550 million in SSBG funding, for
necessary expenses related to the consequences of hurricanes in 2005.
f.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) maintained regular SSBG funding at $1.7 billion.
However, the first FY2009 CR (P.L. 110-329) included, as Division B, the Disaster Relief and Recovery
Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, which provided $600 mil ion in supplemental funds for the SSBG.
These funds were appropriated on the last day of FY2008, but were not al otted to states until FY2009.
State Reporting Requirements
Each year, states are required to submit an intended use plan, often called a “pre-expenditure
report,” as a prerequisite to receive SSBG funds. The pre-expenditure report must be submitted
30 days prior to the start of the fiscal year.12 States must also submit a revised report if their
planned uses for SSBG funds change during the course of the year. In pre-expenditure reports,
states outline their plans for SSBG funds, including the types of services to be supported, and the
categories and characteristics of individuals to be served (e.g., children, adults 59 and younger,
adults 60 and older, and the disabled).
States are also required to report annually on their actual SSBG expenditures in each of the 29
service categories. For this report, submitted within six months after the end of the reporting
period, states use a standard post-expenditure reporting form.13 HHS published regulations
12 This refers to September 1, provided the state operates on a federal fiscal year; alternately, this means June 1 if the
state operates on a July-June fiscal year.
13 See OMB Form No. 0970-0234.
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
(November 15, 1993) to implement this requirement and to provide states with a uniform set of
service category definitions.
HHS does not require that states submit pre-expenditure reports using a standard format like the
one required for post-expenditure reporting (most states simply submit a narrative or chart of their
proposed activities and the individuals to be served). However, HHS issued a new Information
Memorandum on December 31, 2008 (Transmittal No. 01-2009), asking states to voluntarily
include additional documentation as part of their pre-expenditure reports.14 Specifically, HHS
requested that states submit a copy of the form used for post-expenditure reports, completed with
estimated (rather than actual) expenditures and recipient data. For states that submit this form as
part of their pre-expenditure report, the additional documentation will allow for a more accurate
analysis of the extent to which SSBG funds are spent “in a manner consistent” with the state’s
intended use plan. HHS later issued an Information Memorandum on June 7, 2010 (Transmittal
No. 01-2010) that again encouraged states to submit pre-expenditure estimates using the same
reporting form that is required for post-expenditure reports.15
Recent Expenditures
Table 4 shows national SSBG expenditures from FY2009, the most recent year for which data are
available. Expenditures are separated into those made from the annual SSBG allocation and those
made from funds transferred from the TANF block grant, and are displayed by service category.
In FY2009, the largest expenditures for services under the SSBG were for child care (14%),
foster care services for children (13%), and special services for the disabled (11%).
Table 4. Total SSBG Expenditures by Service Category, FY2009
SSBG Expenditures Made From:
SSBG
Funds Transferred
Total SSBG
Percent of
Service Category
Allocation ($)
from TANF ($)
Expenditures ($)
Total
Adoption Services
21,598,119
23,617,948
45,216,067
2%
Case Management
150,434,644
65,812,653
216,247,297
8%
Congregate Meals
7,173,962
8,884
7,182,846
0%
Counseling Services
20,642,121
3,028,957
23,671,078
1%
Day Care—Adults
23,988,382
21,589
24,009,971
1%
Day Care—Children
110,401,462
280,212,803
390,614,264
14%
Education and Training
21,632,305
2,257,017
23,889,322
1%
Services
Employment Services
11,361,657
1,262,902
12,624,559
0%
Family Planning Services
12,207,117
21,487,705
33,694,822
1%
14 Information Memorandum Transmittal No. 01-2009, Linking the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) Pre- and Post-
Expenditure Reports, HHS, Dec. 31, 2008, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/ssbg/procedures/mema.html.
15 Information Memorandum Transmittal No. 01-2010, Pre- and Post-Expenditure Reporting for the SSBG Program,
HHS, June 7, 2010, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/ssbg/procedures/mema.html.
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
SSBG Expenditures Made From:
SSBG
Funds Transferred
Total SSBG
Percent of
Service Category
Allocation ($)
from TANF ($)
Expenditures ($)
Total
Foster Care Services—
29,577,968
8,438,347
38,016,314
1%
Adults
Foster Care Services—
132,657,642
240,167,267
372,824,909
13%
Children
Health-Related Services
16,549,569
1,794,449
18,344,018
1%
Home-Based Services
169,380,683
28,184,628
197,565,311
7%
Home-Delivered Meals
25,482,489
48,919
25,531,408
1%
Housing Services
10,977,151
7,252,176
18,229,327
1%
Independent/Transitional
6,794,858
1,073,922
7,868,780
0%
Living
Information and Referral
17,478,571
4,259,729
21,738,300
1%
Legal Services
18,287,739
844,415
19,132,154
1%
Pregnancy and Parenting
7,723,212
2,046,509
9,769,720
0%
Prevention and
44,392,821
88,959,481
133,352,303
5%
Intervention
Protective Services—
210,302,566
5,423,422
215,725,988
8%
Adults
Protective Services—
133,001,497
137,159,212
270,160,708
10%
Children
Recreation Services
746,800
146,103
892,903
0%
Residential Treatment
58,881,865
47,642,297
106,524,162
4%
Special Services—
243,419,274
71,447,923
314,867,196
11%
Disabled
Special Services—Youth
20,820,932
4,632,124
25,453,056
1%
at Risk
Substance Abuse
4,504,880
966,279
5,471,159
0%
Services
Transportation
20,107,583
2,755,929
22,863,512
1%
Other Services
98,220,448
51,254,759
149,475,207
5%
Administrative Costs
74,774,141
15,701,228
90,475,369
3%
Total SSBG
1,723,522,458
1,117,909,571
2,841,432,029
100%
Expenditures
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data included in the Social
Services Block Grant Program Annual Report 2009. Ful report available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/
ssbg/reports/reports.html.
Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding.
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
Recent Legislative Action
Other than appropriations legislation, no bills in the 109th Congress or 110th Congress that
proposed changes to the SSBG were enacted into law. During the first Session of the 111th
Congress, several bills were introduced (S. 795, H.R. 2006, S. 1796, H.R. 3590) which sought to
amend Title XX of the Social Security Act (SSA)—the authorizing statute for the SSBG—to
establish new programs to address the prevention, detection, and treatment of elder abuse or elder
justice. Ultimately, the health care reform legislation passed by Congress in March 2010 included
three provisions amending Title XX of the SSA, including one on elder justice.
How Did Health Reform Affect the SSBG?
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law a comprehensive health care reform bill,
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA; P.L. 111-148). This law included three
provisions that amended the SSBG’s authorizing legislation, Title XX of the SSA. These
provisions, discussed briefly below, created new programs related to elder justice, the health care
workforce, and environmental health hazards. Notably, these changes were primarily of technical
importance with respect to the SSBG. That is, they affected statutory citations for the SSBG, but
they did not substantively amend the provisions within Title XX that govern the SSBG itself.
New Subtitle on Elder Justice
The health reform law re-titled Title XX as Block Grants to States for Social Services and Elder
Justice (formerly, Title XX was entitled Block Grants to States for Social Services). The law also
divided Title XX into two subtitles: Subtitle A retained provisions related to the SSBG, while
Subtitle B comprised a series of new provisions related to elder justice.16 The elder justice
provisions established (1) an Elder Justice Coordinating Council; (2) an Advisory Board on Elder
Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation; (3) a new grant program for stationary and mobile forensic
centers to develop forensic expertise pertaining to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and (4)
several new grant programs (and other activities) to promote elder justice.17
New Programs Authorized within the SSBG Subtitle of Title XX
The health care reform law (P.L. 111-148) also included provisions establishing two new sections
within Subtitle A of Title XX. The first created two demonstration projects related to the health
care workforce. The second called for HHS to establish a competitive grant program for the early
detection of medical conditions related to environmental health hazards. The health reform law
established these new programs within the SSBG subtitle of Title XX and subjected their funding
to the same prohibited uses as SSBG funds (though the new law made two exceptions18 to this
16 See Sections 6701-6703 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, P.L. 111-148).
17 A full description of these provisions is beyond the scope of this report, which is focused on the SSBG. For a
summary of the provisions in P.L. 111-148 related to elder justice, see CRS Report R40943, Public Health, Workforce,
Quality, and Related Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148), coordinated by C.
Stephen Redhead and Erin D. Williams.
18 Section 10323(b) of PPACA (P.L. 111-148) specifies that the general prohibition against using SSBG funds for the
provision of medical care shall not be construed as to prohibit recipients of a grant for the early detection of medical
conditions related to environmental health hazards from conducting screening for environmental health conditions. In
(continued...)
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rule). However, these new programs do not substantively alter the SSBG itself. The funding for
these programs was provided separately in the health reform law (through mandatory pre-
appropriations) and is not subject to the SSBG allocation formula.
Additional Legislative History
Proposals to increase funding for the SSBG were included as part of welfare reauthorization bills
in the 109th Congress, but these were not passed. (S. 667 would have increased funding for the
SSBG by $1 billion over five years, and both H.R. 751 and S. 6 would have provided $1.975
billion for the SSBG in FY2006 and $2.8 billion in FY2007.) Instead, a scaled-back version of
welfare reauthorization, which included none of the SSBG provisions, was included in
reconciliation legislation and signed into law (P.L. 109-171) on February 8, 2006. It is possible
that the next round of welfare reauthorization (due in FY2011) may include similar proposals
with respect to the SSBG.
(...continued)
addition, Section 5507 of PPACA exempts both health care workforce demonstrations projects from the prohibition
against using SSBG funds for the provision of an education service that the state makes generally available to its
residents without cost and without regard to their income.
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Appendix A. TANF Transfers to SSBG in FY2009
Table A-1. TANF Transfers to the SSBG in FY2009
Percent of
Total SSBG
TANF Funds
TANF
Funds With
Total Federal
Transferred
Funds
SSBG
TANF
TANF Funds
to SSBGa
Transferred
Allocationb
Transfer
State
($)
($)
to SSBG
($)
($)
Alabama
104,408,461 10,440,848 10.00% 25,937,984 36,378,832
Alaska
53,044,477 5,049,000 9.52% 3,830,729 8,879,729
Arizona
264,204,113 22,415,757
8.48% 35,527,187 57,942,944
Arkansas 74,253,498
0
0.00%
15,888,351
15,888,351
California
3,659,875,042 351,609,041
9.61% 204,871,919 556,480,960
Colorado
174,570,108 14,962,638
8.57% 27,247,614 42,210,252
Connecticut
266,788,107 26,678,810 10.00% 19,629,594 46,308,404
Delaware
37,281,732 2,788,865 7.48% 4,846,793 7,635,658
District of Columbia
92,575,606
3,935,917
4.25%
3,297,234
7,233,151
Florida 622,745,788
62,274,578
10.00%
102,293,798
164,568,376
Georgia 368,024,967
0
0.00%
53,496,013
53,496,013
Hawai 110,443,680
9,890,000
8.95%
7,193,079
17,083,079
Idaho
33,910,608 1,441,201 4.25% 8,403,785 9,844,986
Illinois
585,056,960 39,672,230
6.78% 72,035,420 111,707,650
Indiana 206,799,109
2,000,000
0.97%
35,563,808
37,563,808
Iowa
131,030,394 12,962,008
9.89% 16,747,274 29,709,282
Kansas 120,618,422
7,191,254
5.96%
15,558,791
22,750,045
Kentucky 181,287,669
0
0.00%
23,772,435
23,772,435
Louisiana
180,998,997 16,397,199
9.06% 24,062,369 40,459,568
Maine
78,120,889 2,542,709 3.25% 7,382,626 9,925,335
Maryland
267,281,037 22,909,803
8.57% 31,489,458 54,399,261
Massachusetts
551,245,339 45,937,113
8.33% 36,149,315 82,086,428
Michigan 930,423,430
77,535,285
8.33%
56,450,124
133,985,409
Minnesota 263,434,070
4,790,000
1.82%
29,131,407
33,921,407
Mississippi 95,803,252
9,580,325
10.00%
16,359,083
25,939,408
Missouri
217,051,740 21,705,174 10.00% 32,947,093 54,652,267
Montana
39,171,817 1,998,226 5.10% 5,368,579 7,366,805
Nebraska 57,513,601
0
0.00%
9,946,041
9,946,041
Nevada 51,591,051
1,924,690
3.73%
14,378,345
16,303,035
New
Hampshire
38,521,261 2,000,000 5.19% 7,374,897 9,374,897
New
Jersey
404,034,823 16,938,000
4.19% 48,682,478 65,620,478
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Percent of
Total SSBG
TANF Funds
TANF
Funds With
Total Federal
Transferred
Funds
SSBG
TANF
TANF Funds
to SSBGa
Transferred
Allocationb
Transfer
State
($)
($)
to SSBG
($)
($)
New Mexico
139,246,824
0
0.00%
11,040,897
11,040,897
New
York
2,850,085,702 200,755,328
7.04% 108,159,098 308,914,426
North
Carolina
398,797,467 14,838,807
3.72% 50,784,890 65,623,697
North Dakota
26,399,809
0
0.00%
3,585,448
3,585,448
Ohio 727,968,260
54,597,620
7.50%
64,269,293
118,866,913
Oklahoma
145,281,442 14,528,144 10.00% 20,274,180 34,802,324
Oregon 166,798,629
0
0.00%
21,003,578
21,003,578
Pennsylvania
717,365,627 23,232,750
3.24% 69,682,789 92,915,539
Rhode Island
95,021,587
8,257,769
8.69%
5,928,892
14,186,661
South Carolina
119,961,389
4,000,000
3.33%
24,704,142
28,704,142
South
Dakota
21,279,651 2,127,965 10.00% 4,462,587 6,590,552
Tennessee 250,572,162
9,000,000
3.59%
34,506,919
43,506,919
Texas 538,964,526
31,267,490
5.80%
133,978,262
165,245,752
Utah 99,435,766
7,560,948
7.60%
14,826,434
22,387,382
Vermont
47,353,181 4,735,318 10.00% 3,481,978 8,217,296
Virginia
158,285,172 13,956,375
8.82% 43,224,403 57,180,778
Washington 456,899,680
6,176,000
1.35%
36,253,950
42,429,950
West
Virginia
110,176,310 11,017,631 10.00% 10,156,017 21,173,648
Wisconsin
377,399,225 13,420,500
3.56% 31,395,836 44,816,336
Wyoming 18,500,530
0
0.00%
2,930,336
2,930,336
Total
17,727,902,987 1,217,043,316
- 1,690,513,552 2,907,556,868
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on FY2009 data reported by HHS.
In this table, TANF financial data reflect FY2009 one-year (not combined) spending, whereas SSBG figures
represent FY2009 allocations.
a. The amount in this column is the total amount of FY2009 TANF funding transferred to the SSBG in FY2009;
it does not include any adjustments made for previous years. This information comes from TANF financial
data reports for FY2009 (Table A1-1), available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/index.html.
b. The amount in this column does not include supplemental funds awarded to states under P.L. 110-329.
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
Appendix B. FY2006 Supplemental SSBG Funding
The FY2006 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-148) included $550 million in supplemental
SSBG funding for expenses related to the consequences of the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005.
Table B-1 displays state-by-state allocations and balances (i.e., unspent funds) from the FY2006
supplemental. These HHS data suggest that approximately $28.7 million (or 5%) of the
supplemental funds were not spent before the expenditure deadline of September 30, 2009.
Unspent funds reverted to the U.S. Treasury.
Table B-1. State Spending from the FY2006 SSBG Supplemental
(as reported on April 1, 2010)
Balance ($)
State Allocation
($)
(Amount Unspent)
Percent Spent
Alabama
27,852,254
16,601
99.94%
Alaska
37,554
37,554
0.00%
Arizona
487,931
182,722
62.55%
Arkansas
3,603,505
2,780,335
22.84%
California
3,051,021
1,945,928
36.22%
Colorado
545,168
112,876
79.30%
Connecticut
113,858
0
100.00%
Delaware
39,178
0
100.00%
District of Columbia
328,256
0
100.00%
Florida
53,808,916
16,446,605
69.44%
Georgia
6,325,537
1,245,651
80.31%
Hawai
34,153
34,153
0.00%
Idaho
35,224
12,794
63.68%
Illinois
1,351,677
2,942
99.78%
Indiana
381,125
231,653
39.22%
Iowa
126,200
43,966
65.16%
Kansas
191,975
0
100.00%
Kentucky
525,110
0
100.00%
Louisiana
220,901,534
179,382
99.92%
Maine
67,995
3
100.00%
Maryland
380,188
1,899
99.50%
Massachusetts
331,948
284,422
14.32%
Michigan
734,927
134,889
81.65%
Minnesota
153,936
86,135
44.04%
Mississippi
128,398,427
0
100.00%
Missouri
797,091
0
100.00%
Montana
41,786
41,786
0.00%
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Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding
Balance ($)
State Allocation
($)
(Amount Unspent)
Percent Spent
Nebraska
114,925
0
100.00%
Nevada
273,291
217,884
20.27%
New Hampshire
23,717
23,717
0.00%
New Jersey
259,599
0
100.00%
New Mexico
265,277
265,277
0.00%
New York
1,182,346
1,182,346
0.00%
North Carolina
1,310,272
578,271
55.87%
North Dakota
13,009
0
100.00%
Ohio
556,283
496,967
10.66%
Oklahoma
932,353
932,353
0.00%
Oregon
177,170
0
100.00%
Pennsylvania
402,568
41,436
89.71%
Rhode Island
69,382
0
100.00%
South Carolina
696,901
234,866
66.30%
South Dakota
21,624
0
100.00%
Tennessee
3,470,718
0
100.00%
Texas
87,951,690
0
100.00%
Utah
92,669
19
99.98%
Vermont
23,272
23,272
0.00%
Virginia
808,855
808,855
0.00%
Washington
326,206
0
100.00%
West Virginia
132,912
31,233
76.50%
Wisconsin
227,555
9,094
96.00%
Wyoming
20,932
20,932
0.00%
Total
550,000,000
28,688,818
94.78%
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from HHS.
Notes: These funds were appropriated in the FY2006 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-148). A
supplemental appropriations act for FY2007 (P.L. 110-28) extended the expenditure deadline for these funds,
giving states until the end of FY2009 (September 30, 2009) to spend their allotments. Under the Terms and
Conditions of their grant agreements, states had 90 days after the end of the grant period to finalize spending for
funds that were obligated as of September 30, 2009. The numbers above (reported on April 1, 2010) should
reflect final expenditures from the FY2006 supplemental. Unspent funds reverted to the U.S. Treasury.
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