The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) has issued a bulletin announcing the unanimous approval of the Department of Public Welfare's (DPW) Family Violence Option regulations for the TANF and GA programs on April 22, 2010.

In the bulletin, Amy Hirsh, Attorney for Community Legal Services, said the regulations are “extremely important for the well-being of families and individuals who have unfortunately been subjected to violence and assisting them in moving forward with their lives and escaping violence."

Peter Zurflieh, Attorney for the Community Justice Project, said “the process used to develop the regulations was exemplary” and called it a “model of collaboration between state agencies and experts and stakeholders in the community.”

These regulations codify DPW policies for the TANF and GA programs that have been in effect for a number of years and which provide for:

1. screening TANF and GA applicants and recipients for domestic violence;
2. referring domestic violence victims to programs and services for help in addressing safety and other needs; and
3. waiving TANF or GA program requirements that could make it more difficult for a family member to escape domestic violence, place a family member at risk of further domestic violence, or unfairly penalize a family member because of domestic violence.

The Women’s Law Project, Community Legal Services, and the Community Justice Project, as well as Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other advocates, worked collaboratively with DPW for many years to develop and implement these FVO policies.

The codification of these policies in DPW regulations makes them enforceable and prevents them from being changed at the whim of a future administration, without first publishing any proposed changes in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and allowing for public, legislative, and IRRC review and comment.

IRRC Order [PDF]
Regulation Details: 14-513