Emergency Cash Assistance deadline approaches for Tennesseans

JACKSON, Tenn. — The deadline to apply for cash assistance from the state is almost here.

If your job or income has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, there is a state program that might be able to help you.

The Emergency Cash Assistance provides two monthly cash payments to residents who have lost a job or 50 percent of their earned income due to the virus.

“This funding is all federal funding, and it comes from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. We call it the TANF program. That’s what it is better known as across the state,” said Sky Arnold, Tennessee Department of Human Services Press Secretary.

Those applying must have been employed as of March 11, and have a child under the age of 18 or be pregnant.

The amount changes depending on your situation.

“A household of two person will receive two payments of $500. A household of three to four will receive $750, and a household of five will receive $1,000,” Arnold said.

If you need to prove you lost your job or income, there are a few ways.

“If you go to our website, just scroll down. We have a little green box that says Emergency Cash Assistance. Just click on that, and we have a lot of guidance in there in terms of documents that you’ll need to provide,” Arnold said.

The deadline to apply is August 29, this coming Saturday.

Arnold urges eligible people to apply for the assistance because Tennessee is in a unique situation.

“This is a program that we have done here in Tennessee, and it really is an example of how we use those federal TANF dollars and budgeted them in a sound fiscal way,” Arnold said.

The money will be given in the form of an EBT card.

If you already receive SNAP benefits, and you apply for assistance, the money will be automatically loaded onto the card you already have.