The AMR is a plan of action for the applicant or recipient. The caseworker’s goal is for the person to leave the interview focused on a pathway for their family becoming financially self-sufficient, rather than on receiving and staying on cash assistance. A discussion between the caseworker and the person is the key to helping the person develop a plan that will work.
Use these discussion guidelines before completing the AMR:
Clearly explain the time limits for receiving assistance.
Stress that the person is responsible for trying to become financially self-sufficient.
Explain that finding and keeping a job or continuing their education are the best ways to end dependence on cash assistance.
Suggest activities that may help the person improve their personal, family, and financial situation. Use the “Plan for Supporting Myself and My Family" section of the AMR.
Give the person the opportunity to talk about their goal for getting off cash assistance and their pathway to achieving it.
Guide the person toward achievable goals.
Help the person identify skills and strengths.
Help the person identify barriers that may hinder their efforts to become financially self-sufficient.
Provide information about programs that will build on their skills and strengths and help to address barriers to achieving their goals.
Applicants with limited employability may be eligible to pursue education or job skills training activities in the TANF program. Applicants and recipients whose prospects for financial self-sufficiency would increase through education or job skills training should discuss participation in these activities with their caseworker as soon as possible after entering the TANF program.
The CAO must:
Tell all persons at application about education and job skills training activities that they may pursue, including the following:
High school degree or GED programs.
Post-secondary education, including two-year or four-year degree programs.
Job skills training.
Adult basic education (ABE).
English as a second language (ESL).
NOTE: The caseworker should also provide this information at renewal and during any discussion about compliance with the Road to Economic Self-Sufficiency through Employment and Training (RESET) program.
Explain how the person may access education or job skills training opportunities at each stage in the RESET process.
Advise that education or job skills training may be pursued whether RESET is mandatory or is not mandatory because of an exemption or good cause.
Explain that persons who are not subject to RESET because they are either exempt or have good cause may volunteer to pursue suitable RESET activities, including education or job skills training.
Explain that a person may “self-initiate” into an education or job skills training program, including programs not funded by DHS or operated by DHS contractors.
Help persons choose options, activities, and support services that will best help them achieve their goals for education or job skills training. Make sure the AMR includes these choices and services.
See Chapter 135 for information about:
Who must participate in the RESET program.
What activities are required.
What the penalties are for noncompliance.
If a TANF recipient is a mandatory or voluntary RESET participant, the AMR will be the person’s employment development plan. Final approval of work, training, or education activities listed on the AMR rests with DHS.
When developing the AMR, the CAO must consider the following:
Available program resources.
The person’s supportive service needs.
The person’s skills and aptitudes.
The person’s past education, training, and job history.
Local employment opportunities.
The person’s goals and interests.
The CAO must assign each person to the activity or combination of activities that is most likely to lead to the goals identified on the AMR.
The caseworker must do the following:
Explain the RESET requirements to the person.
Provide information about work or educational activities the person must or may pursue to meet the requirements.
Help the person identify goals and activities that will lead to financial self-sufficiency.
Make an appointment for an appropriate contracted program for persons who are not working their required number of hours or are not in an approved education or skills training activity, unless the person is exempt or has good cause. The appointment should fit the person’s schedule and current education, training, or part-time work activities.
Tell the person about support services that are available.
Give the person necessary paperwork to help them qualify for support or services, including the following:
The 50% earned income disregard.
Earned Income Credit (EIC) payments and refunds.
Deductions for the cost of care for an incapacitated adult.
Deductions for Child Care Works benefits.
Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA)
The Maximizing Participation Project (MPP)
Special ways the program can work with victims of domestic violence. See CAH 108.
Complete a job readiness assessment to identify criteria to determine the RESET program participation requirement and project referral.
NOTE: CAH 135, Section 135.11 RESET Enrollment Status outlines the job readiness assessment used when determining RESET participation referrals to CAO-directed or contracted employment and training activities. See also, Job Readiness Assessment Desk Guide.
Update the AMR with the person to reflect the new activities or referrals.
Under certain circumstances, the job search may be waived or postponed for persons in approved education or training activities. The job search may be postponed indefinitely for a pregnant or parenting person who is less than 22 years of age and enrolled in high school or attending a minimum 20-hour per week GED program. The postponement lasts until the person graduates from high school, receives a GED, or reaches 22 years of age, whichever comes first. See Cash Assistance Handbook Chapter 135, Section 135.41.
55 Pa. Code § 165.31(b) 55 Pa. Code § 165.52(c) 55 Pa. Code § 165.52(d)
If a person is exempt from RESET requirements, discuss activities to improve the person’s chance of finding work. Discuss getting other income, such as Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
55 Pa. Code § 165.21 55 Pa. Code § 165.31
Example: A person is recovering from surgery. The caseworker lists keeping doctor appointments, getting a medical assessment form completed, keeping physical therapy appointments, and other activities. Agency help might include a referral for medical transportation.
The AMR can also include activities that will improve the person’s situation or the health and well-being of children, such as the following:
Enrolling a child in Head Start.
Keeping appointments for prenatal care.
Participating in the Women's, Infants', and Children's (WIC) program.
Getting a driver’s license.
Doing volunteer work.
Many of the activities on the AMR will be voluntary and not subject to sanction if the person does not follow through.
The caseworker must also tell the person about the Maximizing Participation Project (MPP) and its benefits and give the person the option to enroll in the program. See Chapter 135, Appendix H for information on MPP.
Updated April 29, 2025, Replacing November 27, 2019