[ Topics |
Related Links ]
See also:
[ Publications |
Ongoing Work ]
-
See the ASPE Leavers and Diversion Studies web page.
-
A Profile of Families Cycling on and off
Welfare, April 2004.
The report analyzes the experiences of welfare “cyclers” (those
who received welfare benefits during three or more discrete spells during
a four-year observation period) using five MDRC studies of welfare reform
initiatives during the mid- to late-1990s. Overall, cyclers constituted a
relatively small portion of the welfare caseload (9 percent). Cyclers generally
fared better than long-term recipients, but not as well as short-term recipients.
The report also found that the incidence of cycling increased during the
years following PRWORA.
-
Studies of Welfare Populations,
Data Collection and Research Issues, 2002.
ASPE conducted a Panel Study with the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT)
of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), to evaluate the design of current,
proposed, and future studies of the effects of the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Prepared by Michele Ver Ploeg, Robert
A. Moffitt, and Constance F. Citro, editors, the Panel provided the Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with recommendations for studying the
outcomes of recent changes in the welfare system.
-
Status Report on Research on the Outcomes
of Welfare Reform, June 2002.
As part of our policy research agenda, Congress directed HHS to study the
outcomes of welfare reform and provided money to do so. That is, Congress
earmarked a portion of the Department's policy research funds to study the
outcomes of welfare reform in fiscal years 1998 through 2002 and recommended
that the money be used for specific purposes. These purposes have varied
somewhat each year, but have emphasized the collection and use of state-specific
surveys and state and federal administrative and survey data. Other purposes
have included a focus on improving the capabilities and comparability of
data collection efforts, developing and reporting reliable state-by-state
measures of family hardship and well-being and the utilization of other support
programs, and measuring outcomes for a broad population of low-income families
affected by state TANF policies, including welfare applicants and recipients
as well as other populations. The Department was also urged to submit its
welfare outcomes research plan to the National Academy of Sciences for guidance
on research design and recommendations for further research.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
has prepared reports on these required topics. Generally, the reports describe
the results and findings of ASPE-supported research projects and the welfare
outcomes studies planned for each year. They also include a status report
of previously funded, ongoing projects. Note that, the reports discuss
the welfare outcomes research agenda supported specifically by the targeted
funds, including some projects that received additional funds from other
sources, such as the Administration for Children and Families. The reports
do not include all research on the outcomes of welfare reform. Earlier reports
include:
-
How Well Have Rural and Small Metropolitan Labor
Markets Absorbed Welfare Recipients?, April 2001.
This report examines the impact of welfare reform on 12 rural and small
metropolitan areas around the country. It identifies changes in wages and
employment for the low-skill labor force over two periods: 1993 to 1996,
and 1996 to 1998, to determine the effect of the movement of welfare recipients
to work. The report was prepared by The Lewin Group.
-
Report on Alternative Outcome Measures:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant, December
2000.
This report to Congress explores issues in using outcome-based performance
measures as the primary mechanism for evaluating states’ success in
implementing Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) programs, as an alternative to the minimum work participation
rates. A key issue for TANF reauthorization in 2002 will be maintaining maximum
state flexibility while still ensuring accountability in the use of federal
funds. An outcome-based performance measurement system may be one way to
promote these dual goals. This report, required by the Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), provides a framework
for whether outcome-based performance measures should be used as a substitute
for, or in conjunction with, the minimum participation rates and, if so,
evaluates the data and measurement issues of potential measures. A literature
review is included on performance measurement as used in welfare and
welfare-to-work programs. This report was a collaborative effort of ASPE
and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
[ Go to:
Top of Page |
Topics |
Related Links ]
[ Publications | Ongoing
Work ]
-
See also the National Evaluation of the Welfare-to-Work
Strategies (NEWWS) web site.
-
National Evaluation of the DOL Welfare-to-Work
(WtW) Grant Program, Overview
Recent reports:
-
Overcoming Challenges
to Business and Economic Development in Indian Country, August
2004.
American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages have embraced the goals,
objectives, and programs associated with welfare reform, but the lack of
jobs limits the success of tribal programs such as Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) and Welfare-to-Work (WtW). The lack of jobs is one
of the biggest problems in Indian Country. Recognizing the scope and importance
of this problem, the federal government has promoted business and economic
development (BD/ED) in Indian country. This report presents findings from
a Mathematica study, done under the WtW evaluation, of economic development
initiatives in eight tribes (Cheyenne River Sioux, Citizen Potawatomi, Colville
Confederated Tribes, Gila River, Mississippi Choctaw, Navajo Nation, Three
Affiliated Tribes, and Turtle Mountain Chippewa) and two Alaska Native
corporations (Bristol Bay Native Corporation and Doyon Limited).
-
Welfare-to-Work Grants
Program: Enrollee Outcomes One Year After Program Entry, Report to
Congress, February 2004
This report is the second of two reports to Congress from HHS' congressionally
mandated evaluation of the US Dept. of Labor's Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Grants
Program. The report presents findings from the outcomes analysis component
of the evaluation, and describes the characteristics and subsequent experiences
of enrollees in WtW programs in 11 study sites. Main findings address the
characteristics of program enrollees; the nature of the services they received;
and their outcomes in terms of employment, hours worked, wage rates, job
benefits, TANF receipt and poverty status.
-
Welfare-to-Work Grants Programs:
Adjusting to Changing Circumstances, November 2003
This report provides an update on the status of WtW program operations and
post-WtW plans for the eleven evaluation study sites as the five-year grant
periods draw to a close. The report highlights the extent of ongoing enrollment,
the ways in which grantees have adapted to a variety of economic and policy
changes that have occurred since the beginning of the program, and grantees'
perceptions of the value of the program.
-
Giving Noncustodial Parents
Options: Employment and Child Support Outcomes of the SHARE Program,
October 2003.
The Support Has A Rewarding Effect (SHARE)
initiative operated with Welfare-to-Work (WtW) grant support in three counties
in the state of Washington. SHARE involved collaboration among the
welfare and workforce investment systems, child support enforcement agency,
and employment and training providers. The SHARE approach emphasized
close monitoring of child support compliance and strove to limit the burden
of child support obligations on the NCPs, so these did not become a disincentive
to work. Specifically, SHARE offered three options to noncustodial
parents (NCP) whose minor, dependent children were receiving Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) and who were in arrears on their support obligations:
(1) start paying support, (2) enroll in a WtW program, or (3) face possible
incarceration. The main objective of this study was to examine the employment,
earnings, and child support outcomes for targeted NCPs.
-
Operating TANF: Opportunities and Challenges
for Tribes and Tribal Consortia, August 2003.
This report is the latest product from the tribal component of HHS'
congressionally mandated evaluation of DOL's Welfare-to-Work Grants Program.
The report describes the challenges and successes of ten tribal grantees
in planning, implementing, and operating tribal TANF, the tribal welfare
program with the most participants and the largest budget. Main findings
address the process by which tribes make the decision to operate a tribal
TANF program, the importance of a coordinated TANF plan, strategies for
transitioning the program from state to tribal control, administrative and
reporting challenges, and successes in adapting the program to reflect tribal
cultural needs and values. The report should be helpful to any tribe implementing
or considering a tribal TANF program.
-
Understanding the Costs of the DOL
Welfare-to-Work Grants Program, August 2002.
This report examines the costs of selected WtW programs. The main objectives
of the WtW cost analysis were to understand the cost structure of these programs
and factors that influenced their costs. Program evaluators and planners
should find this information useful in assessing the outcomes of WtW programs
and in making decisions about future programs with similar objectives.
-
The Implementation of the
Welfare-to-Work Grants Program, August 2002.
The report presents findings from the process and implementation analysis
component of the evaluation, and describes the service delivery operations
of programs funded with WtW grants in eleven study sites. This report is
based on (1) information collected through two rounds of site visits in 1999
and 2001, and (2) management information system data maintained by the programs
on participants and services.
-
More reports on the Evaluation of the WtW Grant
Program.
-
A Profile of Families Cycling on and off
Welfare, April 2004.
The report analyzes the experiences of welfare “cyclers” (those
who received welfare benefits during three or more discrete spells during
a four-year observation period) using five MDRC studies of welfare reform
initiatives during the mid- to late-1990s. Overall, cyclers constituted a
relatively small portion of the welfare caseload (9 percent). Cyclers generally
fared better than long-term recipients, but not as well as short-term recipients.
The report also found that the incidence of cycling increased during the
years following PRWORA.
-
Characteristics of Low-Wage Workers
and Their Labor Market Experiences: Evidence from the Mid- to Late
1990s, April 2004.
The report examines the post-PRWORA labor market experiences of low-wage
workers using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The
study, by Peter Schochet and Anu Rangarajan, Mathematica, finds that 28 percent
of all workers in March 1996 were low-wage workers and the share of low-wage
workers decreased somewhat through the mid- to late-1990s. Further, low-wage
workers experienced considerable wage growth during the study period. Low-wage
workers who began the period with better quality jobs (somewhat higher wages,
employer health benefit coverage, full-time hours) had more successful employment
and earnings outcomes.
-
Private Employers and TANF
Recipients, Final Report, May 2004.
Despite the TANF program’s emphasis on employment, the policies, practices
and attitudes of the employers of TANF recipients have received limited
attention. This study, conducted by Abt Associates and the Upjohn Institute
for Employment Research, synthesizes existing research regarding employers,
workforce intermediaries, and TANF recipients and considers a range of options
for further study — including possibilities for a national survey
of employers and workforce intermediaries — in order to improve
understanding in this area.
-
Serving TANF and Low-Income
Populations through WIA One-Stop Centers: Report on Highlights
of Site Visits, January 2004.
ASPE initiated a study of WIA and TANF coordination to understand better
and assess the degree to which TANF and WIA programs work together to further
their mutual policy goals at a time when both programs were undergoing
congressional reauthorization. The report presents information on how WIA
participation and services for individuals receiving TANF and other low-income
populations may be affected by TANF and WIA program context, management
structures, policies, and administrative arrangements. Findings are based
primarily on in-depth visits to seven purposively selected one-stop centers
in Anoka County, MN; Dakota County, MN; San Angelo, TX; Round Rock, TX;
Bridgeport, CT; West Oxnard, CA; and Edgecombe/Nash Counties, NC. Written
by Alan Werner and Kendra Lodewick, Abt Associates.
-
Child Support and TANF Interaction:
Literature Review, April 2003.
This literature review summarizes current research on the interaction between
TANF and child support, including the child support receipt by current and
former TANF recipients, the effect of child support receipt on TANF exit
and reentry, and reductions in poverty associated with child support receipt.
It also reviews the limited research on how specific welfare policies affect
child support receipt. This literature review will inform a secondary analysis
of national survey data and state administrative data to determine how child
support interacts with TANF exit or reentry, to be released next year.
-
The Use of TANF Work-Oriented Sanctions
in Illinois, New Jersey, and South Carolina, Final Report,
April 2004.
In FYs 2002 and 2003, ASPE contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
to examine the implementation of TANF sanctions in three states (Illinois,
New Jersey, and South Carolina), looking at the ways that case managers used
sanctions to promote compliance with work requirements. They found that case
managers often exercised discretion in deciding whether and when to initiate
a sanction, especially when a client partially met participation requirements.
Case manager choices, office procedures and philosophies, client behavior,
and case manager workload all affected whether a client would be sanctioned.
In general, case managers did not consider it their responsibility to conduct
outreach to sanctioned clients; nonetheless, most recipients who were subject
to a partial sanction did not proceed to a full-family sanction, and many
fully sanctioned recipients returned to welfare after exit. Case managers
agreed that the prospect of sanctions was a useful tool to encourage recipients
to participate in work activities.
-
Review of Sanction Policies and Research
Studies, March 2003
This report, by LaDonna Pavetti, MPR, summarizes state policy choices with
regard to TANF sanctions for failure to comply with work requirements. In
addition, it reviews the existing literature on sanctioning rates,
characteristics and circumstances of sanctioned clients, and the impacts
of TANF sanctions.
-
Study to Examine UI Eligibility
Among Former TANF Recipients: Evidence from New Jersey, November
2002.
This study examines the extent to which former TANF recipients who leave
welfare and find jobs would be potentially eligible for Unemployment Insurance
(UI) in case of job loss, considering both monetary and nonmonetary eligibility,
as well as potential benefit levels. The study also examines how many former
TANF recipients who found jobs and eventually lost jobs actually file UI
claims and receive payments. The report, prepared by Anu Rangarajan, Carol
Razafindrakoto, and Walter Corson of Mathematica Policy Research, is
based on 2,000 welfare recipients who received TANF in New Jersey during
the first 18 months under the new welfare rules, between July 1997 and December
1998.
-
Low-Income and Low-Skilled Workers’ Involvement
in Nonstandard Employment, October 2001
The prevalence of alternative work arrangements such as temporary and on-call
jobs in the U.S. work force has grown considerably in recent years.
This growth is likely to have important implications for low-income workers,
particularly since the advent of welfare reform and its emphasis on getting
welfare recipients into jobs quickly. Alternative work arrangements,
especially for those with limited work histories, might be expected to be
a natural pathway to work for welfare recipients. Little is known,
however, about the use of nonstandard work as a gateway into the work force
for the low-income and the low-skilled. ASPE funded this examination
of the role of nonstandard work arrangements in today’s labor market,
paying particular attention to the effect of such arrangements on low-income
workers and those at risk of being on public assistance. The report
addresses the ways in which the characteristics of those in nonstandard work
differ from the characteristics of workers in traditional jobs and how employment
outcomes vary across different kinds of work arrangements. Prepared
by Julia Lane, Kelly Mikelson, Patrick Sharkey, and Douglas Wissoker of The
Urban Institute. PDF
version of report. (238KB)
-
The Role of Intermediaries in Linking TANF
Recipients with Jobs, February 2000
Moving welfare recipients into the workforce is a cornerstone of welfare
reform efforts and local welfare offices have relied on various strategies
to shift to a more work-oriented system. One emerging strategy for
placing welfare recipients in private sector employment is the use of
intermediaries, although we have relatively little detailed information about
how these organizations are being used by local welfare offices. This
study examines how widely intermediaries are used, who these intermediaries
are, how they operate, and the issues they face in linking welfare recipients
with jobs. LaDonna Pavetti, Michelle Derr, Jacquelyn Anderson, Carole
Trippe, and Sidnee Paschal of Mathematic Policy Research wrote the report.
-
Coordination and Integration of Welfare and Workforce
Development Systems, March 2000.
This report provides a snapshot of relationships between welfare (TANF) and
workforce development systems in twelve sites in six states during 1999,
a time of great interest in coordination, although the one-stop systems mandated
under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) had not yet been implemented.
In addition, strong economic conditions, declining welfare caseloads, and
increased use of technology were also major factors affecting the two
systems. Written by Nancy Pindus, Robin Koralek, Karin Martinson, and
John Trutko; the project was done at the Urban Institute.
[ Go to:
Top of Page |
Topics |
Related Links ]
[ Publications |
Ongoing Work ]
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence, Annual
Report to Congress, 2004.
The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 directed the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to study the most useful statistics for tracking and predicting
dependence on three means-tested cash and nutritional assistance programs:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF), Food Stamps, and
Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This
is the most recent of these annual reports, the prior ones are:
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence, Annual
Report to Congress, 2003
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence, Annual
Report to Congress, 2002
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence, Annual
Report to Congress, 2001
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence, Annual
Report to Congress, 2000
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence,
Annual Report to Congress, 1998
-
Indicators of Welfare Dependence, Annual
Report to Congress, 1997
-
A Profile of Families Cycling on and off
Welfare, April 2004.
The report analyzes the experiences of welfare “cyclers” (those
who received welfare benefits during three or more discrete spells during
a four-year observation period) using five MDRC studies of welfare reform
initiatives during the mid- to late-1990s. Overall, cyclers constituted a
relatively small portion of the welfare caseload (9 percent). Cyclers generally
fared better than long-term recipients, but not as well as short-term recipients.
The report also found that the incidence of cycling increased during the
years following PRWORA.
-
Spending on Social Welfare
Programs in Rich and Poor States, June 2004.
This report examines how a state's ability to fund social welfare programs
affects its state spending choices on programs to support low-income populations.
The project includes a two-part study of state spending on social services.
The first part uses existing data sources to build a multi-variate, fifty-state
model to examine social welfare spending choices made by states at different
points in time. In the second part of the study, additional information is
gathered through site visits to a half-dozen of the poorest states to develop
a more detailed analysis of the spending decisions relating to social welfare
programs. Prepared by the Lewin Group and the Rockefeller Institute of
Government.
Summary also
available.
-
Families on TANF in Illinois: Employment
Assets and Liabilities, June 2003.
This report utilizes survey and administrative data to examine the personal
characteristics and situations, potential challenges for employment, compensating
strengths and resources, and employment outcomes of TANF recipients in Illinois.
Topics examined include physical and mental health, disability, child care,
domestic violence, substance abuse, criminal record, transportation, education
and skills, and employment and earnings. The study's specially-designed survey
instrument also is being used for ASPE-funded studies of the TANF caseload
in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Missouri, and
South Carolina, which will allow comparison of data from a total of seven
surveys. Prepared by Mathematica Policy Research.
-
“Green Book”
This large report contains very detailed current and historical information
on many government programs. The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S.
House of Representatives produces the reports.
-
Telephone Survey to Measure Employment
Barriers for TANF Caseload
In 2001, ASPE funded six states — California, Colorado, the District
of Columbia, Maryland, Missouri, and South Carolina — to study
the characteristics of their TANF caseloads. Each state is collecting data
on personal, family, and community factors that may present barriers to
employment among welfare recipients using a standardized telephone survey.
Topics covered include physical and mental health, disability, substance
abuse, and domestic violence. To assist ASPE in designing the survey instrument,
Mathematica Policy Research Inc. (MPR) developed a summary report,
Survey Design
for TANF Caseload Project, Summary Report and Recommendations, that reviews
existing survey questions and scales focused on potential barriers to employment
among TANF recipients. Upon review of this report, ASPE finalized the survey
instrument, TANF Caseload
Survey, for use in the six state studies. This core instrument has been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and states are now
proceeding with data collection.
-
Archive of AFDC Data, August
2000.
This archive contains virtually all the available micro data on the
Aid to Families with Dependent Children
(AFDC) program. The archive contains all the person and family level
information from the AFDC Characteristics Files from 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973,
1975, 1977, and 1979, plus all the AFDC Quality Control Data from 1983 through
1997. The raw data, corresponding codebooks, commands to create SAS
datasets, and other supporting files are available for downloading at the
web site hosted at the Urban Institute. The Characteristics Files are
from surveys of AFDC recipients conducted every two years, while the Quality
Control (QC) data are annual and were collected by the states. Both
types of data were large samples. Also at the web site, you can use
the crosstab tool to do quick tabulations of the 1997 data without downloading
the raw data or creating a dataset.
-
Understanding the AFDC/TANF Child-Only
Caseload: Policies, Composition, and Characteristics in
Three States, February 2000.
Written by the Lewin Group, this report analyzes national data on child-only
cases and then examines in more depth the population and policies of three
states. Child-only cases have become an increasing percentage of the
AFDC/TANF caseload. The two major types of child-only families are:
those that have a non-parental caretaker, who receives AFDC/TANF support
on behalf of the children, and those that have a parent in the household
who is not eligible for AFDC/TANF. These cases have very different
needs from the traditional AFDC/TANF cases.
-
Frequently Asked Questions
About Child-Only Cases, Sept. 1999.
Prepared by Elizabeth Lower-Basch of ASPE, this paper summarizes data on
welfare cases in which no parent receives assistance, just the children in
the family. The paper discusses the reasons for this, as well as many
other issues, and presents tables by state.
-
An Inventory
of Research Uses of Administrative Data in Social Services Programs in the
United States 1998, February 1999. [PDF format only]
This report, written by UC DATA (California-Berkeley), presents the results
of an inventory of social service program administrative databases in 26
states and the efforts in these states to use administrative data for monitoring,
evaluation, and research. The inventory was written for the Joint Center
for Policy Research, with a grant from ASPE, to assess the use of state
administrative data in policy and academic research.
[ Go to:
Top of Page |
Topics |
Related Links ]
[ Publications | Ongoing
Work ]
-
The Long-Term Effects of the Minnesota
Family Investment Program on Marriage and Divorce Among Two-Parent
Families, June 2003.
In 1994, Minnesota began testing a major welfare reform initiative that
emphasized financial incentives for work, a participation requirement for
long-term recipients, and the simplification of rules and procedures for
receiving public assistance. MDRC conducted an in-depth evaluation of the
Minnesota Family Investment Program’s effectiveness and impact on various
populations served. One of the striking findings of that evaluation was that
a survey sample of two-parent recipient families assigned to MFIP were 19.1
percentage points, or 40 percent, more likely to be married at the three-year
follow-up point than two-parent recipient families assigned to AFDC. ASPE
funded further MDRC work to examine the effects on divorce and marriage outcomes
over a seven-year follow-up period to determine if these effects on marriage
held up over time and to examine effects for subgroups. This report, by Lisa
Gennetian, MDRC, presents the results of this further analysis and indicate
that the pilot MFIP program that began in 1994 continued to have effects
on rates of divorce for two-parent families seven years after they entered
the study. The findings represent some of the best evidence to date about
the potential for welfare policies to affect marital stability among two-parent
families.
-
Privatization in Practice: Case
Studies of Contracting for TANF Case Management, March 2003.
The privatization of welfare services has increased significantly and expanded
into new services since passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) gave states additional
flexibility to design and operate their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) programs. Despite its increasing popularity, privatizing welfare services
poses significant challenges to the state and local government agencies that
are responsible for contracting out. This project describes the key decisions
and activities undertaken in privatizing TANF case management and documents
the lessons learned in six study sites from their experiences in privatizing
TANF case management. Key topics include (1) the why, what, and to whom of
privatizing TANF case management; (2) ensuring a fair, effective, and competitive
procurement process; (3) designing contract performance measures and payment
structures; (4) monitoring TANF contractors to ensure accountability; (5)
addressing the challenges of service provision under privatization; and (6)
some key lessons learned by public welfare agencies as they took on new
responsibilities in privatizing TANF case management. Study sites contracted
with a variety of organizations, including both for-profits and non-profits
(including faith-based organizations), and used a variety of contract types,
including pure pay-for-performance, cost-reimbursement, fixed price, and
hybrid contracts. Prepared by Sheena McConnell, Andrew Burwick, Irma
Perez-Johnson, and Pamela Winston of MPR.
-
The Application Process for TANF, Food
Stamps, Medicaid, and SCHIP: Issues for Agencies and Applicants, Including
Immigrants and Limited English Speakers, January 2003.
This study provides descriptions and information about overall application
procedures under four major assistance programs in a variety of venues (e.g.,
welfare offices, hospitals, health clinics) at six sites (Arlington, VA;
Dallas, TX; Raleigh, NC; New York, NY; Seattle, WA; and Sedalia, MO). The
study also looks at how programs are addressing particular issues related
to immigrants and limited English proficient persons as part of the application
procedures. Prepared by Pamela A. Holcomb, Karen Tumlin, Robin Koralek, Randy
Capps, and Anita Zuberi of the Urban Institute.
-
Welfare Time Limits: State
Policies, Implementation, and Effects on Families, Executive
Summary, 2002.
In late 2001, the first families reached the 60-month federal time limit
on receipt of TANF benefits. ASPE and ACF jointly funded the Manpower
Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) to study the early experiences
of states in implementing both the federal time limit and shorter state time
limits, in order to be able to answer questions about these policies that
come up as part of the debate regarding TANF reauthorization. Based
on a survey of state TANF administrators, the report describes the policies
that states have adopted regarding time limits, exemptions, and extensions,
the number of cases that have reached state or federal time limit, and whether
they have been terminated as a result. The report also examines the
implementation of time limits in greater detail based on site visits and
summarizes the existing literature on the effects of time limits on welfare
receipt, employment, income, and other measures of adult and child well-being,
and on the outcomes for families terminated from welfare due to time limits.
-
Privatization of Welfare Services: A
Review of the Literature, May 2002.
In recent years, the use of private organizations to perform social service
functions has increased dramatically. This report reviews the literature
on the privatization of welfare and related services by states and
localities. It is the first product of a study of privatization of
welfare services by ASPE and Mathematica Policy Research. The final
report, expected in Spring 2003, will provide findings from six case studies
of state and local TANF agencies that have privatized TANF case management
functions. (PDF Version, 581KB)
-
Dynamics of Children’s Movement Among the AFDC,
Medicaid, and Foster Care Programs Prior to Welfare Reform:
1995-1996, March 2000.
Substantial changes have occurred in many state social services and health
programs in the past several years and while research is underway examining
the effects of these changes individually, few studies look at the
interrelationships between programs and the changes over time in clients’
utilization of multiple programs. This report looks at clients’
movement between three programs — AFDC, Medicaid, and Foster
Care — in the years immediately preceding federal welfare
reform. The study uses administrative data from California, Illinois,
and North Carolina, to examine transitions — moving from one program
to another or leaving the welfare system entirely. It provides an initial
look at the patterns of children’s movement among these programs in
the pre-welfare reform period and will provide a point of comparison with
data about such movement following the program changes.
-
State Implementation of Major
Changes to Welfare Policies, 1992 – 1998, 1999
This report by Gil Crouse of ASPE provides information by state on the timing
of major changes to welfare policies under both the Aid to Families with
Dependent Children (AFDC) program (through state-wide waivers implemented
1992-1996) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program
(implemented 1996-1998). The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) used
this information to model AFDC waivers and TANF policies in their econometric
caseload models in the 1999 Council of Economic Advisors report on
The Effects of
Welfare Policy and the Economic Expansion on Welfare Caseloads: An
Update.
-
Setting the Baseline: A Report on
State Welfare Waivers, June 1997
One of a series, this report by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) provides baseline information on waivers of
the AFDC program as it existed prior to enactment of the welfare law of 1996
(PRWORA). This first report focuses on the waivers of AFDC requirements
granted to states in the years preceding enactment of PRWORA. Between
1993 and 1996, 43 waivers were granted to states to reform their welfare
programs. The report provides an overview of the types of waivers that
states requested and received and detailed information on policies chosen
by the states. (See above report for later information.)
[ Go to:
Top of Page |
Topics |
Related Links ]
Where To?
[ Income & Poverty |
Children & Youth |
Family Formation |
Special Populations |
Indicators & Databases ]
[ Search This Site
]
Home Pages:
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
(ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)
Webmaster
updated this page on 10/15/04
