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Date: Tuesday, June 18, 1996 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Kharfen (202)401-9215
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today approved "New Hampshire Employment Program" (NHEP), a statewide welfare demonstration project. New Hampshire is the 40th state to receive approval for a welfare waiver under the Clinton Administration.
"Today, the Clinton Administration reaches a new landmark. With today's waiver, we have given 40 states the flexibility to end welfare as we know it," said Secretary Shalala. "New Hampshire's welfare reform project follows President Clinton's welfare reform principles by requiring work, promoting parental responsibility and protecting children."
NHEP requires Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients to undertake job search efforts within six months of first receiving benefits, followed by six months of participation in work activities, with some exceptions.
Sanctions are increased for non-cooperation or refusal of a job offer. New applicants must be assessed for employability as a condition of eligibility. To further emphasize New Hampshire's shift from welfare to work, AFDC will be jointly administered by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Employment Security.
For children conceived while the family is on AFDC, NHEP exempts the mother from work only until the child is 13 weeks old. It limits the amount of time recipients may spend in post-secondary educational activities, and withdraws automatic exemption for remoteness from work. Unemployed non-custodial parents can be required to participate in work program activities.
NHEP helps families make the transition to work by providing transitional case management services and expanded transitional Medicaid benefits. It promotes independence by raising the resource limit to $2,000 and disregarding the value of one vehicle. It encourages school attendance by not counting financial aid and the income of children when determining eligibility and benefits.
"New Hampshire's plan promises to instill a strong work ethic in welfare recipients," said Mary Jo Bane, assistant secretary for children and families. "The demonstration promotes the President's values of work and family responsibility."
The demonstration will operate for five years and include a rigorous evaluation.