FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, Dec. 18, 1995
Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
HHS APPROVES WELFARE WAIVER FOR CONNECTICUT
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today approved "Reach for Jobs
First," the second statewide welfare reform demonstration for Connecticut
under the Clinton administration. The Clinton administration has now
approved a total of 50 demonstration projects in 35 states.
"While Congress still stalls on
real welfare reform, the Clinton administration will ontinue to grant
states the ability to promote work, parental responsibility and protect
kids one state at a time," said Secretary Shalala. "Connecticut
provides both strong incentives and tough requirements to move people
off welfare intowork."
Connecticut will limit Aid to Families
with Dependent Children (AFDC) payments to 21 months for employable
adults. The state will grant extensions when, despite good faith efforts
to comply with the state's requirements, the participant is unable to
obtain or retain a job which provides income, in combination with other
sources that is at least equal to the AFDC benefit. Recipients will
be required to spend at least 12 weeks in jobs search.
To encourage the transition from welfare
to work, families will be able to keep all that they earn while on AFDC,
up to the federal poverty line for the family's size. Those subject
to the time limit will be given priority for participation in JOBS,
and non-custodial parents may also participate.
Minor parents will be required to live
in an adult-supervised setting, with the AFDC benefit issued to the
adult. The amount of the AFDC benefit increase for a child is conceived
while the mother is on AFDC will be reduced by half.
As a further incentive to employment,
transitional child care and Medicaid will be available to those who
become employed within six months of losing AFDC eligibility for any
reason. Medicaid coverage will be provided for 24 months and child care
for as long as the family's income is less than 75 percent of the state's
median
income.
There will be progressive sanctions for failure, without good cause,
to comply with JOBS or child support requirements, including elimination
of benefits to the full family for a third offense. The state will also
make administrative changes to simplify eligibility
procedures.
"Connecticut has taken a bold step
in the effort to change welfare as we know it," said Mary Jo Bane,
assistant secretary for children and families. "The state has recognized
the importance of expanding income disregards to make work pay and providing
child care to give parents support to stay successfully in the
workforce."
The project will operate for five years and include a rigorous evaluation.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials
are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
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