FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, March 13, 1995
Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
HHS APPROVES OKLAHOMA WELFARE DEMONSTRATION
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today approved Oklahoma's welfare demonstration
project, "Mutual Agreement A Plan for Success" (MAAPS) which
provides incentives to make work pay. This is the second welfare reform
waiver that the Clinton administration has approved for Oklahoma.
"This new project reinforces the
value of work and helps people move from dependence to independence,"
said Secretary Shalala. "The administration has now granted waivers
to half the states, giving them the flexibility to implement welfare
reform that meets local needs and circumstances."
The demonstration increases work incentives
by allowing recipients to keep some of their earnings without losing
Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits. It also waives the
requirement that the principal wage earner in a two-parent family
work fewer than 100 hours per month to qualify for AFDC, and it raises
the allowance for an automobile from $1,500 to $5,000.
"Oklahoma's project is focused
on work with both valuable incentives and requirements for recipients
to transition from welfare to employment," said Mary Jo Bane, HHS
assistant secretary for children and families. "We also look forward
to the demonstration's effort to challenge the people most dependent
on welfare."
After receiving AFDC benefits for three
years in any five-year period, recipients still unable to find a job
will be required to work at least 24 hours a week in a subsidized job.
MAAPS also provides intensive case management for three targeted groups:
teen parents, long-term recipients, and those with a continuing cycle
of dependence on welfare. An "upfront" agreement between the
recipient and the state will assess abilities and outline rights, responsibilities,
and consequences.
MAPPS will operate in six counties:
Creek, Grady, Jackson, McCurtain, Okmulgee, and Seminole. It 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.
Back to Top
The page was last updated:
October 22, 2003
|