FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, Sept. 29, 1995
Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
HHS APPROVES WELFARE WAIVER FOR STATE OF WASHINGTON
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today approved the State of Washington's
"Success Through Employment Program" (STEP), a statewide welfare
demonstration project. Washington is the 35th state to receive approval
for a welfare waiver under the Clinton administration.
"While Congress continues to make
progress toward bipartisan national welfare reform, the Clinton administration
is enabling another state to end welfare as we know it right now,"
said Secretary Shalala. "Washington recognizes that incentives
to move people into work quickly will successfully help families achieve
self sufficiency."
STEP sets time limits on Aid to Families
with Dependent Children (AFDC) by progressively reducing benefits after
a family has received assistance for four years over a period of five
years. After four years, the grant will be reduced by 10 percent, and
by another 10 percent for each additional year thereafter.
To encourage two-parent families to
obtain employment, STEP will waive the requirement that the principal
wage earner in a two-parent family work fewer than 100 hours per month
for the family to qualify for AFDC.
"This demonstration combines time
limits with real opportunities for parents to obtain work and support
their children," said Mary Jo Bane, HHS assistant secretary for
children and families. "The Clinton administration's support for
state flexibility will help Washington families turn a welfare check
into a paycheck."
The project will operate for 10 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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