This chapter examines key public assistance programs, including the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); AFDC’s replacement, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); Supplemental Security Income (SSI); and general assistance (GA). The chapter also investigates and analyzes the problems and issues inherent in public assistance programs.

1. PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMS

2. SOCIAL INSURANCEVERSUS
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
 Public Assistance:
 Program is financed out of general tax revenues (money
collected by Federal government)
 The recipients are required to show that they are poor in
order to claim benefits
 Means test. Income and asset tests designed to determine
whether an individual or household meets the economic
criteria necessary for receiving governmental cash transfers
or in-kind services

3. SOCIAL INSURANCEVERSUS
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
 Social insurance programs are social security, SSDI,
Medicare, Unemployment, Workers’ Compensation
 Public assistance programs are Medicaid, SSI, TANF, WIC,
SNAP
 Social insurance programs encompassed a greater part of
the federal budget

4. 2015 FEDERAL BUDGET FOR PROGRAMS

5. AIDTO DEPENDENT CHILDREN
◦Part of the Social Security Act of 1935
◦To prevent the disruption of families due to poverty
◦Would enable the mother to stay at home and devote
herself to housekeeping and the care of her children”
◦Provided money to mother’s on behalf of children

6. AIDTO FAMILIESWITH
DEPENDENT CHILDREN
 In order to receive assistance, child must have
been deprived of parental support due to death,
desertion, separation, or divorce
 ADC modified to include disabled fathers

7. MAN-IN-THE-HOUSE RULES
 Morality of those on public assistance becomes a public
concern
 Neither the father, nor other men should be in the home
benefitting from welfare check
 The checks were to aid the children and no one else
 “Midnight Raids” – late nights visits to check if able-
bodied male lived with families receiving ADC.

8. AIDTO FAMILIESWITH
DEPENDENT CHILDREN
 Provided payments that took mother and head of
household into account
◦ Criticism: Led to fathers leaving the home in order for
family to qualify for program
◦ Fixed in 1967 by creating the unemployed fathers’
program (AFDC-UP) and changing name back to AFDC
to show importance on family unity

9. PRWORA
 Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
 Passed by President Clinton
 Gave the states back responsibility for handling and
managing welfare programs
 "Ending Welfare as we know it"

10. PRWORA
 Welfare Behaviorism
 Attempts by public officials to modify (through policy) the
behavioral patterns of low-income people who qualify for public
assistance

11. TANF VS. SNAP

12. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES
 Considered a disentitlement:
 An entitlement has open-ended resources in that people cannot
be denied benefits because of government resource constraints
 Mother’s aid, ADC, AFDC were all entitlement
 TANF is a block grant to subsidize state’s programs
 States must contribute a percentage of the cost or risk losing
federal funding
 MOE – Maintenance of Effort

13. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES
 States must also turn in a plan on how the funds will be
spent to DHHS
 To meet the goals of TANF money must be used for cash
income assistance, child care, job training and education,
transportation, child protection, and other services

14. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
The four purposes of the TANF program are to:
 Provide assistance to needy families so that children can
be cared for in their own homes
 Reduce the dependency of needy parents by promoting
job preparation, work and marriage
 Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock
pregnancies
 Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent
families

15. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
 “Work Eligible Adult” –
◦ U.S. citizen
◦ Not on SSI or SSDI
◦ Able to work, not needed to stay in the home during the day to care for relative
 Limited to 5 years (most states; less in others)
 Must go to work after 2 years of collecting the benefit (sooner in
some states)
 May be temporarily replaced by job search, education, training and
vocational rehab (1 year)

16. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
 Recipients cannot receive the benefit for more than 5
years
 Unless a child-only household
 Or meet one of the hardship exceptions
 States may set a shorter time limit (less than 60 months)
 No minor parents unless going to school and living at
home

17. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
 Reduce or eliminate assistance if parent refuses to
cooperate with child support-related requirement, like
collection or identification of the father
 Cannot be collected by legal immigrants unless in the U.S.
for more than 5 years
 Can use MOE funds to help
 No TANF or MOE money can go to undocumented
immigrants

18. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
 Must be denied to those convicted of felony drug
possession, use or distribution. Does not affect family
member’s benefits
 Can opt out or be overruled by state legislation
 Recipients must work at least 30 hours a week; 20 hours
for single mothers
 State must facilitate child care assistance

19. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
 TANF provides incentives to states to reduce out-of-
wedlock pregnancies and births, and lowering abortion
rates; and increase child support collection
 Family Cap – TANF denied in whole or in part for any
children born while the mother was collecting public
assistance

20. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR
NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF)
 TANF provides incentives to states to reduce out-of-
wedlock pregnancies and births, and lowering abortion
rates; and increase child support collection
 Family Cap – TANF denied in whole or in part for any
children born while the mother was collecting public
assistance

21. TEXASTANF
If a child’s parent or relative gets TANF, the parent or
relative must agree to:
 Train for a job or look for work
 Follow child support rules
 Not quit a job
 Not abuse alcohol or drugs
 Take parenting skills classes
 Get vaccines for their child
 Make sure their child is going to school
 Your Texas Benefits

22. PRWORA & CHILD SUPPORT
 PRWORA strengthening child support collection efforts by
requiring:
 Families must cooperate with state in collection efforts
 Lead investigations to track down the non-paying parent
 Order genetic testing without a court order
 States must follow out-of-state child support orders
 Authority to garnish wages
 $5,000 arrears or more subjected to passport revocation

23. PRWORA & CHILD SUPPORT
 To receive TANF and child support awards, the mother
must cooperate with establishing paternity, unless
◦ It puts the mother at risk due to domestic violence
◦ It is not in the child’s best interest
 Refusal to cooperate with authority can lead to losing part
or all of their cash public assistance

24. PRWORA & CHILD SUPPORT
 To receive TANF and child support awards, the mother
must cooperate with establishing paternity, unless
◦ It puts the mother at risk due to domestic violence
◦ It is not in the child’s best interest
 Refusal to cooperate with authority can lead to losing part
or all of their cash public assistance

25. SUPPLEMENT SECURITY INCOME
 SSI is a Federal income supplement designed to help aged,
blind and disabled persons who have little or no income
 Provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and
shelter
 Funded by general tax revenue (not Social Security taxes)
 Means tested

26. SUPPLEMENT SECURITY INCOME
 To qualify:
 U.S. Citizens and some immigrants who are legal residents
 Persons who are blind, disabled, or at least 65 years old
 To be eligible:
 Assets cannot exceed $2,000 for one person; $3,000 for a couple
 Both earned or unearned income (e.g., social security and other cash
benefits, interest income) and other cash is included in determining
eligibility and payments
 Part of the income of a spouse, child’s parents, or sponsor of a
qualified immigrant is also generally counted

27. SUPPLEMENT SECURITY INCOME
Problems with SSI:
• Stringent eligibility requirements and red tape
• Continued review of eligibility (every 3 years), including
disability review