The Reforms Of Public Benefits For Needy Families

The Reforms of public benefits for needy families in the U.S. and specifically single mothers, which took place in August of 1996, was an important step since its inception with FDR in 1935. Many requirements were imposed onto public benefits eligibility, such as work and income requirement and establishing a time limit for public aid. Effects of the reform were hard to ignore as it resulted in decreasing governmental expenditure and heavy program caseloads. However, the big debate about public benefits is of which welfare discourages work and it provided a golden plate those who built comfort in it. Although many researches show the reform has a positive effect on employment, earnings, and income of single mothers, but generally negative†¦show more content†¦By giving the states primary authority for program design, the law eliminated the federal entitlement to cash assistance for low- income families with children. The new law gave the states strong incentives to push more welfare recipients into jobs or job placement programs. Furthermore, concerned about long-term welfare use, it mandated time limits on access to federally funded programs, limiting eligibility to 60 months over a woman’s lifetime. Supporters of the reform believed that the legislation would reduce welfare dependency and encourage single mothers into employment more quickly, increasing their earning and leaving them better off in the long run. According to the national welfare data, 90 percent of welfare recipients are single mothers. The Focus of this research paper will be mainly concerned with this group. The federal government provides publics assistance to the poor through variety of programs. Public, private nonprofit and private for-profit organizations all cooperate in the provision of these programs. Public assistance includes food stamps programs, cash assistance for single mothers, medical assistance and general assistance. These programs were designed as a safety net for needy families. Many welfare recipients are reluctant to look for a job or continue their education once they start receiving public benefits. Policy wonks have long