Welfare Reform: TANF Trends and Data

Publication Date: March 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Social conditions

Type:

Abstract:

The shrinkage in U.S. family cash welfare rolls has slowed to a near halt, although national numbers still are 50% below those of August, 1996, when Congress created the time-limited and work-conditioned block grant program of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Under TANF, the nature of the caseload has changed. The share of recipients who combine welfare and work has risen sharply (from 11% to 26%). The share of "child-only"cases, which are free of work and time limit rules, has climbed to 37% and in seven states exceeds one-half of all TANF cases. The number of families who exhaust their 60-month time limit for federal aid is rising, and states with more than 40% of the nation's caseload say they use their own funds to continue aid to "timed-out" families not granted hardship extensions. The smaller caseload holds a rising proportion of black and Hispanic families. To promote work, programs use tough work sanctions, liberal work rewards, "Work First" policies, and diversion payments. Many states offer new services aimed at TANF goals for a broad non-welfare population. Before TANF, 75% of family welfare outlays were for cash benefits, but in FY2001 ongoing basic cash assistance accounted for only 40% of the total. This report will be updated for new data.