[NLA] WIA and TANF

[Christine Bishop]

The official name of the legislation that authorized TANF is Personal
Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 - aka PRWORA.
PRWORA put an end to AFDC as an entitlement program and created TANF -
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.  Keep in mind that many states are
running TANF programs that are very much different from what was spelled out
in the legislation.  They operate these programs under waivers received by
HHS.  VA was allowed 40+ waivers to operate the TANF program they are
currently operating. The work portion of the program is called VIEW -
Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare.  VA's waivers are due to
expire 06/2003.  VA's VIEW program does have an education component, but few
TANF/VIEW recipients take advantage of it.  VA also exempts approximately
65% of their TANF recipients from participating in the work component
(VIEW).  Educational activities have been made available to many of these
exempt TANF recipients, but few have chosen to take advantage of them.  Also
keep in mind that under the JOBS program (the former work portion of the old
AFDC program) many recipients took advantage of educational activities.
Millions and millions of dollars were spent on clients enrolled in ABE, GED
and post-secondary programs.  After years of operating the JOBS program, few
clients (in proportion to the number enrolled) achieved increases in grade
levels, GEDs, or post-secondary degrees.
What I have learned from my experience from working in social services is
that there is no simple solution to helping families achieve
self-sufficiency.  It is a very complicated problem and education (and work
for that matter) is just a part of the solution for some.  For many others,
we cannot "fix" in a matter of years what has taken a lifetime to create.
----- Original Message -----
From: <AWilder106 at aol.com>
To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2002 3:01 PM
Subject: Re: [NLA] WIA and TANF


> Deborah,
>
> Please excuse my ignorance--is TANF the official name for the 1996 Clinton
> welfare bill?  (Well, I know it was Clinton, and I think it was 1996.)
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andrea
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