Access to Services and Benefits & Services Integration

Walter Hillabrant, Judy Earp, and Mack Rhoades Support Services International Nancy Pindus The Urban Institute, Inc.

American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages have embraced the goals, objectives, and programs associated with welfare reform, but the lack of jobs limits the success of tribal programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Welfare-to-Work (WtW). The lack of jobs is one of the biggest problems in Indian Country.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National welfare reform legislation in 1996 created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, which imposed time limits on cash assistance receipt and broadened and strengthened mandates for clients to work or engage in work-related activities.

This study describes policies and practices in Connecticut, Minnesota, and Texas designed to coordinate the child support enforcement program, Medicaid, and SCHIP in order to secure and sustain appropriate health care coverage for child support-eligible children.

National Study of Child Protective Services Systems and Reform Efforts

Submitted to: Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Project Officer: Elizabeth Lower-Basch Submitted by:

This report summarizes state policy choices with regard to TANF sanctions for failure to comply with work requirements. In addition, it reviews the existing literature on sanctioning rates, characteristics and circumstances of sanctioned clients, and the impacts of TANF sanctions.

This report explores one key dimension of access to public benefits  the application and eligibility determination process. Of particular interest is how local-level administrative procedures and operations may generally affect eligible families access to benefits. Special consideration is given to exploring these issues as they relate to immigrants and limited English speakers.