Policy & Regulation

By: Thomas M. Fraker, Dan M. Levy, Robert B. Olsen, Rita A. Stapulonis Submitted to:U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

The $3 billion Welfare-to-Work (WtW) grants program established by Congress as part of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 provided funds to over 700 state and local grantees.

This study of Maryland's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) caseload was undertaken to provide policy makers and program managers with empirical data on the characteristics, circumstances, and prospects of the adults and children who currently receive cash assistance.

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.

Past studies by federal agencies examined the impact of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 policies on beneficiaries and providers. While documenting changes in the supply of home health agencies (HHAs), these studies concluded that agency closings did not cause a shortage of Medicare home health providers and that beneficiaries' access to services were not generally affected.

By: Demetra Smith Nightingale, Carolyn Taylor O'Brien, Michael Egner, Nancy Pindus, and John Trutko (The Urban Institute)