TANF - Urban Institute [PDF]

A Bibliography of Studies Using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Linked Administrative Data

By Paul Johnson, Jim Kaminski, Molly Scott, and Anne Whitesell

January 31, 2012*

* This report was prepared by the Urban Institute under funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), contract number GS23F8198H, order number HHSP233200800561G. The views expressed here are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or HHS/ACF.

Introduction Since its inception in 1996, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program has been subject to much study. Some of this work has involved linking TANF administrative data to other data sources. Other researchers, program administrators, and policy makers who are considering similar linkages to address research, programmatic, and operational questions can learn from past efforts. These studies can provide information on what linkages have been possible, how linkages can be used, and potentially, challenges to creating and using data linkages. This report presents information on the literature using TANF data linkages. TANF data linkages can serve two different purposes. The first is to improve the administration of programs themselves. The structure and permanence of these “linkages” vary substantially. States can create a comprehensive database containing client-level information on eligibility for and receipt of multiple benefits or services. Alternatively, states may link together separate programs’ databases by client IDs or have systems in place where caseworkers have access to separate databases and simply use client identifiers to look up information as needed. The capacity to develop and maintain these linkages is often subject to budget constraints and political support. Thus, at any given time, the presence and type of data linkage may vary substantially. TANF data linkages can also be used to answer program questions and for research purposes. Some linked databases are designed to be permanent longitudinal databases containing numerous data sources and supporting a wide variety of analyses, such as Washington’s DSHS Client Services Database (Washington State 2010) and Wisconsin’s Multi-Sample Person File (Brown et al. 2011). However, most data linkages for research purposes are more limited, combining particular data elements gathered during a particular timeframe for a particular subgroup of clients, to answer a particular set of research questions. This report first presents a discussion of the use of administrative data for program administration and then a detailed list of the research literature using TANF data linkages.

Program administration Since 1992, federal incentives have been in place for states to integrate the databases that they use for public programs in order to streamline enrollment and recertification processes for families. Starting in that year, the federal government began offering a 50 percent reimbursement to state agencies that developed statewide computerized databases meeting Family Assistance Management Information Systems (FAMIS) standards set by the Department of Health and Human Services (GAO 2001). There has also been significant interest in linking these data to 1

statewide data on employment and earnings in order to independently verify recipients’ income eligibility. As a result of the requirements for FAMIS certification, most of the databases that were created following FAMIS included data from TANF, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), and Medicaid (GAO 2000). As early as 1999, the American Public Human Services Association’s Survey of State TANF Agencies’ Use of Administrative Data, which gathered information from 48 states and the District of Columbia, found that all but one state TANF agency maintained some kind of linkage between TANF data and another public program database (Cyphers and Kinsella 2000). The most frequent linkages were between TANF, work activities databases, SNAP, and Medicaid. There were also linkages between the core database and the state Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP), child care, child support, general assistance, unemployment insurance, and foster care databases. A more recent 2009 study of the integration of data for five public programs (TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and general assistance) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia found that all but 5 states used one central data system for the management of TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid (Seago 2009). California had the least integrated data, separating out Medicaid from TANF and SNAP and using different data systems for the latter programs in different counties. Five states—Alaska, Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, and North Dakota— housed comprehensive centralized databases that integrated all five of the public programs studied. Research In order to document the kinds of TANF linkages being used by researchers, we searched for reports, presentations, journal articles, and briefs that presented results of studies that employed TANF data linkages as part of the study. We found 103 articles, all of which are included in the bibliography. While we cannot be sure this search is exhaustive, we have uncovered as much literature as possible. Each entry is followed by a brief summary of the study. Generally, the summary was taken from the article’s abstract, but in some cases text from other sources (executive summary, introduction, etc.) was used. In order to be included in the bibliography, the study must focus on TANF recipients—either the entire population or a specific subpopulation (e.g., persons leaving TANF). In some cases, the TANF population is itself a subpopulation of the population being studied. Such studies are included if the entire TANF population is included (e.g., studies of all recipients of public assistance). The study must also use TANF administrative data linked with other person-level or case-level data from administrative sources. If only TANF administrative data are used, or the only linkage is to more aggregate-level data (e.g., neighborhood or county-level indicators), the study is not included. 2

To help the reader locate studies of interest, table 1 lists all the studies by state, and summarizes the type of data used by the study, as follows: State: This column indicates which state was included in the study. When the state is marked with an asterisk, it means the study did not apply to the whole state, but to one or more counties or cities. Some studies applied to multiple states. While these studies are listed just once in the bibliography, in the summary table they are listed once for each state included in the study. Employment: Most studies used some form of employment data. The most common source was wage and employment data from the state’s unemployment insurance records. A few studies (marked as “Other”) used some other source. Child Care Subsidy, Child Support, Child Welfare, and Medical Assistance: It was difficult to categorize the variety of sources from which these data types were obtained, so these columns simply indicate whether the data type was used, rather than also giving information about the source. Some common sources include Child Support Enforcement records for child support data, Medicaid/CHIP records for medical assistance data, and Child Protective Services records for child welfare data. SNAP/WIC: Many studies used data from SNAP. Only one study used Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) data. Other: While the previous columns capture most of the types of data used, some studies used additional types. The most common type was data from other social service programs, but birth, criminal, school, and tax records were also used. Linked Survey Data: In addition to administrative data, many studies linked survey data to TANF administrative data. In most cases the survey was a new survey, designed and conducted as part of the study. However, in some cases the study was able to take advantage of a survey that had been conducted previously. Study Years: This pair of columns indicates the range of years included in the study. Note that for some studies, not all of the data are available for all of these years. For example, a study of persons leaving welfare (“leavers”) will only have TANF data for their years on welfare, but may link those data to employment data for subsequent years. Bibliographic Information: The information in these columns corresponds closely to information in the bibliography. However, in order to save space, some titles and/or author listings were shortened.

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Bibliography of TANF Research Using Linked Administrative Data

Acker, Joan, Sandra Morgen, Lisa Gonzales, Jill Weigt, Kate Barry, and Terri Heath. 2002. “Welfare Restructuring, Work & Poverty: Policy Implications from Oregon.” Center for the Study of Women in Society, University of Oregon. From the Executive Summary: This report presents results from a two-year study of the experiences of families who left or were diverted from cash assistance (TANF) or Food Stamps in the first quarter of 1998. Our research questions examine the economic status and family well-being of those who left or were diverted from public assistance, focusing on whether poverty and economic hardship were diminished. Our findings and recommendations are based on three sources of data: administrative records; telephone interviews at two points in time over two years with a state-wide random sample of families; and in-depth, in-person interviews with a sub-sample of seventy-eight families at two additional points in time. Acs, Gregory, and Pamela Loprest. 2001. “The Status of TANF Leavers in the District of Columbia.” The Urban Institute, Washington, DC. Abstract: This study reports on the status of former welfare recipients in the District of Columbia, focusing on two groups of families that left the TANF program: those that left in the last quarter of 1997 and those that left in the last quarter of 1998. The study uses administrative data from the DC Department of Human Services for the 1997 and 1998 groups as well as interviews with a sample of those that left in 1998, conducted approximately one year after they left. Arizona Department of Economic Security. 2001. “Cash Assistance Exit Study; 2nd Year.” Division of Policy and Program Development, Best Practices Unit. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/az/AZ-CAExitStudy2ndYear.pdf From the Introduction: The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct research focusing on families who leave the Arizona Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This grant was subsequently extended to cover a second year and the results of that second year’s 4

research comprise this report. The grant is helping Arizona answer the question: “What consequences, both intended and unintended, do recipients and their dependents experience once their link to cash assistance is severed?” The research is based on all cash assistance cases that were closed for at least one month during the three-month period of January 1998 through March 1998 (10,647 cases). These cases were matched with information from the DES’ administrative databases to determine continued reliance on DES programs and services, and to track employer reported wages. Also, a stratified random sample of 1,149 leavers was selected for intensive follow-up survey data collection. Arizona Department of Economic Security. 2001. “State of Arizona Cash Assistance Entrance Study.” Division of Program and Policy Development, Best Practices Unit. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/az/AZ-CAEntranceStudy.pdf From the Introduction: The Arizona Department of Economic Security was awarded a grant from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for research into the status of families who apply for the Arizona Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program but who do not complete the application process. These families are compared to those who receive TANF services. This grant is helping answer the following questions: “What happens to families who apply for TANF services but who do not complete the application process? How do these families compare to families who receive TANF services?” The study used information from Unemployment Insurance, Cash Assistance, Food Stamps, Child Support Enforcement, DES Sponsored Child Care, Child Protective Services, and DES Community Services Administration to compare each group. Autor, David H., and Susan Houseman. 2010. “Do Temporary-Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes for Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence from ‘Work First‘.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2: 96–128. Abstract: Temporary-help jobs offer rapid entry into paid employment, but they are typically brief and it is unknown whether they foster longer term employment. We utilize the unique structure of Detroit’s welfare-to-work program to identify the effect of temporary-help jobs on labor market advancement. Exploiting the rotational assignment of welfare clients to numerous nonprofit contractors with differing job placement rates, we find that temporary-help job placements do not improve and may diminish subsequent earnings and employment outcomes among participants. In contrast, job placements with direct-

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hire employers substantially raise earnings and employment over a seven quarter followup period. Autor, David H., Susan Houseman, and Sari Pekkala Kerr . 2011. “The Effect of Work First Job Placements on the Distribution of Earnings: An Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression.” MIT Working Paper. Cambridge, MA: MIT. http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/6627. Abstract: Federal and state employment programs for low-skilled workers typically emphasize rapid placement of participants into jobs and often place a large fraction of participants into temporary help agency jobs. Using unique administrative data from Detroit’s welfare-to-work program, we apply the Chernozhukov-Hansen instrumental variables quantile regression (IVQR) estimator to estimate the causal effects of welfare-to-work job placements on the distribution of participants’ earnings. We find that neither directhire nor temporary help job placements significantly affect the lower tail of the earnings distribution. Direct-hire placements, however, substantially raise the upper tail, yielding sizable earnings increases for more than fifty percent of participants over the mediumterm (one to two years following placement). Conversely, temporary help placements have zero or negative earnings impacts at all quantiles, and these effects are economically large and significant at higher quantiles. Substantively, the results cast doubt on whether the widespread use of temporary help agencies by government programs is a sound public investment. Methodologically, one surprising result is that a reduced-from quantile IV approach, akin to two-step instrumental variables, produces near-identical point estimates to the structural IVQR approach, which is based on much stronger assumptions. Axelsen, D. 2007. “Welfare recipient work choice and in-kind benefits in Washington state.” Applied Economics 39(8): 1021–36. Abstract: We analyze the work choice of welfare recipients. Potential welfare recipients compare their on and off welfare utility from after-tax income and in-kind benefits via employment or welfare, and choose whether to work. Our null hypothesis, which we reject, is that benefits affect only the decision to work or not, not the hours worked, which will depend on wages. Using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) administrative data from Washington state, we find that employer provided health insurance and child care subsidies significantly raise exit rates of TANF recipients and induce greater work effort. Other work inducing factors include wages and the Earned Income Tax Credit, while increased levels of Medicaid, Food Stamps and the income guarantee increase welfare dependency. 6

Beimers, D. L. 2009. “Factors Influencing Child Maltreatment Among Families Leaving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.” Ph.D. diss., Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. http://search.proquest.com/socialsciences/docview/304857852 Abstract: The study examines the experiences of families exiting TANF and factors that influence subsequent child maltreatment. Factors examined were individual and family characteristics, birth data for the youngest child at time of exit, past employment and cash assistance usage, reason for exit from cash assistance, employment and public assistance usage after exit from TANF, and neighborhood characteristics. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the occurrence and timing of investigations of child maltreatment and substantiated or indicated findings of child maltreatment following the families’ initial exit from cash assistance. Bloom, Dan, James J. Kemple, Pamela Morris, Susan Scrivener, Nandita Verma, and Richard Hendra, with Diana Adams-Ciardullo, David Seith, and Johanna Walter. 2009. “The Family Transition Program: Final Report on Florida’s Initial Time-Limited Welfare Program.” MDRC. Summary Report: This is the fifth and final report in the FTP evaluation. It summarizes the earlier findings and provides new information in several areas. It follows eligible families for at least four years after they entered the study—well beyond the point when recipients began reaching the time limit—and uses data from a large-scale survey to assess, for the first time, FTP’s effects on key outcomes such as food security and child well-being. In addition, the report provides new information from in-depth, post-welfare interviews with FTP participants whose benefits were canceled at the time limit. Finally, the report describes the results of a benefit-cost analysis, which compares FTP’s financial benefits and costs for participants and government budgets. Bloom, Dan, Sarah Rich, Cindy Redcross, Erin Jacobs, Jennifer Yahner, and Nancy Pindus. 2009. “Alternative Welfare-to-Work Strategies for the Hard-to-Employ: Testing Transitional Jobs and Pre-Employment Services in Philadelphia.” MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publications/537/full.pdf From the Executive Summary: This report presents interim results from a rigorous evaluation of two different employment strategies for hard-to-employ public assistance recipients in Philadelphia. 7

The study is part of the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, which is testing innovative employment strategies for groups facing serious obstacles to steady work. Born, Catherine E., and Tracy Kirk. 2004. “Life After Welfare: Regional Analysis of Recent Leavers.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/pgleavers.pdf From the web site: This report examines and reports on data describing recent welfare leavers in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County—the jurisdictions with the largest caseloads and the largest numbers of exiting families—and compares the findings with those for the balance of the state. Born, Catherine E., Correne Saunders, Sarah Williamson, and Letitia Logan. 2011. “Life After Welfare Annual Update.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/lifeafterreports.htm From the web site: This is the latest annual update of Maryland’s large-scale, longitudinal study of what happens to families after they exit the TANF rolls. Measured outcomes include employment, recidivism, receipt of transitional benefits, and involvement in the child welfare system. Each subsequent report includes additional samples and additional follow-up data. Born, Catherine E., Pamela J. Caudill, and Melinda L. Cordero. 1999. “Life After Welfare: A Look At Sanctioned Families.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/ffsanctions.pdf From the web site: A detailed analysis of the use and effects of full-family sanctions for non-compliance with work and non-cooperation with child support during the first 18 months of welfare reform.

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Born, Catherine E., Pamela J. Caudill, and Melinda L. Cordero. 2000. “Life After Welfare: Regional Patterns.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/regional.pdf From the web site: The data from “Life After Welfare: Fourth Interim Report” are revisited and examined by geographical region to provide a picture of trends occurring across Maryland and how those trends may differ from patterns for the state as a whole. Briggs, B., and P. Kuhn. 2008. “Paying for the relocation of welfare recipients: Evidence from the Kentucky Relocation Assistance Program.” University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series, DP2008-01. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, Lexington, KY. http://www.ukcpr.org/Publications/DP2008-01.pdf. Abstract: In May of 1998, the Relocation Assistance Program (RAP) was introduced in Kentucky as a means of aiding welfare recipients to achieve self-sufficiency by offering lump-sum payments to those who wished to relocate to seek or accept employment. Unlike other relocation assistance programs, this program provides moving assistance to welfare clients rather than to unemployed persons or dislocated workers. We relate this program to other relocation programs as well as to the UI bonus experiments. We also survey the theoretical literature to give some intuition for the effects of the program on earnings and employment for welfare clients. Using program participation to measure the treatment effect is a contentious issue due to program requirements linking employment to participation. Given that advertising would certainly influence participation, we construct an advertising proxy that differs from program uptake/utilization to identify the program’s effects. Working with a relatively short, panel administrative dataset, we find that a one standard deviation increase in the RAP proxy is associated with a 20.4 percent increase in employment and a 18.3 percent increase in quarterly unconditional earnings, which is robust to various specification checks.

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Brock, Thomas, Isaac Kwakye, Judy C. Polyné, Lashawn Richburg-Hayes, David Seith, Alex Stepick, and Carol Dutton Stepick, with Tara Cullen and Sarah Rich. 2004. “Welfare Reform in Miami Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods.” MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publications/387/full.pdf From the Summary Report: Anticipating that welfare reform might pose particular challenges to urban areas—where poverty and welfare receipt are most concentrated—MDRC launched the Project on Devolution and Urban Change (Urban Change, for short). The project is examining the implementation and effects of TANF in four urban counties: Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, and Philadelphia. This report focuses on Miami-Dade County, and it addresses questions similar to those posed for the other study sites: How did Florida change its welfare law, and how did officials in Miami-Dade implement those changes? What “messages” and services were put in place? How were work requirements and time limits implemented? What were the effects of welfare reform on the county’s welfare caseloads? Did reform alter patterns of welfare and employment? How did low-income families in the county adapt to work requirements and other dimensions of welfare reform? What were their experiences in the labor market? Were they better or worse off economically? What were the conditions of neighborhoods in Miami-Dade before and after welfare reform? Were poor neighborhoods better or worse off after reform? Cadena, Brian, Sheldon H. Danziger, and Kristin Seefeldt. 2008. “The Dynamics of Food Stamp Receipt after Welfare Reform.” In Income Volatility and Food Assistance, edited by D. Joliffe and J. Ziliak. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI. http://nationalpovertycenter.net/news/events/income_volatility_agenda/cadenadanzigerse efeldt.pdf From the Introduction: In this paper, we use panel data from the Women’s Employment Study (WES), supplemented with monthly TANF and Food Stamp administrative data, to examine several questions related to Food Stamp use among current and former welfare recipients, nearly all of whom received Food Stamps when the study began in February 1997. Our empirical results indicate some “good news” from a policy perspective. First, food stamp participation among WES respondents was more sensitive to employment variability than was TANF receipt. Second, women who might have greater need for food stamps are less likely to exit. For example, women who have at least one child with a persistent health problem are more likely to remain on food stamps, probably because they face other hardships, independent of job loss, that keep them connected to food stamp support.

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Camasso, M. J., C. Harvey, R. Jagannathan, and M. Killingsworth. 1998. “A final report on the impact of New Jersey’s Family Development Program. Results from a pre-post analysis of AFDC case heads from 1990 to 1996.” Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Evaluation of New Jersey’s Family Development Program focusing on its effects on fertility, contraceptive use, abortions, and sterilizations, with lesser attention given to effects on earnings and employment. Cancian, M., and D. R. Meyer. 2004. “Alternative Measures of Economic Success among TANF Participants: Avoiding Poverty, Hardship, and Dependence on Public Assistance.” Journal of Policy Analysis & Management 23(3): 531–48. Abstract: Current debates about the success of TANF reforms have been obscured by the use of inconsistent indicators of success, as well as by measurement difficulties associated with alternative indicators. This paper considers conceptual and measurement issues associated with three different indicators of economic well-being: independence from public assistance, having income above the poverty threshold, and freedom from material hardship. Survey and administrative data from a sample of TANF participants illustrate the sensitivity of conclusions to alternative ways of measuring each indicator. Also considered is the extent to which dependence, poverty, and hardship coincide, or capture important differences in outcomes. The principles underlying TANF reforms have implications for appropriate measures of economic well-being, as the empirical importance of these implications demonstrates. Cancian, M., D. R. Meyer, et al. 2008. “Welfare and Child Support: Complements, Not Substitutes.” Journal of Policy Analysis & Management 27(2): 354-75. In most states, child support paid on behalf of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants is used to offset TANF and child support administrative expenditures; this policy primarily benefits taxpayers. In contrast, Wisconsin allowed most custodial parents to keep all support paid on their behalf. This policy, which treats welfare and child support as complements, was evaluated through an experimental design. This paper reports the key results of the experimental evaluation, using state administrative data to examine the effects on child support outcomes and governmental cost. We find that when custodial mothers keep all child support paid on their behalf paternity establishment occurs more quickly, noncustodial fathers are more likely to pay support, and custodial families receive more support. These outcomes are achieved at no significant governmental cost.

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Cancian, Maria, Robert H. Haveman, Daniel R. Meyer, and Barbara Wolfe. 2002. “Before and After TANF: The Economic Well-Being of Women Leaving Welfare.” The Social Service Review 76(4): 603-41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30013112 Abstract: We use administrative data from Wisconsin to compare employment, earnings, and income outcomes for welfare leavers under early reforms and under the later, more stringent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. We find substantially higher rates of exit in the later period. Later leavers are somewhat more likely to work, but their earnings are lower. We also make a pre-post comparison of individual employment and income experiences, examining a leaver’s outcomes during a calendar quarter of welfare receipt with these outcomes a year after leaving welfare. On average, substantial earnings growth is outweighed by declines in benefits, resulting in reduced total measured net income. Cancian, Maria, and Marci Ybarra. 2008. “The Earnings and Income of Wisconsin Works (W-2) Applicants.” Prepared for State of Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. http://www.irp.wisc.edu/research/welreform/pdfs/DWD-Applicants-R3-Final.pdf From the Introduction: In this report we present information on the post-application economic status of individuals who applied to the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program. We analyze the earnings and income of applicants in the first year following W-2 application, comparing outcomes for W-2 participants and nonparticipants. This report addresses the final objectives of a study designed to (1) examine the Wisconsin Works (W-2) application process; (2) describe the frequency of applicant dropouts prior to eligibility determination; and (3) follow the well-being over time of dropouts and their children based on available administrative data. This analysis builds on two previous reports completed as part of this project. The first report (Ybarra and Kaplan, 2007) outlined the W-2 application process and highlighted differences among participating agencies, while the second report (Ybarra and Noyes, 2008) detailed W-2 placements, drop-out junctures, drop-out reasons, and associated applicant characteristics. This final report also builds on a preliminary analysis of post-application outcomes that considered income in the first quarter after application (Ybarra and Cancian, 2008).

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Cancian, Maria, Robert Haveman, Daniel R. Meyer, and Barbara Wolfe. 2003. “The Employment, Earnings, and Income of Single Mothers in Wisconsin Who Left Cash Assistance: Comparison Among Three Cohorts.” Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/sr/pdfs/sr85.pdf Abstract: We use administrative data from Wisconsin to compare employment, earnings, and income outcomes for welfare leavers under early AFDC reforms and under the later, more stringent TANF program. We consider outcomes for women leaving welfare in 1999, updating an earlier analysis of those who left welfare in 1995 and 1997. We find substantially higher rates of exit in the later periods. Later leavers are somewhat more likely to work, but their earnings are lower. We also make a pre-post comparison of individual employment and income experiences, examining a leaver’s outcomes during a calendar quarter of welfare receipt with these outcomes a year after leaving welfare. On average, substantial earnings growth is outweighed by declines in benefits, resulting in reduced total measured net income. The reductions in income from before to after exit are greater for those in the 1995 cohort relative to those in the 1997 and 1999 cohorts. Cancian, Maria, Robert Havemen, Thomas Kaplan, Daniel Meyer, Ingrid Rothe, and Barbara Wolfe, with Sandra Barone. 2001. “The Take-Up of Medicaid and Food Stamps by Welfare Leavers: The Case of Wisconsin.” Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Abstract: Subsidized medical insurance and food purchases through the Medicaid and Food Stamp programs potentially improve the health and economic well-being of low-income people, but only if eligible participants receive program benefits. Reports of decreases in Food Stamp and Medicaid participation rates following passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996 raised concerns about the health care coverage and nutritional status of former recipients of cash welfare. This paper describes Food Stamp and Medicaid participation for two cohorts leaving welfare in Wisconsin: those who left cash welfare in 1995 (under early welfare reform) and those who left welfare 2 years later. The paper estimates initial take-up rates (that is, participation rates among those eligible immediately after exit from cash welfare) of 60 percent for Food Stamps and 80 percent for Medicaid among the 1995 leavers. Initial take-up rates were greater for those who left in 1997. Take-up rates among leavers declined steadily as time elapsed after their exit from cash welfare.

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Cancian, Maria, Thomas Kaplan, and Daniel R. Meyer. 1999. “Outcomes for Low-Income Families under the Wisconsin AFDC Program: Understanding the Baseline So That We Can Estimate the Effects of Welfare Reform.” Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison. From the Executive Summary: This analysis is based on a randomly selected 10-percent sample of female-headed AFDC Regular (AFDC-R) cases in the Wisconsin administrative record system. One sample includes 10 percent of all cases open in July 1990 (the “stock”). The second sample includes 10 percent of all cases that began a new spell of AFDC receipt in the following 11 months (the “flow”). The two samples are thus mutually exclusive and include all cases in the 10-percent sample receiving AFDC-R in the year starting July 1990 and ending June 1991. We provide results for three calendar years for each sample: 1991– 1993 for the stock and 1992–1994 for the flow. Cancian, Maria, Robert Haveman, Thomas Kaplan, and Barbara Wolfe, with Sandra Barone and Dan Ross. 1999. “Post-Exit Earnings and Benefit Receipt among Those Who Left AFDC in Wisconsin.” Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin - Madison. From the Executive Summary: From July 1995 to July 1996, single-parent AFDC caseloads in Wisconsin declined sharply, by 23 percent. This is the third and final report in a series that explores the characteristics of those mother-headed families who left AFDC after July 1995 (“leavers”), compared to those who remained (“stayers”), and examines how they fared during the 15 months after they left the Wisconsin AFDC program. Specifically, we ask: What proportion of leavers returned to AFDC, and what characteristics are most closely associated with that return? Did AFDC leavers and their families have incomes greater than (1) the maximum benefits they would have received under AFDC or (2) their incomes immediately before leaving AFDC? Did leavers and their families escape poverty after leaving AFDC? How much did leavers use other public assistance programs, and what household characteristics most affected the likelihood that they would do so? To what extent did leavers work and earn after they left AFDC, and how did these trends compare to the work and earning patterns of the stayers? Did the earnings of the leavers grow over time and, if so, to what extent? What family and economic characteristics among leavers were most closely related to the probability of working at all, and of obtaining relatively high earnings? What kinds of jobs did leavers find, and which jobs seemed to offer the highest wages?

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Cook, Steven T., and Emma Caspar. 2006. “W-2 Child Support Demonstration Evaluation: Comparisons of Outcomes.” Prepared for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. From the Executive Summary: “Comparisons of Outcomes” is the last of four annual reports. It presents six years of follow-up information for two randomly assigned cohorts, and two to five years of follow-up information for two later-entering, full-pass-through and disregard cohorts. It also includes an analysis of cases in Wisconsin’s Caretaker Supplement program, which provides a cash benefit to parents who are receiving SSI payments and raising minor children. The first part of this report corroborates the results from earlier reports showing positive effects of the full pass-through and disregard policy on paternity establishment among later entrants which persisted throughout the observation period , higher likelihood of child support payment in the early years of the program, and lower levels of W-2 use in the first year of the evaluation. In the second part of the report, we examine outcomes for participants in Wisconsin’s Caretaker Supplement program (CTS), which provides assistance for parents receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits, and compare those outcomes to those for W-2 participants. Coon, A., M. Geo-Jaja, and G. Mangum. 2000. “From Welfare Poor to Working Poor: Post AFDC/TANF Income in Salt Lake County, Utah.” Center for Public Policy and Administration, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. From the Introduction: Statewide, the number of households receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children had dramatically declined from nearly 18,500 in 1993 to less than 15,000 at the time of the welfare reform legislation and to under 13,000 by 1997 when the new state Employment Assistance for Utah Families Act and the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act both took effect, continuing down to less than 9,000 by the end of 1999 and to 5,553 households in June 2000. The number of Salt Lake County households receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) had dramatically declined from 7,500 at the beginning of 1994 to 5,300 by 1997 and approximately 3,400 by the end of 1999. While the decline in public assistance enrollments has been widely acclaimed, it is critical to know what the impact has been for the families involved in both the state and the county. This study approaches that assignment by analysis of administrative data. The records of two separate samples of public assistance recipients were followed over several different years, determining the extent to which, on a month by month basis, they received public assistance payments or food stamps and also whether they appeared on the records of employers reporting quarterly wage payments or upon the unemployment insurance rolls. 15

Coulton, C., and N. Verma. 2000. “Employment and Return to Public Assistance Among Single, Female-Headed Families Leaving AFDC in Third Quarter 1996, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.” Prepared for Cuyahoga Work and Training. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/oh/1996exit.pdf From the Introduction: As welfare caseloads fall and provisions of welfare reform are implemented in state and local welfare offices, there is a growing interest in families and individuals who leave the welfare rolls. However, welfare caseloads have always been dynamic, with families entering and leaving assistance programs each month. To interpret information on families leaving welfare since welfare reform, it is necessary to know what happened to families who left welfare in the past as well. This is a study of a third quarter, 1996 cohort of welfare leavers, who stopped receiving cash assistance before welfare reform went into effect. It is intended to provide a basis of comparison for future studies of families leaving welfare under welfare reform. Coulton, C., C. J. Pasqualone, N. Bania, T. Martin, N. Lalich, and M. Newburn. 2000. “How Are They Managing? A Six-Month Retrospective of Cuyahoga County Families Leaving Welfare: Fourth Quarter of 1998 and First, Second, and Third Quarters of 1999.” Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. http://aspe.dhhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/oh/Q498_399_report.pdf From the Introduction: This report provides interim findings from the study of families leaving welfare in Cuyahoga County. The purpose of the study is to provide ongoing information to public officials, human service professionals, advocates and members of the community about how families are faring as welfare reform is being implemented. Specifically, the study is designed to: monitor the status of families leaving cash assistance at multiple time points after exit; compare the experiences of exit cohorts drawn at quarterly intervals throughout the gradual process of welfare reform implementation; and, describe differences in exiting families’ experiences before and after time limits go into effect.

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Courtney, Mark, and Amy Dworsky. 2006. “Child Welfare Services Involvement: Findings from the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study.” Working Paper. Chapin Hall, University of Chicago. From the Introduction: This paper begins with a description of how we measured child welfare services involvement. Next, we present some results pertaining to the prevalence of child welfare services involvement among the TANF applicants in our sample, finding that the families in our study are much more likely to become involved with child welfare services than would be expected based on prior research on populations involved with welfare programs. We then discuss the factors that predict which TANF applicants became involved with the child welfare system, finding a set of predictors that help illustrate the problems these adults are having balancing the demands of work and parenting. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of our findings. Courtney, Mark, and Amy Dworsky. 2006. “Income and Poverty: Findings from the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study.” Working Paper. Chapin Hall, University of Chicago. From the Introduction: This paper focuses on the income and poverty status of participants in the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study (See box for a description of the study). We begin with an examination of change in income over the 4-plus years for which we have data, finding little change over time in total average earnings. Next, we consider the extent to which TANF applicants were able to move out of poverty. We find that few TANF applicants had income that would lift their families out of poverty, even after taking into account income from sources other than employment earnings and TANF. We conclude with a discussion of our findings and their policy implications. Courtney M., A. Dworsky, I. Piliavin, and A. Zinn. 2005. “Involvement of TANF Applicant Families with Child Welfare Services.” Social Service Review 79(1): 119–57. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=16390027&site=ehostlive Abstract: Few studies examine the relationship between welfare and child welfare populations in the wake of welfare reform. This article compares child welfare services involvement between 1996 Aid to Families with Dependent Children entrants and 1999 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applicants in Wisconsin. Results suggest that there is considerable overlap between welfare applicant and child welfare populations, that this overlap has increased significantly since welfare reform, and that, as state TANF 17

caseloads decline, they may be increasingly composed of families that face significant problems in balancing the demands of work and parenting. Crew, R. E., and B. C. Davis. 2003. “Assessing the effects of substance abuse among applicants for TANF benefits: the outcome of a demonstration project in Florida.” Journal of Health and Social Policy 17(1): 39–53. Abstract: This paper examines an attempt by the State of Florida to devise a mechanism for determining the level of drug use among TANF recipients and to determine the extent to which such use affects employment, earnings and use of government services by TANF beneficiaries. Data from tests administered by substance abuse testing providers were combined with information from Medicaid, Food Stamp, cash assistance and Unemployment Insurance files to examine differences between the two groups. The findings suggest that the procedures employed by the State of Florida did not produce reliable estimates of the level of drug use among TANF beneficiaries. The data did show very small differences in employment, earnings, and use of government services between individuals who tested positively and those who tested negatively for substance abuse. In addition, evidence is presented that suggests that there is very little difference in employment, earnings and use of government services between users of different kinds of drugs. Crew, Robert E., Joe Eyerman, Justin Graham, and Nancy McMillan. 2000. “Tracking the Outcomes of Welfare Reform in Florida for Three Groups of People.” A report prepared for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASPE, Washington, DC. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/fl/CrewTrackingFinalDHHS.pdf From the Executive Summary: This project made use of information collected from two sources to track the outcomes of welfare reform in Florida for three groups of citizens: (1) a group that had participated in the state’s TANF program but that left this program during the second calendar quarter of 1997; (2) a group that had begun the process of applying for cash assistance during this quarter but had not completed the process; and (3) a group that had been receiving Medicaid benefits during this period and was income eligible for cash assistance but did not apply for cash assistance. Using administrative data from the state’s FLORIDA and WAGES information systems, from the state’s Unemployment Insurance files and information gathered through telephone interviews with over 6,000 of the individuals involved, these three groups were tracked for the 21 months following the baseline period.

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Cuciti, P., L. Appelbaum, and C. Badar. 2003. “Families on Colorado Works: Employment Assets and Liabilities.” The Centers, University of Colorado, Denver. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/co/Welfare-Barriers.pdf From the Introduction: This research provides an in-depth examination of the single-parent caseload receiving financial assistance through Colorado Works as of July 2002. Drawing on administrative records for the entire caseload and in-depth surveys with a representative sample of case heads, this report describes their welfare and employment experiences and details a wide range of both potential assets and barriers to employment. Davis, Belinda Creel, Younghee Lim, and Michelle Livermore. 2011. “A Fresh Look at an Old Debate: Assigned Work Activities, Employment, and Post-program Earnings in TANF Work Programs.” Journal of Policy Practice 10(2). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15588742.2011.555324 Abstract: This study asserts that the type of work activity in which a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participant engages affects the likelihood of employment and post-program earnings. Using a Heckman selection model on administrative data from Louisiana’s social service office and unemployment insurance wage data (N = 15,816) and controlling for individual and parish characteristics, this study reveals that two work activities, on-the-job training and unsubsidized employment, are associated with an increased probability of employment. Further, unsubsidized employment, on-the-job training, and vocational education are positively associated with earnings, while job search, school attendance, and work experience are negatively associated with earnings. Elkin, Sam, Bret Barden, Kip Brown, and Iris Chan. 2009. “Welfare Leavers in Colorado.” The Lewin Group, Falls Church, VA. http://www.lewin.com/content/publications/COWelfareLeaverReport.pdf From the Executive Summary: This report explores why former welfare recipients in Colorado left the Colorado Works program and how they fare after exiting. It is part of a multi-year, in-depth study The Lewin Group is conducting for the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). The analysis in this report relies primarily on data from a survey of 494 individuals who had been on single-parent Colorado Works cases and left the program during the first three months of 2007. The survey occurred in August through November of 2008, which was between 17 and 23 months after the individuals surveyed had left Colorado Works.

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Fitzpatrick, Jill, and Julie L. Hotchkiss. 2009. “Job Separation Outcomes of Welfare Hires: Insight from Linked Personnel and State Administrative Data.” Contemporary Economic Policy 27(2): 137–46. http://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/coecpo/v27y2009i2p137-146.html Abstract: This article makes use of a unique personnel data set and state administrative data to follow welfare and non-welfare hires that separate from similar jobs with the same firm. Welfare hires are more likely to be on welfare after separation but are equally likely as similarly low-skilled non-welfare hires to transition to another job after separation. Among those with a new job, welfare hires experience a significantly lower wage gain, suggesting that welfare hires would benefit (even more than non-welfare hires) from focused assistance with job search and transition skills. Foster, Michael E., and Dana K. Rickman. 2001. “Life After Welfare: Report of the Georgia Welfare Leavers Study.” Applied Research Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/ga/statereport_law.pdf From the Executive Summary: Funded by the Department of Human Resources, the Georgia State welfare leavers study tracked families as they left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Using administrative data combined with the results of a telephone survey, the project monitored the impact of leaving welfare on the individuals and their families. The study includes both single-parent and child-only leavers as well as individuals who have returned to the rolls. Fraker, T., G. Kirby, M. Kovac, and L. Pavetti. 2003. “Families on TANF in Illinois: Employment Assets and Liabilities.” Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Washington, DC. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/TANF-IL-emp03/report.pdf From the Executive Summary: To increase knowledge of the current welfare caseload, this study examined the characteristics, circumstances, and job readiness of single-parent TANF cases in Illinois. The study population consisted of 33,495 single-parent cases in Illinois on TANF in November 2001. The cornerstone of this study was a telephone survey of a sample of 532 cases randomly drawn from this population. We completed interviews with 416 of the sample members for a survey response rate of 78 percent. To enrich the analysis, we supplemented this survey data with administrative data from the Illinois Department of 20

Human Services, wage data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and criminal history records from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Freedman, Stephen, Jean Tansey Knab, Lisa A. Gennetian, and David Navarro. 2000. “The Los Angeles Jobs-First GAIN Evaluation: Final Report on a Work First Program in a Major Urban Center.” MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/Reports2000/LA-GAIN/LA-GAIN-FullReport.pdf From the Executive Summary: This document summarizes the two-year findings from a large-scale, rigorous evaluation of Jobs-First GAIN, a strongly employment-focused mandatory welfare-to-work program. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) operated Jobs-First GAIN from January 1995 through March 1998. The evaluation, conducted by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), has been jointly funded by DPSS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ford Foundation. Los Angeles operates the largest county welfare program in the nation, serving more recipients than all states except New York and California. The size and diversity of Los Angeles County’s population mean that any success achieved by JobsFirst GAIN will have broad significance. Geen, Rob, Katherine Kortenkamp, and Matthew Stagner. 2002. “Foster Care Experiences of Long-Term Welfare Recipients in California” The Social Service Review 76(4): 552–74. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30013110 Abstract: Among a sample of 3,560 mostly long-term welfare recipients on cash assistance in California in 1992, approximately 4.2 percent had a child placed in foster care within 5 years. Caucasian caregivers, caregivers who became parents as teenagers, and those with more difficult parenting responsibilities were at increased risk of having a child removed from the home. Although current and long-term welfare receipt increased the risk of having a child placed in foster care, caregivers who had stable employment were at lesser risk. However, caregivers who worked while on welfare were at greater risk than caregivers who only received welfare benefits. Gonzalez, L., K. Hudson, and J. Acker. 2007. “Diverting dependency: The effects of diversion on the short-term outcomes of TANF applicants.” Journal of Poverty 11(1): 83–05. Abstract: As part of welfare reform, many states developed programs to “divert” applicants from receiving public assistance. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data from Oregon are used 21

to assess the outcomes of diverted women during a 21-month period in 1998 and 1999. Within nine months of their initial application, about half of those who were diverted received TANF. Prior welfare use did not increase the likelihood of TANF use. By the end of the study, half of all respondents had incomes below the federal poverty threshold, with more women dropping below the poverty level than rising above it. Neither employment nor TANF receipt during the study had a significant impact on the respondent’s poverty status. Hall, Lauren A., Letitia Logan, and Catherine Born. 2011. “Male Caseheads Receiving TCA: Who Are They and What Are Their Circumstances?” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/malecaseheadsbrief.pdf From the web site: This report briefly examines male caseheads who were receiving Temporary Cash Assistance in Maryland in October 2009. The rise in male TCA applicants and current economic climate which has been more unfavorable for males prompted this investigation. Hamilton, W. L., N. R. Burnstein, A. J. Baker, A. Earle, S. Gluckman, L. Peck, and A. White. 1996. “The New York Child Assistance Program: Five-Year Impacts, Costs, and Benefits.” Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA. From the Executive Summary: The New York Child Assistance Program (CAP) is a welfare reform initiative developed by the New York State Department of Social Services. CAP was implemented on a test basis in a limited number of counties beginning in 1988-89. This report describes results over five years in the three counties where CAP operated within a rigorous experimental design. Herbst, C. M., and D. Stevens. 2010. “The Impact of Local Labor Market Conditions on Work and Welfare Decisions: Revisiting an Old Question Using New Data.” Population Research and Policy Review 29 (4): 453–79. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=12&sid=b16d1adfa4e7-436a-af0c-8f4970d1094b%40sessionmgr12 Abstract: Using Maryland administrative data between 1996 and 2005, this paper examines the impact of local labor market conditions on work and welfare use among single mothers. Our estimates rely on the new Census Bureau Quarterly Workforce Indicators database, 22

which provides county-level economic indicators filtered by industry, gender, and agegroup. We specify a multinomial choice model to estimate the effects of local labor market variables, demographic characteristics, and controls for unobserved heterogeneity on the full set of work-welfare combinations. The results indicate that lower unemployment rates and increased new hires and new hires’ earnings in key industries increase the likelihood that women choose alternatives that include work. African American women and those with fewer years of education respond differently to changing economic conditions. Our results are robust to controls for fixed effects, county-specific time trends, and endogenous migration. Hetling, Andrea, and Catherine E. Born. 2005. “Examining the Impact of the Family Violence Option on Women’s Efforts to Leave Welfare.” Research on Social Work Practice 15: 143–53. doi:10.1177/1049731504272908. http://rsw.sagepub.com/content/15/3/143.full.pdf+html Abstract: The establishment of the Family Violence Option (FVO) in 1997 was met with some controversy, as critics believed waivers from time limit and work requirements would hinder women’s ability to leave welfare and find employment. Method: Using administrative and interview data from Maryland, multivariate equations analyze if domestic violence disclosure, administrative documentation, or waiver use had a statistically significant effect on one year employment and welfare use outcomes of individuals. Results: Waiver holders did not differ from non-victims, but victims who are not documented received fewer months of welfare and earned less income. Conclusions: Findings do not indicate that FVO waivers encourage women to stay on welfare longer. However, the poor outcomes of undocumented victims indicate that some individuals may be slipping through the cracks of a well-intentioned policy. Hetling, Andrea, Correne Saunders, and Catherine E. Born. 2005. “Maryland’s Child-Only Caseload: A Comparison of Parental and Non-parental Cases.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/childonly.pdf From the web site: This report describes Maryland’s child-only caseload and makes comparisons between not only non-child-only and child-only cases but also sub-groups within this population.

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Hirasuna Donald P., and Thomas F. Stinson. 2007. “Earned Income Credit Utilization by Welfare Recipients: A Case Study of Minnesota’s Earned Income Credit Program.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 26(1): 125–48. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.20230/abstract Abstract: This paper examines utilization of a state earned income credit by AFDC and TANF recipients. Although utilization percentages are increasing, we find that among TANF recipients in 1999, 45.7 percent of all households and 34.8 percent of eligible households did not receive the state earned income credit. Moreover, we find that utilization may depend upon TANF requirements and incentives, information resources, and barriers to work and filing of income tax returns. Finally, we investigate whether low utilization is because of little or no benefit from the state earned income credit and find this may be true for some with barriers or less incentive to work under TANF. Hollenbeck, K., J. Kimmel, and R. Eberts. 1997. “Using Administrative Data To Evaluate the Ohio JOBS Student Retention Program.” W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI. Abstract: This paper presents findings from a net impact evaluation of the Ohio JOBS Student Retention Program (JSRP). The JOBS program, a component of the federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, was required in all states for AFDC recipients who met certain criteria. The Ohio JSRP was an activity pursued by some JOBS program clients in Ohio to fulfill their responsibilities in order to receive aid. The JSRP was a threefold support program designed to facilitate entry to and success in programs of study at two-year community or technical colleges. We evaluated this state welfare policy while simultaneously dealing with methodological issues associated with the use of the different state administrative data sets. Julnes, G., A. Halter, S. Anderson, R. Schuldt, L. Frost-Kumpf, and F. Staskon. 2000. “Illinois study of former TANF clients: Final report.” Institute for Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/il/tanf_finalrpt.pdf From the text: TANF represents a new welfare program that has succeeded in reducing welfare rolls, but concerns remain regarding what happens to adults and children after they leave the TANF rolls and their cases are closed. As a result, Illinois, like many states, commissioned a study of leaver outcomes, to study the experiences of former TANF 24

clients. The study addresses the following questions: o o o o o o

Who is leaving TANF? Why are people leaving TANF? What are the employment experiences of TANF leavers? Who returns to TANF cash assistance and why? What services and supports do TANF leavers use and need? What is the overall well-being of clients after exiting TANF?

Kauff, Jacqueline, Lisa Fowler, Thomas Fraker, and Julita Milliner-Waddell. 2001. “Iowa Families That Left TANF: Why Did They Leave and How Are They Faring?” Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/ia/IA-Report01.pdf From the Introduction: The two broad objectives of the “Study of TANF Leavers in Iowa” are to explain why families leave FIP and to describe their experiences and their circumstances after exit. This information should provide insight into what steps, if any, policymakers can take to help ensure the well-being and long-term self-sufficiency of families that leave cash assistance. The study findings should also shed light on the distinct needs of families that leave the rolls under different circumstances. In particular, the findings may help to guide policymakers in Iowa and other states as they design programs to support those who are moving from welfare to work and as they develop strategies to reengage those who have left the rolls because of noncompliance. Keiser, L. R., P. R. Mueser, et al. 2004. “Race, Bureaucratic Discretion, and the Implementation of Welfare Reform.” American Journal of Political Science 48(2): 314–27. Abstract: This article explores the impact of the race of individual clients and of the local racial context on the implementation of sanctions for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in a Midwestern state. We find that although nonwhites are sanctioned at lower rates than whites overall, nonwhites are sanctioned more compared to whites in each local area. This paradox occurs because nonwhites tend to live in areas with lower sanction rates. Consistent with the literature on race and policy, we find that sanction rates increase as the nonwhite population increases until a threshold is reached where nonwhites gain political power.

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Kwon, Hyeok Chang, and Daniel R. Meyer. 2011. “How do economic downturns affect welfare leavers? A comparison of two cohorts.” Children and Youth Services Review 33(5). Abstract: Early welfare reform research showed high rates of employment for TANF leavers. However, work-focused welfare may not be effective during an economic downturn. We investigate the employment of Wisconsin TANF leavers, contrasting outcomes among early leavers (1998) with those who left during the 2001 recession. We use data from administrative records on about 6000 welfare leavers, tracking quarterly employment for 3 years after they left benefits. Separate panel data analyses of those exiting in two different time periods show that individual leavers are less likely to be employed when their local unemployment rate is high in the later cohort; no relationship is found for the early cohort. In a panel analysis in which the cohorts are combined, we find that leavers in the later cohort, who experienced the recession early in their post-welfare career, are less likely to be employed, a result that holds controlling for observed and unobserved characteristics. These findings raise questions about how well single-parent families and their children will fare during difficult economic times now that welfare reform has such a strong emphasis on work. Larson, Anita M., Shweta Singh, and Crystal Lewis. 2011. “Sanctions and Education Outcomes for Children in TANF Families.” Child & Youth Services 32(3). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0145935X.2011.605305 Abstract: Most research on the impact of Welfare Reform has been upon the employment status of parents and trends in declining caseloads. Recent research has examined how children in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program families are faring, with growing interest in the effects upon children of the disruptions to cash benefits that result from program sanctions, the policies that are intended to motivate parents to comply with work requirements. Adding to the body of knowledge on children and TANF sanctions, this study used administrative data to examine school attendance rates and disruptions to enrollment, for children from families with at least one sanction. Findings indicate that there are important probable connections between the factors that contribute to challenges to employment that relate to parenting and the school engagement of children in TANF families.

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Lee, Bong Joo, Robert George, Mairead Reidy, J. Lee Kreader, Annie Georges, Robert L. Wagmiller, Jr., Jane Staveley, David Stevens, and Ann Dryden Witte. 2004. “Child Care Subsidy Use and Employment Outcomes of TANF Mothers During the Early Years of Welfare Reform: A Three-State Study.” Working Paper. Chapin Hall, University of Chicago. . From the Report Overview: The country’s major overhaul of its welfare programs in 1996 shifted the focus from providing cash assistance to needy parents to supporting them in their efforts to secure work. Because the cost of child care can be a major obstacle to low-income mothers making the transition from welfare to work, federal and state governments have increased both funding of and flexibility in their child care subsidy programs. However, very little is known about the child and family outcomes of the child care subsidy program. This study begins to fill this research gap by examining the relation between subsidy take-up and employment duration among low income mothers. Specifically, we examine patterns of child care subsidy take-up (e.g., who uses the subsidies and when), type of child care used (e.g., center-based care, relative care, care by nonrelatives in the child’s or caregiver’s home), and the relation between child care subsidy use and employment outcomes (e.g., whether mothers who use subsidies stay longer in their jobs) among single mothers who were receiving TANF or who had recently left the TANF program during the early years of welfare reform (1997 to 1999) in three states—Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Lee, Bong Joo, Kristen S. Slack, and Dan A. Lewis. 2004. “Are Welfare Sanctions Working as Intended? Welfare Receipt, Work Activity, and Material Hardship among TANFRecipient Families.” The Social Service Review 78(3): 370–403. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30013439 Abstract: This analysis utilizes longitudinal survey and administrative data on 1998 welfare recipients in Illinois to assess whether different types of grant reductions are associated with subsequent work, welfare receipt, and hardships. Results show that imposed sanctions are inversely associated with formal work and earnings, as well as with increases in informal work, other work activities, and food hardships. Threats to sanction are unassociated with formal work and welfare outcomes but positively associated with informal work, other work activities, and rent hardship. Greater knowledge of welfare rules is associated with more formal work, less welfare receipt, and less hardship.

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Long, David. 2001. “Montana FAIM Evaluation: Assessment of Welfare Reform in a Rural Setting.” Prepared for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Abt Associates, Princeton, NJ. Montana used administrative data from TANF and unemployment insurance records to identify the reasons for applying for public assistance, the most common reasons for leaving public assistance, employment characteristics of former recipients, and other public benefits received by former recipients. This study included a process study and outcome analysis. A two wave survey of low-income families, including intensive inperson interviews in focus counties and reservations, was conducted. Statewide administrative data was used linking individual level FAIM, TANF, and other records to members of the survey sample. This included data on TANF, food stamps, Medicaid, Child Care, and UI records. Mancuso D., C. Lierberman, V. Lindler, and A. Moses. 2001. “Examining Circumstances of Individuals and Families Who Leave TANF: Assessing the Validity of Administrative Data.” The SPHERE Institute, Burlingame, CA. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/ca/ASPE3CountyFinal.pdf From the Introduction: This study has three primary objectives: (1) to examine the circumstances of families who stopped receiving cash aid and families who applied for but did not receive cash aid; (2) to assess the validity and usefulness of administrative data in examining the circumstances of these “welfare leavers” and “informally diverted” applicants by comparing administrative data with outcomes derived from a survey data collection effort; and (3) to develop, through the use of administrative data that are available to county staff, profiles of those families at greatest risk of encountering problems after leaving, or being diverted from, CalWORKs. MAXIMUS. 2002. “Illinois TANF Applicant Study.” Prepared for State of Illinois Department of Human Services. MAXIMUS, Reston, VA. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/il/TANF_Applicant_Study_2001.pdf From the Executive Summary: This report presents the findings of a study of TANF applicants and the TANF intake process in Illinois. The study provides information on approximately 4,800 families who applied for TANF in Illinois during the summer of 2000. The study also presents findings on the operation of the TANF intake process in Illinois, including an assessment of two new policy initiatives introduced in late 1998 and early 1999 by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)—Up-Front Job Search and the Community Partners program. 28

To achieve the study objectives, site visits were conducted, administrative records data were analyzed, and follow-up telephone surveys were conducted. Maxwell, T., and George Falco. 2002. “Leaving Welfare: Post-TANF Experiences of New York State Families.” The Rockefeller Institute of Government, Albany, NY. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/ny/leaving02.pdf The final report focuses more on the results of an accompanying survey—uses the administrative data only to compare respondents to non-respondents. Moffitt, Robert, and David C. Ribar. 2006. “Earnings, Assets, and Program Dependence.” Presented at the National Poverty Center and Economic Research Conference on Income Volatility and Implications for Food Assistance Programs II, Washington, DC. From the Introduction: Previous household-level research on participation in food and cash assistance programs has mostly relied on one of two types of data: either survey data in which people report their own program participation or administrative case records that describe spells of benefit receipt but do not follow households after they leave a program. In this paper, we adopt an alternative approach examining post-reform longitudinal survey information from a study of low-income families linked with program records on benefits received from the Food Stamp Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Morris, L. A., and D. K. Orthner. 2000. “Welfare Reform and the Wage Prospects for Work First participants: Industries, occupations, and wage rates for jobs obtained by TANF recipients in North Carolina, 1995-1998.” In Early Implications of Welfare Reform in the Southeast, edited by L. G. Nackerud and M. Robinson. Nova Science Publishers. In an effort to add to knowledge of the job and wage experiences of welfare recipients, we present here findings from an on-going study of the labor market experiences of AFDC/TANF recipients in North Carolina. Specifically, we present data on the industrial categories within which AFDC/TANF recipients in North Carolina are obtaining jobs; the types of entry-level, lower-skilled occupations within each industrial category; and the range of hourly wage rates paid to newly hired workers and experienced workers in each occupational category. We will also discuss the skill requirements and potential for onthe-job skills development for the occupations filled by welfare recipients in order to discuss the policy and practice implications of our findings.

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Mueser, P., D. Stevens, and K. Troske. 2007. “The Impact of Welfare Reform on Leaver Characteristics, Employment and Recidivism: An Analysis of Maryland and Missouri.” DP No. 3131. IZA, Bonn, Germany. http://ftp.iza.org/dp3131.pdf Abstract: State and federal reforms of the 1990s transformed the U.S. cash assistance program for single parents and their children. Despite an extensive literature examining these changes and their impacts, there have been few studies that consider the effects of these reforms from the perspective of the recent period. The analysis here focuses on the characteristics and employment of welfare recipients in Maryland and Missouri, 1991-2004. We find that there has been only modest change in the observable characteristics of those entering, on, or leaving welfare, but the importance of employment has grown for each of these groups. We also examine the dynamics of employment and welfare recidivism, comparing cohorts of leavers prior to and after welfare reform. We find that after welfare reform leavers are much more likely to be working. Although in Maryland those working have earnings that are somewhat below employed leavers prior to reform, in Missouri earnings for employed leavers are unchanged. In both states, the types of jobs leavers hold have not changed substantially, and leavers are less likely to return to welfare following reform. Needell, B., S. Cuccaro-Alamin, et al. 1999. “Transitions from AFDC to child welfare in California.” Children and Youth Services Review 21(9–10): 815–41. Abstract: Probability matching software was employed to link AFDC histories for children with birth records, child abuse reporting data, and foster care data. A total of 63,768 children entering AFDC between 1990 and 1995 in 10 California counties were followed to determine subsequent child welfare involvement. Within 5 years of AFDC entry, 27% of children had child abuse referrals, 22% had child abuse investigations, 8% had child welfare cases opened, and 3% were placed in foster care. Although relatively few children transition from welfare to foster care, AFDC child entrants who later experience child welfare events and their mothers are more likely than others to have certain characteristics such as single parent family structure, larger family size, low birth-weight, and late or no prenatal care. Total time on aid and the number of spells on aid are positively associated with child welfare events. It will be important to monitor these findings as welfare reform progresses. Administrative data analysis can suggest ways to effectively target services when fiscal limitations prohibit universal support.

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O’Leary, C. J., and K. J. Kline. 2008. “UI as a Safety Net for Former TANF Recipients: Final Report.” W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI. From the Executive Summary: Among TANF recipients who left the program for employment, this study examines subsequent joblessness, application for UI benefits, eligibility for UI benefits, and rates of UI benefit receipt. The levels of TANF and UI income support are compared, and the rate of return to TANF is contrasted between UI beneficiaries, non-applicants, and ineligible applicants. Findings are compared to results from earlier studies measuring UI eligibility and receipt among those who left social assistance programs. O’Leary, C. J., and K. J. Kline. 2009. “Use of Unemployment Insurance and Employment Services by Newly Unemployed Leavers from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Final Report.” W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI. . From the Preface: This study examines participation in Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Employment Services (ES) by adults who received cash welfare benefits through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Among those who leave TANF for employment, we measure the rates of subsequent unemployment, application for UI, eligibility for and receipt of UI benefits, and the use of Wagner-Peyser funded ES. We also investigate the correlations between UI and ES services receipt with reemployment and future independence from TANF. The analysis is based on person-level administrative program records from four of the nine most populated states between 1997 and 2003. Olson, K. 2003. “Beyond Welfare: Cass and Williams Counties’ TANF Pilot Projects.” North Dakota Department of Human Services, Bismarck. Abstract: The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides time-limited cash assistance to eligible families with deprived children. The TANF program stresses reducing dependency through job preparation and work. In response, Cass and Williams counties implemented similar pilot projects to test new approaches to case management. This report outlines the pilot projects and presents data that suggests they have been successful.

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Ovwigho, P., C. E. Born, A. Ferrero, and C. Palazzo. 2004. “Life on welfare: The active TANF caseload in Maryland.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/md/Life-on-Welfare.pdf From the Introduction: Evidence concerning TANF caseload composition and changes is mixed. On some important dimensions, current clients appear to compare favorably to those in prior years, while on other dimensions they do not. The importance of welfare reform’s next phase to families and children and the local and state communities in which they live clearly warrants an in-depth, empirical examination of the characteristics and circumstances of families currently receiving cash assistance. The goal of our present study is to provide this type of data for the State of Maryland. To accomplish this, our study uses a combination of survey and administrative data for a random sample of 819 families receiving TANF in Maryland in June 2002. We address two questions: (1) What is the profile of the current TANF caseload in our state? (2) How does this profile vary within the state? Because the main purpose of this federally-funded project is to provide information on assets and barriers to employment, we focus specifically on cases with one adult and at least one child included in the TANF assistance unit. In addition, we stratify our sample on jurisdiction, to compare single parent TANF cases in Baltimore City to single parent TANF cases in Maryland’s 23 counties. Ovwigho, Pamela C. 2001. “Life On Welfare: Have the Hard-to-Serve Been Left Behind? Changes in the TANF Caseload Over the Course of Welfare Reform.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/statewide.pdf From the web site: Using cross-sectional samples from October 1996 and October 1998, this study examines the hypothesis that the families still receiving TANF face more personal and family challenges in leaving welfare for work, than did families who have already left the rolls. Ovwigho, Pamela C., Catherine E. Born, and Correne Saunders. 2006. “Profile of the Active Caseload: Separate State Programs & Short-Term Disabilities.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/ssp.pdf From the web site: The controversial reauthorization of TANF via the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 has created new rules that will represent a significant challenge to states. This report examines Maryland’s Separate State Programs (SSP) and compares them to traditional 32

TANF cases in order to anticipate what the implications of the various options might be so that the choices made are the ones most suited to the realities of welfare caseloads at the state and sub-state level. Ovwigho, Pamela C., Katherine Leavitt, and Catherine E. Born. 2003. “Life After Welfare: Child Abuse & Neglect Reports among Early & Later Leavers.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/cwmva.pdf From the web site: Rates of child abuse or neglect reports are higher among children in later cohorts of welfare leavers than in earlier cohorts. This report presents analysis of post-exit child abuse and neglect reports among children in families leaving TANF. Ovwigho, Pamela C., Nicholas Kolupanowich, and Catherine E. Born. 2009. “Disconnected Leavers: The Circumstances of Those Without Welfare and Without Work.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/lostleavers.pdf From the web site: This study attempts to shed light on the puzzling question of why, in this economy, recent caseload increases have not been more dramatic by empirically examining the issue of “disconnection.” This relatively new term in public welfare refers to the phenomenon where, having exited welfare, former cash assistance recipients have neither income from their own employment nor welfare income from having returned to the rolls. In other words, they have neither work nor welfare. Ovwigho, Pamela C., Nicholas Kolupanowich, and Catherine E. Born. 2010. “Full Family Sanctions: Long-term Outcomes of Sanctioned Welfare Leavers.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/sanctions2010.pdf From the web site: This report presents information on the characteristics and outcomes of 15,259 families that exited Maryland’s welfare rolls between April 1998 and March 2008. We compare the characteristics and outcomes of those whose cases were closed because of a full family sanction for non-compliance with work to those who exited for other reasons.

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Ovwigho, Pamela C., Tracy Kirk, and Catherine E. Born. 2004. “Estimating Welfare Work Exits: Case Closing Reasons vs. UI Data.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/exitforworkbrief.pdf From the web site: In this research brief, we utilize a subset of data from the “Life After Welfare” study to more closely examine the relationship between employment and administrative case closing reasons. Data from both Maryland’s UI wage system is combined with UI wage data from the District of Columbia and several states that border Maryland (Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) to provide several different measures of “leaving welfare for work”. Rangarajan, A, and T. Ensor. 2003. “Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) Evaluation: How WFNJ Clients Are Faring Under Welfare Reform: An Early Look.” Mathematic Policy Research, Inc. Princeton, NJ. From the Executive Summary: This report, the fourth in a series tracking the progress of a statewide sample of an early group of WFNJ clients who participated in the program during its first 18 months of operations, focuses on three main questions: (1) How has this early group of clients progressed economically over the four- to five-year period since they entered the program? (2) What are clients’ employment patterns, and who is at highest risk of job loss? and (3) What are the typical marriage patterns of WFNJ clients during the first few years after they enter the program? Rangarajan, Anu, and Amy Johnson. 2002. “Current and Former WFNJ Clients: How Are They and Their Children Faring 40 Months Later?” Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ. From the Executive Summary: This report, the third in a series tracking the progress of a representative statewide sample of current and former WFNJ clients, focuses on two main questions. First, how have clients progressed with respect to employment, income, and other indicators of quality of life during the two-year period since the first survey was conducted, in 1999? Second, how are they doing in other key areas, such as their knowledge of time limits, how they make child care arrangements, and how their children are faring?

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Rangarajan, A., and C. Razafindrakoto. 2004. “Unemployment Insurance As a Potential Safety Net for TANF Leavers: Evidence from Five States: Final Report.” Mathematic Policy Research, Inc. From the Executive Summary: This study, funded by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), examines the extent to which former welfare recipients are likely to have monetary eligibility for UI. In particular, it examines the following questions, among others: What would be the rate of monetary UI eligibility among former welfare recipients who leave welfare for work, if they were to lose their jobs, and seek UI benefits? How has this rate changed over time? For what benefit amounts are these individuals likely to be eligible? How sensitive are UI monetary eligibility rates to changes in program parameters? Rangarajan, A., C. Razafindrakoto, and W. Corson. 2002. “Study to Examine UI Eligibility Among Former TANF Recipients: Evidence from New Jersey: Final Report.” Mathematic Policy Research, Inc. Princeton, NJ. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/UI-elig-former-TANF03/report.pdf From the Executive Summary: This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the New Jersey Department of Human Services (NJDHS) and with the support of the New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL), examines the extent to which former welfare recipients are likely to be eligible for UI, and the extent to which former recipients who leave welfare and find work file UI claims. In particular, it examines such questions as: What is the rate of monetary UI eligibility among former welfare recipients who leave welfare and find work, and how does this rate change over time? How are nonmonetary factors likely to affect eligibility? For what benefit amounts are these individuals likely to be eligible? How sensitive are UI monetary eligibility rates to varying program parameters? How many former welfare recipients actually file UI claims and receive payments? Ratcliffe, Caroline, Demetra Smith Nightingale, and Patrick Sharkey. 2007. “Welfare Program Performance: an Analysis of South Carolina’s Family Independence Program.” The American Review of Public Administration 37(1): 65–90. Abstract: Public agencies are increasingly expected to track their performance according to established criteria—to be held accountable for the expenditure of public funds and show that funds are being used to achieve intended outcomes. This analysis of South Carolina’s Family Independence welfare program examines counties’ performance on five 35

employment-related outcomes: employment rate, employment entry rate, employment retention rate, earnings gain rate, and earned income closure rate. Counties’ performance is statistically analyzed, adjusting for variation in external factors (e.g., labor market conditions and caseload characteristics) that influence program performance but that are outside the control of county program staff. This analysis shows that external factors influence employment-related performance, suggesting that states may want to vary counties’ goals based on external factors, rather than expecting all counties to meet the same performance level. This analysis provides an example of how agencies can apply statistical analysis to measure, track, and analyze program performance. Richardson, Phil, Gregg Schoenfeld, and Swati Jain. 2001. “Welfare Recipients, Leavers, and Diverters in North Carolina: Final Report of Administrative Records Data.” MAXIMUS. From the Introduction: In this report, we present continued analyses of data from the administrative data systems maintained by the Division of Social Services, the Employment Security Commission, and other components of the North Carolina State Government. The report compares the experiences of families under the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act, with the experiences of families under Work First. To focus our analysis on the differences in outcomes among families in the AFDC and Work First programs, we concentrated the analysis on “cohorts,” of families --two groups from the AFDC program and 10 groups from the Work First program. This report compares the experiences of the members of these groups of families with regard to the length of time they received public assistance, their success in remaining off public assistance, their employment experiences, and their earnings. Within each group, we examine the experiences of families with different characteristics, such as those with greater or lesser amounts of education, larger or smaller families, and those who had or did not have work experience prior to receiving cash assistance. Rockefeller Institute. 1999. “After Welfare: A Study of Work and Benefit Use After Case Closing in New York State. Revised Interim Report.” The Rockefeller Institute of Government, Albany, NY. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/ny/after-welfare99.pdf From the Executive Summary: To better understand the impact of welfare reform in New York State, we have initiated an extensive plan of evaluation. Our first efforts (which include this report) examine what happens to families who leave welfare, by extracting, linking and analyzing data from the information systems that are used to administer welfare and related programs. In later studies, phone and in-home surveys of individuals whose welfare cases closed will be 36

used to supplement and expand on the knowledge gained by analyzing administrative data. Ryan, S. 1999. “Revised Interim Report: Preliminary Outcomes for 1996 Fourth Quarter AFDC Leavers.” University of Missouri, Department of Economics. In-depth analysis of earnings and subsequent benefit receipt of AFDC leavers in 1996.

Sanford, Douglas M., Michael M. H. Ye, Lester Coffey, and William F. Sullivan. 2003. “Former TANF Recipients’ Monetary Eligibility for Unemployment Insurance Benefits: An Empirical Study.” In A Compilation of Selected Papers from the Employment and Training Administration’s 2003 Biennial National Research Conference, edited by Joshua Riley, Aquila Branch, Stephen Wandner, and Wayne Gordon, pp. 185–207. U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC. http://wdr.doleta.gov/conference/pdf/BOOK1.pdf From the Introduction: We investigate a cohort of TANF leavers and their probability of becoming monetarily eligible for UI. Our research focuses on three related questions. What individual characteristics associate with monetary eligibility for UI? What support programs associate with individuals’ becoming eligible for UI? What exogenous conditions affect individuals’ becoming eligible for UI benefit? For individual characteristics, we investigate possible impacts of age, race, education and number of children. For support programs, we investigate the possible impacts of food stamps, medical care coverage, child care, and employment programs. For exogenous conditions, we investigate possible impacts of county economic growth and county wage rate, and industry in which former TANF recipients are employed. Scrivener, S., G. Hamilton, M. Farrell, S. Freedman, D. Friedlander, M. Mitchell, J. Nudelman, and C. Schwartz. 1998. “National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies: Implementation, Participation Patterns, Costs, and Two-Year Impacts of the Portland (Oregon) Welfare-to-Work Program.” Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation. From the Executive Summary: This report describes the implementation, participation patterns, and cost of the Portland program, and presents estimates of the effects of the program on employment, earnings, and welfare receipt during the two years following people’s entry into the program. To determine the effects of Portland’s program, 5,547 single-parent AFDC applicants and recipients aged 21 and over who attended a program orientation between February 1993 37

and December 1994 were randomly assigned to either a program group, eligible for program services and subject to participation requirements, or a control group, not eligible for services and not subject to participation requirements (although they could participate in other services in the community). Scrivener, S., R. Hendra, C. Redcross, D. Bloom, C. Michalopoulos, and J. Walter. 2002. “WRP: Final Report on Vermont’s Welfare Restructuring Project.” MDRC. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/vt_wrp/reports/vt_wrp_finalrpt/v t_title.html From the Introduction: This is the final report in a large-scale evaluation of WRP. The Vermont Department of Social Welfare (DSW) — the agency that administered WRP — contracted with the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the program. (DSW was renamed the Department of Prevention, Assistance, Transition, and Health Access [PATH] in mid-2000.) The study was based on a rigorous random assignment research design, which permits comparisons between WRP and Vermont’s previous welfare program. It uses data from all 12 welfare districts in the state but focused in detail on 6 of them (referred to as the research districts). The evaluation — which was initially required as a condition of the federal waivers that allowed Vermont to implement the program — was funded by the State of Vermont, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ford Foundation. MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than a quarter-century’s experience designing and evaluating programs and policies for low-income individuals, families, and communities. The results from the WRP evaluation provide important evidence about one of the many diverse strategies that states adopted to reform welfare in the 1990s. Seith, David, Sarah Rich, and Lashawn Richburg-Hayes. 2007. “Between Welfare Reform and Reauthorization: Income Support Systems in Cuyahoga and Philadelphia, 2000 to 2005.” MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publications/445/full.pdf From the Executive Summary: This report updates the story of welfare reform in two of the four Urban Change cities: Cleveland and Philadelphia. How have state service delivery systems evolved as a result of these changing conditions? And how have the longer-term effects of welfare reform played out in caseload dynamics and in social and health indicators in low-income neighborhoods? To address these questions, this report extends three sets of analyses from the earlier Urban Change studies of Cleveland and Philadelphia: an implementation analysis examines the policies and programs that welfare agencies put into place through 38

2005; an analysis of administrative records estimates the effects of welfare reform on caseload trends in welfare receipt and employment through 2003 for Cleveland and through 2001 for Philadelphia;2 and a neighborhood indicators analysis describes the changing conditions of low-income communities in both counties through 2003. Sperber, L., and D. Bloom. 2002. “An Analysis of Vermont’s Community Service Program.” MDRC. From the Introduction: This report was prepared as part of a comprehensive evaluation of WRP conducted by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) under contract with the Vermont Department of Prevention, Assistance, Transition, and Health Access (PATH). The report focuses on the CSE component, drawing on data from administrative records and from surveys of CSE participants and their supervisors that were conducted in 2000. After a brief summary of the findings, this report describes WRP and the role of CSE and lays out the data sources used in the report. It then discusses the purposes of CSE, describes the characteristics of CSE participants, and provides data on how long people held CSE positions. The remaining sections describe the results of the CSE participant and supervisor surveys, focusing on placement in CSE positions, participants’ experiences in CSE, and their exit from CSE. Srivastava, Shafali, Pamela C. Ovwigho, and Catherine E. Born. 2001. “Child Support Receipt among Children in Former TANF Families.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/researchbrief01-04.pdf From the web site: This brief examines the role child support receipt may be able to play in enabling families to leave welfare, increase their incomes, and avoid recidivism or returns to welfare. Strong, Debra A., Joshua Haimson, and Linda Rosenberg. 2004. “Addressing Barriers to Employment: Detecting and Treating Health and Behavioral Problems Among New Jersey’s TANF Clients.” Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ. From the Executive Summary: While substantial progress has been made in reducing families’ dependence on cash welfare, important challenges remain. A majority of those on TANF when Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) was introduced have left welfare, and most of those leaving the rolls have secured jobs. Some TANF recipients, however, have had difficulty finding and keeping jobs, and leaving welfare. Evidence indicates that these individuals experience a 39

variety of personal problems. This report examines New Jersey’s state-sponsored efforts to identify and provide services to clients with health and behavioral problems. It focuses on how counties identify those with potential problems, provide treatment and support services, and help them make the transition to work. Taylor, M. J., and A. S. Barusch. 2000. “Multiple Impacts of Welfare Reform in Utah: Experiences of Former Long-term Welfare Recipients.” Social Research Institute, College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. http://www.socwk.utah.edu/pdf/sri-final2.pdf From the Executive Summary: The call came forth to “end welfare as we know it,” and so we have. This study of Utah’s long-term welfare families represents a commitment by the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) to understand and document the situations of families as they reach the mandatory three-year lifetime limit for receipt of cash assistance. It also represents a snapshot of a historic time of change. This study reflects transitions at both societal and individual levels. At the societal level, the AFDC program that had been in place for over 60 years was replaced by a time-limited program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The individual transitions documented here reflect this broader change. The long-term welfare recipients described were familiar with, and often dependent on, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Their experiences adjusting to TANF are in some ways unique to their cohort. Indeed, their difficulty understanding the reality of lifetime limits and related policies may not be experienced by their successors in the Family Employment Program (FEP). Verma, N., and R. Hendra. 2003. “Monitoring Outcomes for Los Angeles County’s Pre- and Post-CalWORKs Leavers” How Are They Faring?” MDRC. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/leavers99/state-rpts/ca/LA-post-core.pdf From the Executive Summary: This study was designed to address the following key questions: • • • • •

Who are the welfare leavers, and what are their background characteristics? How do pre-CalWORKs leavers compare with post-CalWORKs leavers? What are the earnings and employment experiences of pre- and post-CalWORKs welfare leavers? To what extent do pre- and post-CalWORKs leavers return to welfare? What public and other supports do leavers rely on after they stop receiving cash assistance? What is the post-exit material well-being of the CalWORKs leavers? What are their income sources, and what types of hardship do they experience?

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Verma, N., C. Coulton, R. Hendra, and E. Polousky. 2003. “Monitoring Outcomes for Cuyahoga County’s Welfare Leavers: How Are They Faring?” Prepared for Cuyahoga Work and Training and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. From the Executive Summary: The Cuyahoga study was designed to inform local administrators and policy analysts about the circumstances of families leaving welfare. Specifically, the study was designed to address the following key questions: 1) Who are the welfare leavers, and what are their background characteristics? 2) How do pre-TANF leavers compare with Post-TANF leavers? 3) What are the earnings and employment experiences of pre- and post-TANF welfare leavers? 4) To what extent do pre- and post-TANF leavers return to welfare? What public and other supports do leavers rely on after they stop receiving cash assistance? 5) What is the level of material well-being of post-TANF welfare leavers? What are their income sources, and what types of hardship do they experience? Williamson, Sarah, Correne Saunders, and Catherine E. Born. 2010. “Life on Welfare: Characteristics of Maryland’s TCA Caseload Since DRA.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/lifeonreports.htm From the web site: This is the latest annual update of the “Life On Welfare” series. This series examines aspects of the active TANF caseload in Maryland, including studies on the characteristics of families who are receiving benefits and whether and how the profile of active cases changes over time. The reports in the series are based on administrative data from TANF cases in Maryland that are active in the month of October each year. Williamson, Sarah. 2011. “Full-Family Sanctions & Economic Recession.” University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD. http://www.familywelfare.umaryland.edu/reports/sanctionsbrief.pdf From the web site: This brief describes the population of sanctioned families and what happens to them in the short- and long-term aftermath of their involuntary welfare case closure.

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Wolfe, B., T. Kaplan, et al. 2006. “SCHIP expansion and parental coverage: an evaluation of Wisconsin’s BadgerCare.” Journal of Health Economics 25(6): 1170–92. Abstract: The Wisconsin BadgerCare program, which became operational in July 1999, expanded public health insurance eligibility to both parents and children in families with incomes below 185% of the U.S. poverty line (200% for those already enrolled). This eligibility expansion was part of a federal initiative known as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Wisconsin was one of only four states that initially expanded coverage to parents of eligible children. In this paper, we attempt to answer the following question: To what extent does a public program with the characteristics of Wisconsin’s BadgerCare program reduce the proportion of the low-income adult population without health care coverage? Using a coordinated set of administrative databases, we track three cohorts of mother-only families: those who were receiving cash assistance under the Wisconsin AFDC and TANF programs in September 1995, 1997, and 1999, and who subsequently left welfare. We follow these 19,201 “welfare leaver” families on a quarterly basis for up to 25 quarters, from 2 years before they left welfare through the end of 2001, making it possible to use the labor market information and welfare history of the women in analyzing outcomes. We apply multiple methods to address the policy evaluation question, including probit, random effects, and two difference-in-difference strategies, and compare the results across methods. All of our estimates indicate that BadgerCare substantially increased public health care coverage for mother-only families leaving welfare. Our best estimate is that BadgerCare increased the public health care coverage of all adult leavers by about 17–25% points. Wood, Robert G., Anu Rangajaran, and John Deke. 2004. “Early and Later WFNJ Clients: Are Their Experiences Different?” Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ. From the Executive Summary: This report examines the progress of a statewide sample of WFNJ clients who participated in the program during the one-year period from July 2000 to June 2001, three to four years after the program was implemented. It examines the background characteristics of these clients, their welfare and employment patterns, their income and poverty levels, their knowledge of WFNJ provisions, and their use of program services. On all these measures, it compares the outcomes of these later clients to those of an early group who participated in WFNJ in its first year, from July 1997 to June 1998.

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Wu, C. F. 2008. “Severity, timing, and duration of welfare sanctions and the economic wellbeing of TANF families with children.” Children and Youth Services Review 30(1): 26– 44. Abstract: Welfare sanctions have taken on greater significance under TANF because of their increased incidence and severity. Using Wisconsin longitudinal administrative data, this study applied event history analysis to the relationship between welfare sanctions and the economic well-being of TANF families with children. Specifically, it investigated whether this relationship varies by severity, timing, and duration of sanctions. The results indicate that families with children who are currently being sanctioned are at significantly increased risk of leaving welfare without a job. However, the different levels of and duration of current sanctions affect welfare exit and employment outcomes differently. That is, those families receiving a small sanction are significantly less likely to leave welfare regardless of post-welfare employment status, while the risk of leaving welfare without a job or with a lower earnings job increases with the severity and duration of the sanctions. Moreover, previous sanction experience appears to be significantly associated with an increased probability of leaving welfare without a job or with a low-earnings job, suggesting that sanctions have lagged effects on employment outcomes. These findings have important implications for social work practice and policy. Wu, C. F., M. Cancian, et al. 2006. “How do welfare sanctions work?” Social Work Research 30(10): 33–50. Abstract: Under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, families are subject to greater work requirements, and the severity of sanction for noncompliance has increased. Using Wisconsin longitudinal administrative data, the authors performed event history analysis to examine the dynamic patterns of sanctioning and the patterns of benefits following a sanction. They found that very high rates of sanctioning (especially partial sanctions) and multiple sanctions were fairly common but sanction spells were quite short. The most common transition from a sanction was back to full benefit receipt. The authors also examined the factors associated with being sanctioned and the severity of sanctions by comparing a traditional model with an event history model. They found that it is important to estimate a model that takes into account the period of risk. Results confirm that those who may be least able to succeed in the labor market are most likely to be sanctioned.

43

Wu, C. F., M. Cancian, et al. 2008. “Standing still or moving up? Evidence from Wisconsin on the long-term employment and earnings of TANF participants.” Social Work Research 32(2): 89–103. Abstract: This study identified the employment and earnings trajectories of welfare recipients over six years for a sample of 14,150 women who entered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) in Wisconsin in its first year. Wisconsin longitudinal administrative data were used to examine differential patterns of mid-term (3 years) and long-term (6 years) employment and earnings success. We developed a conceptual approach to categorizing participants’ employment and earnings trajectory groups. Results indicate substantial diversity in employment and earnings patterns. Some women have consistently positive outcomes, others show steady improvements over time, and others have inconsistent patterns that end strong. We found that 46% of the sample fit into one of three successful employment trajectories, and 22% fit into one of three successful earnings trajectories. Results also reveal that many women who were successful in the mid-term were not able to sustain their progress. For example, only 56% of those who were earning successes in the mid-term were still successful in the longterm. Finally, logistic regression models were used to compare factors associated with mid-term and long-term success and with employment success and earnings success. Implications of findings are discussed. Zeng, Xuhui. 2011. “Welfare-to-Work Transition in the TANF Era: Evidence from Mississippi.” Ph.D. diss., Mississippi State University, Mississippi State. http://gradworks.umi.com/3450368.pdf Abstract: This study examines welfare dynamics in Mississippi under the newly created TANF program. Specifically, it examines welfare-to-work transition between 2001 and 2009 and tests several hypotheses regarding individual and contextual characteristics. The data come from multiple sources that include administrative records and publicly available data. Data on TANF transitions come from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Data on TANF employment come from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Data on training come from the Mississippi workforce investment system. Information on both neighborhood and labor market characteristics come from the 2000 Census. The findings clearly support the hypothesis that individual and contextual conditions influence the ability of a poor single mother to exit TANF and gain employment. On the other hand, there is weak evidence supporting the hypothesis of welfare dependence when controlling for unobserved characteristics for multiple spells within individuals. The main implication here is that TANF might have indeed addressed 44

the longstanding concern about welfare dependency. The results, however, show that individual and contextual factors still play a role in determining welfare dynamics across poor single mothers with different individual and contextual background.

45

References Brown, Patricia R., with Dan Ross, Jane A. Smith, Katie Thornton, and Lynn Wimer. 2011. “Technical Report on Lessons Learned in the Development of the Institute for Research on Poverty’s Multi-Sample Person File (MSPF) Data System.” Madison, WI: Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin. Cyphers, G., and K. Kinsella. 2000. “Harnessing the Power of Data: State TANF Agencies’ Use of Administrative Data for Policy and Program Management.” Paper presented at the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics 40th Annual Workshop, Scottsdale, AZ, August 1. GAO. 2000. “Welfare Reform: Improving State Automated Systems Requires Coordinated Federal Effort.” In Report to Congressional Committees. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office. GAO. 2001. “Means-Tested Programs: Determining Financial Eligibility Is Cumbersome and Can be Simplified.” In Report to the Honorable Ernest J. Istook, Jr., House of Representatives. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office. Seago, L. 2009. “Government Lists: How Ready Are They For Automatic Registration? ” New York: Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. Washington State Dept of Social & Health Services, Research & Data Analysis Division. 2010. “DSHS Integrated Client Database.” Olympia, WA. http://publications.rda.dshs.wa.gov/1394/

46

TABLE 1 Summary of Studies Using TANF Administrative Data Linked With Other Administrative Data Other Administrative Data Linked to TANF Administrative Data State (1)

EmployChild Child ment Care Support (2) Subsidy

Child Welfare

AZ

UI

yes

yes

yes

AZ

UI

yes

yes

yes

AZ *

UI

CA *

UI

CA *

Other

CA *

UI

yes

yes

yes

FS

Services

New

1999 2000 State of Arizona Cash Assistance Entrance Study

Arizona DES 2001

FS

Services

New

1998 2000 Cash Assistance Exit Study; 2nd Year

Arizona DES 2001

FS

FS

yes

UI

Services

CO

yes

Services

FS

yes

CO

UI

DC

Other

FL

UI

FL *

UI

FL *

UI

yes

FS

FL

UI

yes

FS

yes

yes

FS

yes

FS

Services

FS

Start

End

Title of Article

Author and Publication Year

1999 2002

Unemployment Insurance As a Potential Safety Net for TANF Leavers

New

1996 2000

The Los Angeles Jobs-First GAIN Evaluation Freedman, et al. 2000

New

1984 1998

Foster Care Experiences of Long-Term Welfare Recipients in California

Geen, et al. 2002

New

1998 2000

Examining Circumstances of TANF Leavers: Assessing the Validity of Administrative Data

Mancuso, et al. 2001

Rangarajan and Razafindrakoto 2004

1990 1995 Transitions from AFDC to child welfare in California Needell, et al. 1999

Birth

yes

Bibliographic Information

Other (4)

yes

CA *

CA *

yes

Study Years Linked Survey Data (5)

Medical Assis- SNAP/ tance WIC (3)

New

1995 1999

Monitoring Outcomes for Los Angeles County's Pre- Verma and Hendra and Post-CalWORKs Leavers 2003

New

1997 2002

Families on Colorado Works: Employment Assets and Liabilities

New

2007 2008 Welfare Leavers in Colorado

New

1997 1999

The Status of TANF Leavers in the District of Columbia

New

1993 1999

The Family Transition Program: Final Report Bloom, Kemple, et al. on Florida's Initial Time-Limited Welfare Pgm 2009

New

1992 2001

Welfare Reform in Miami Implementation, Effects, and Experiences

Brock, et al. 2004

1999 2000

Assessing the effects of substance abuse among applicants for TANF benefits

Crew and Davis 2003

1997 1999

Tracking the Outcomes of Welfare Reform in Florida for Three Groups of People

Crew, et al. 2000

New

Cuciti, et al. 2003 Elkin, et al. 2009 Acs and Loprest 2001

FL

Services

1997 2006

UI as a Safety Net for Former TANF Recipients: Final Report

O’Leary and Kline 2008

FL

Services

1997 2003

Use of Unemployment Ins and Emp Services by Newly Unemployed Leavers from TANF

O’Leary and Kline 2009

1998 2000

Job Separation Outcomes of Welfare Hires: Insight Fitzpatrick and from Linked Personnel and Admin Data Hotchkiss 2009

1999 2000

Life After Welfare: Report of the Georgia Welfare Leavers Study

Foster and Rickman 2001

1997 2003

Use of Unemployment Ins and Emp Services by Newly Unemployed Leavers from TANF

O’Leary and Kline 2009

New

1999 2000

Iowa Families That Left TANF: Why Did They Leave and How Are They Faring?

Kauff, et al. 2001

Criminal

New

2000 2001

Families on TANF in Illinois: Employment Assets and Liabilities

Fraker, et al. 2003

Services

New

1997 1999 Illinois study of former TANF clients: Final report

Julnes, et al. 2000

GA

Other

GA

yes

New

GA

Services

IA

UI

yes

IL

UI

IL

UI

yes

IL

UI

yes

IL

UI

IL

UI

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

FS & WIC

1997 1999

yes

yes

FS

Child Care Subsidy Use and Emp Outcomes of TANF Mothers in Early Years of Reform

Lee, et al. 2004

Both

1998 2001 Are Welfare Sanctions Working as Intended?

Lee, Slack and Lewis 2004

New

1998 2001 Illinois TANF Applicant Study

MAXIMUS 2002

Other Administrative Data Linked to TANF Administrative Data State (1)

EmployChild Child ment Care Support (2) Subsidy

Child Welfare

Medical Assis- SNAP/ tance WIC (3)

IL *

IL *

Other (4)

FS

Study Years Linked Survey Data (5)

Start

End

Author and Publication Year

Moffitt and Ribar 2006

1999 2002

Unemployment Insurance As a Potential Safety Net for TANF Leavers

Rangarajan and Razafindrakoto 2004

1996 2004

Paying for the relocation of welfare recipients: Evidence from Kentucky Relocation Assistance

Briggs and Kuhn 2008

2003 2007

Assigned Work Activities, Employment & Postprogram Earnings in TANF Work Programs

Davis, et al. 2011

1997 1999

Child Care Subsidy Use and Emp Outcomes of TANF Mothers in Early Years of Reform

Lee, et al. 2004

Life After Welfare: Regional Analysis of Recent Leavers

Born and Kirk 2004

KY

UI

LA

UI

MA

UI

yes

MD *

UI

yes

MD

UI

MD

UI

MD

UI

MD

UI

2009 2009

Male Caseheads Receiving TCA: Who Are They and What Are Their Circumstances?

Hall, et al. 2011

MD

UI

1996 2005

The Impact of Local Labor Market Conditions on Work and Welfare Decisions: New Data

Herbst and Stevens 2010

MD

UI

1998 2001

Examining the Impact of the Family Violence Option on Women's Efforts to Leave Welfare

Hetling and Born 2005

MD

UI

2003 2003

Examining the Impact of the Family Violence Option on Women's Efforts to Leave Welfare

Hetling, et al. 2005

MD

UI

1997 1999

Child Care Subsidy Use and Emp Outcomes of TANF Mothers in Early Years of Reform

Lee, et al. 2004

MD

UI

1991 2004

The Impact of Welfare Reform on Leaver Characteristics, Employment and Recidivism

Mueser, et al. 2007

MD

UI

1987 1998

Have the Hard-to-Serve Been Left Behind? Changes in the TANF Caseload

Ovwigho 2001

MD

UI

1997 2002

Life on welfare: The active TANF caseload in Maryland

Ovwigho, Born, et al. 2004

MD

UI

2005 2005

Profile of the Active Caseload: Separate State Programs & Short-Term Disabilities

Ovwigho, et al. 2006

MD

UI

yes

yes

FS

1998 2006

Disconnected Leavers: The Circumstances of Those Without Welfare and Without Work

Ovwigho, et al. 2009

MD

UI

yes

yes

FS

1998 2008

Full Family Sanctions: Long-term Outcomes of Sanctioned Welfare Leavers

Ovwigho, et al. 2010

MD

UI

1999 2002

Estimating Welfare Work Exits: Case Closing Reasons vs. UI Data

Ovwigho, Kirk, et al. 2004

MD

UI

1996 2002

Life After Welfare: Child Abuse & Neglect Reports among Early & Later Leavers

Ovwigho, Leavitt, et al. 2003

MD *

UI

1999 2002

Unemployment Insurance As a Potential Safety Net for TANF Leavers

Rangarajan and Razafindrakoto 2004

MD

UI

yes

1996 2000

Child Support Receipt among Children in Former TANF Families

Srivastava, et al. 2001

MD *

UI

yes

1998 2009 Full-Family Sanctions & Economic Recession

MD

UI

2009 2009

Life on Welfare: Characteristics of Maryland's TCA Williamson, et al. 2010 Caseload Since DRA

MI *

UI

1997 2005

Do Temporary-Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes for Low-Skilled Workers?

Autor and Houseman 2010

MI *

UI

1997 2005

The Effect of Work First Job Placements on the Distribution of Earnings

Autor, et al. 2011

The Dynamics of Food Stamp Receipt after Welfare Reform

Cadena, et al. 2008

MI *

Services

Title of Article

Earnings, Assets, and Program Dependence

Existing 1997 2005

UI

Bibliographic Information

yes

yes

FS

2002 2003

yes

FS

1996 1998 Life After Welfare:A Look At Sanctioned Families

Born, et al. 1999

1995 1999 Life After Welfare: Regional Patterns

Born, et al. 2000

1996 2011 Life After Welfare Annual Update

Born, et al. 2011

yes

FS

yes

yes

Services

yes

New

yes

yes

FS

FS

Services

Services

Existing 1997 2003

Williamson 2011

Other Administrative Data Linked to TANF Administrative Data State (1)

EmployChild Child ment Care Support (2) Subsidy

Child Welfare

Medical Assis- SNAP/ tance WIC (3)

Other (4)

Study Years Linked Survey Data (5)

Start

End

Bibliographic Information

Title of Article

Author and Publication Year

MI

Services

1997 2006

UI as a Safety Net for Former TANF Recipients: Final Report

O’Leary and Kline 2008

MI

Services

1997 2003

Use of Unemployment Ins and Emp Services by Newly Unemployed Leavers from TANF

O’Leary and Kline 2009

Tax

1992 1999

Earned Income Credit Utilization by Welfare Recipients

Hirasuna and Stinson 2007

School

2005 2006

Sanctions and Education Outcomes for Children in Larson, et al. 2011 TANF Families

MN

UI

MN

MO

UI

1998 1998

Race, Bureaucratic Discretion, and the Implementation of Welfare Reform

Keiser, Mueser, et al. 2004

MO

UI

1991 2004

The Impact of Welfare Reform on Leaver Characteristics, Employment and Recidivism

Mueser, et al. 2007

MO

UI

1995 1998

Revised Interim Report: Preliminary Outcomes for 1996 Fourth Quarter AFDC Leavers

Ryan 1999

MS

UI

1996 2010

Welfare-to-Work Transition in the TANF Era: Evidence from Mississippi

Zeng, 2011

MT

UI

1998 1998

Montana FAIM Evaluation: Assessment of Welfare Long 2001 Reform in a Rural Setting

NC *

UI

NC

UI

ND *

Other

NJ

Other

Services

yes

yes

FS

Existing 1995 1998

FS

yes

Services

yes

NJ

FS

NJ

FS

NJ

UI

Services

NJ

FS

UI

NY

Welfare Recipients, Leavers, and Diverters in N Carolina: Final Report of Admin Records Data

Richardson, et al. 2001

2000 2002

Beyond Welfare: Cass and Williams Counties' TANF Pilot Projects

Olson 2003

1991 1996

A final report on the impact of New Jersey’s Family Camasso, et al. 1998 Development Program

1997 2001

Existing 1999 2001

NJ

NY *

1995 2001

Existing 1997 2002

New

yes

Work First New Jersey Eval: How WFNJ Clients Are Faring Under Welfare Reform: Early Look

Rangarajan and Ensor 2003

Current and Former WFNJ Clients: How Are They and Their Children Faring?

Rangarajan and Johnson 2002

Study to Examine UI Eligibility Among Former TANF Recipients: Evidence from New Jersey

Rangarajan, et al. 2002

New

1999 2002

Addressing Barriers to Employment

Strong, et al. 2004

New

1997 2001

Early and Later WFNJ Clients: Are Their Experiences Different?

Wood, et al. 2004

New

1989 1995

The New York Child Assistance Program: FiveYeat Impacts, Costs, and Benefits

Hamilton, et al. 1996

yes

FS

UI

yes

FS

2000 2001

Leaving Welfare: Post-TANF Experiences of New York State Families

Maxwell and Falco 2002

NY

UI

yes

FS

1997 1998

After Welfare: A Study of Work and Benefit Use After Case Closing in New York State

Rockefeller Institute 1999

OH *

UI

yes

FS

1998 2004

Factors Influencing Child Maltreatment Among Families Leaving TANF

Beimers 2009

OH *

UI

yes

FS

1996 1997

Employment and Return to Pub Assist Among Single, Female-Headed Fams Leaving AFDC

Coulton and Verma 2000

OH *

UI

1998 1999

How Are They Managing? A Six-Month Retrospective of Families Leaving Welfare

Coulton, et al. 2000

OH

UI

Services

1990 1994

Using Administrative Data To Evaluate the Ohio JOBS Student Retention Program

Hollenbeck, et al. 1997

OH

Services

1997 2006

UI as a Safety Net for Former TANF Recipients: Final Report

O’Leary and Kline 2008

OH

Services

1997 2003

Use of Unemployment Ins and Emp Services by Newly Unemployed Leavers from TANF

O’Leary and Kline 2009

1992 2003

Between Welfare Reform and Reauthorization: Income Support Systems

Seith, et al. 2007

1995 1999

Monitoring Outcomes for Cuyahoga County's Welfare Leavers: How Are They Faring?

Verma, et al. 2003

yes

Services

Welfare Reform and the Wage Prospects for Work Morris and Orthner First participants 2000

Birth

New

OH *

UI

yes

FS

OH *

UI

yes

FS

New

Other Administrative Data Linked to TANF Administrative Data State (1)

EmployChild Child ment Care Support (2) Subsidy

Child Welfare

Medical Assis- SNAP/ tance WIC (3)

OR

UI

OR

UI

OR *

UI

FS

PA *

UI

FS

PA *

UI

PA *

UI

SC

UI

Other (4)

FS

yes

TX *

Services

Study Years Linked Survey Data (5)

TX

UI

UT *

UI

UT

Other

yes

VT

UI

yes

VT

UI

WA

UI

WI

Other

WI

UI

WI

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

Title of Article

Author and Publication Year

1998 1999

Welfare Restructuring, Work & Poverty: Policy Implications from Oregon

Acker, et al. 2002

Both

1998 1999

Diverting dependency: The effects of diversion on the short-term outcomes of TANF applicants

Gonzalez, et al. 2007

New

1993 1996 National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies

Scrivener, et al. 1998

New

2004 2006

Alternative Welfare-to-Work Strategies for the Bloom, Rich, et al. 2009 Hard-to-Employ

1999 2002

Unemployment Insurance As a Potential Safety Net for TANF Leavers

Rangarajan and Razafindrakoto 2004

1992 2003

Between Welfare Reform and Reauthorization: Income Support Systems

Seith, et al. 2007

1997 1999

Welfare Program Performance: Analysis of South Carolina's Family Independence Pgm

Ratcliffe, et al. 2007

Earnings, Assets, and Program Dependence

Moffitt and Ribar 2006

1997 2006

UI as a Safety Net for Former TANF Recipients: Final Report

O’Leary and Kline 2008

1999 2002

Unemployment Insurance As a Potential Safety Net for TANF Leavers

Rangarajan and Razafindrakoto 2004

New

1994 1999

From Welfare Poor to Working Poor: Post AFDC/TANF Income in Salt Lake County, Utah

Coon, et al. 2000

Existing 1997 2005

Services

TX *

End

New

FS

FS

Start

Bibliographic Information

FS

Services

New

1999 2000

Multiple Impacts of Welfare Reform in Utah: Experiences of Former Long-term Recipients

Taylor and Barusch 2000

FS

Services

New

1992 2001

WRP: Final Report on Vermont's Welfare Restructuring Project

Scrivener, et al. 2002

Services

New

1994 2000

An Analysis of Vermont's Community Service Program

Sperber and Bloom 2002

1997 2002

Welfare recipient work choice and in-kind benefits in Washington state

Axelsen 2007

FS

Services

Alternative Measures of Economic Success among Cancian and Meyer TANF Participants 2004

FS

Existing 1999 1999

yes

FS

2006 2006

The Earnings and Income of Wisconsin Works (W-2) Applicants

Cancian and Ybarra 2008

UI

yes

FS

1995 1997

Post-Exit Earnings and Benefit Receipt among Those Who Left AFDC in Wisconsin

Cancian, et al. 1999

WI

UI

yes

FS

1995 1997

The Take-Up of Medicaid and Food Stamps by Welfare Leavers: The Case of Wisconsin

Cancian, et al. 2001

WI

UI

1995 1998

Before and After TANF: The Economic Well-Being Cancian, et al. 2002 of Women Leaving Welfare

WI

UI

FS

1995 1999

The Employment, Earnings, and Income of Single Mothers Who Left Cash Assistance

Cancian, et al. 2003

WI

UI

yes

FS

1997 2001

Welfare and Child Support: Complements, Not Substitutes

Cancian, et al. 2008

WI

UI

yes

FS

1988 1995

Outcomes for Low-Income Families under the Cancian, Kaplan, and Meyer 1999 Wisconsin AFDC Program

WI

UI

yes

yes

FS

1997 2005

W-2 Child Support Demonstration Evaluation: Cook and Caspar 2006 Comparisons of Outcomes

WI *

UI

yes

WI *

UI

yes

WI *

UI

WI

UI

WI

UI

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

yes

Tax

FS

New

1997 2003

Income and Poverty: Findings from the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study

FS

New

1997 2003

Child Welfare Services Involvement: Findings Courtney and Dworsky 2006 from the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study

New

1999 2001

Involvement of TANF Applicant Families with Child Courtney, et al. 2005 Welfare Services

1998 2004

How do economic downturns affect welfare leavers? A comparison of two cohorts

Kwon and Meyer 2011

1998 1998

Former TANF Recipients’ Monetary Eligibility for Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Sanford, et al. 2003

yes

yes

yes

FS

Services

Courtney and Dworsky 2006

Other Administrative Data Linked to TANF Administrative Data State (1)

EmployChild Child ment Care Support (2) Subsidy

Child Welfare

Medical Assis- SNAP/ tance WIC (3)

Other (4)

Bibliographic Information

Study Years Linked Survey Data (5)

Start

Title of Article

End

Author and Publication Year

1995 2001

SCHIP expansion and parental coverage: an evaluation of Wisconsin's BadgerCare

Wolfe, et al. 2006

UI

1997 2003

Severity, timing, and duration of sanctions and the econ well-being of TANF fams with children

Wu 2008

WI

UI

1997 2003 How do welfare sanctions work?

WI

UI

1997 2004

WI

UI

WI

yes

Evidence from Wisconsin on the long-term employment and earnings of TANF participants

Wu, et al. 2006 Wu, et al. 2008

Notes: (1)

Studies marked with "*" are not state-wide studies, but focus on one or more counties/cities.

(2)

"UI" indicates that wage and employment data from the state's Unemployment Insurance system was used. "Other" indicates that some other administrative source was used for employment data.

(3)

Includes Medicaid, CHIP, and other state medical assistance.

(4)

"Birth": birth records; "Criminal": criminal history records; "School": public school records; "Services": other state services (e.g. emergency aid, housing assistance, UI benefits, substance abuse, domestic violence); "Tax": state tax records.

(5)

"New" indicates that a new survey was performed for the study, while "Existing" indicates that an already-existing survey was used.