TANF Time Limits
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF for short, is one of the more controversial and maligned or one of the most lauded and touted social safety net programs in the United States. Whether it is praised or denigrated depends a lot on who is doing the talking and what their motivations are. TANF has turned in a political football on a scale that dovetails quite nicely with the words of Rawls (1985) when it was noted in an essay of that author that there are sometimes periods (some of them quite long in duration) that are bereft and full of political divisiveness and vitriol (Rawls, 1985).
History of TANF & its Predecessor
A bulk of the TANF program is to provide cash-based payments to needy families who are living in destitution or are otherwise in stark financial peril and how those funds are allocated, to who, for how long and in what amounts is the major issue at hand. This report will focus on the time horizon constraints place on individual recipients and how these limits can be very arbitrary and unfair at times. Regardless, the current benefit amounts and structures are based on the number of people in the household that are eligible, income that is currently available to the household members, allowable work and childcare expenses and other relevant factors like cost of living (TANF, 2013).
TANF is not meant strictly as a means to remove people from poverty but it certainly gets people out of poverty quicker than they could if they did not have the money and it also prevents the depths to which people fall financially, hence the term "social safety net." The amount of benefits may or may not be enough to get by and survive depending on the geography and situation involved. Taxpayers do not suffer because of the funding level of TANF being as low as it is and it is clear, especially with single mothers, that the benefits can be lacking given the cost of education, childcare and transportation in some areas of the country. Areas like California and much of the Northeast, where cost of living is hire, are full of people where TANF amounts do not go nearly as far as they would in areas like Kansas or Texas, where cost of living is lower. The system is not remotely perfect and stands to be perfected and honed in many ways. Very few people are suggesting a full gutting of the system but there are stark differences in views as to how much or how little total outlays should be and who exactly should get them, even as it pertains to the subject of single mothers (Burns, 2010).
TANF actually had a precursor in the form of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) which was actually part of the Social Security Act in the 1930's. Both TANF and AFDC were meant to be part of the "social safety net" whereby people in dire financial straits would be able to receive cash assistance to help meet their needs and pay their fixed bills until they could get employed or otherwise fend for themselves. The AFDC program was sunset in 1997 in favor of the TANF program that replaced it. This changeover is often referred to as in political vernacular as "welfare reform" and the aforementioned cash benefits are often referred to as "welfare." The "welfare reform" package was the result of a triangulation between Democrat President Bill Clinton and a Congress that was largely controlled by Republicans. Many hold that this legislation was a pet project of Republicans and Bill Clinton acquiesced, after prior vetoing the bill for TANF twice, to signing the bill as a way to "reach across the aisle" to Republicans (Payne, 2012). The pattern of Republicans focusing on bottom-line expenditures, perhaps to excess a lot of the time, is nothing new (Spitzer, 2012).
There are four major guidelines that pertain to TANF recipients. First, people receiving TANF are supposed to get a job as soon as they can but must do so within two years of first receiving benefits. There are sometimes exceptions provided to this but this is rare. Single parents must work 30 hours a week. Failure to comply with this guideline can lead to a reduction in benefits or even expulsion from the program. Fourth, and last, states are responsible for enforcement and their funding can be reduced if they do not enforce compliance with the directives above (TANF, 2013).
There has been much action and debate as it pertains to the time limits that should be allowed for in terms of how long...
The question of whether TANF is working to reduce the number of teen pregnancies is inconclusive. The literature review leaves many more questions than answers. Conclusion The literature review found many conflicting results and studies that were significantly flawed. The real impact of TANF on teen pregnancies cannot be determined from the studies conducted thus far. The mass media was found to quote inconclusive findings. The body of evidence found is
TANF? The Congress was exasperated with the AFDC's (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) cost, nature and scope, and thus decided to put an end to it. In 1994, a record number of families (5 million, with over 1/8th of American children) were enrolled in the program. Over 50% of the kids enrolled were born out of wedlock, and around 75% had a physically-fit parent not living with them (Blanche,
However, there have been both positive and negative outcomes from these changes. Some of the positive changes are: reduced welfare caseloads, they have increase unemployment / income levels for the recipients' and it improves family security. While some of the negative outcomes would include:: low wages, dead end jobs, difficulty obtaining health / child care and inconsistent performance from social workers. This is significant, because it shows how the
Limiting Public Benefits The United States economy is in serious trouble and the individual state economies are not faring much better. In times such as these, those elected into public office are called upon to find ways to save money and to help the struggling nation become strong again. For individual people living in America, the economy has directly impacted their everyday lives. Many people are out of work and more
ethics aligned in a constructive way to gather, investigate and consecutively analyze the data of a precise subject. Methodology illustrates the method of the researcher, which the researcher intends to utilize in completion of the study. The methodology can be distinguished in two distinct ways: It helps in detailing the techniques to conduct the research properly. It assists in analyzing and consecutively justifying the choice of methods used for the critique. This
In other words, that limit should be raised (or exemptions should be allowed) so that the person getting a job and experiencing the pride and increased self-esteem that goes with it, should not have to lose the other supportive components (like food stamps and health insurance for the children's needs) just because now she is making a bit over the limit that was set. Of course it would be
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