Ladonna Pavetti

Independent Researcher · Income Support and Economic Mobility

In this paper, the authors examine how policy and structural changes states made in response to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) may influence the level and composition of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload. This paper grew out of a 50-state survey Mathematica Policy Research conducted on diversion programs which rev...

In recent years, welfare caseloads have declined dramatically, leaving on the rolls recipients with mental disorders or other challenges that may affect their ability to work. This study identified Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients (that is, welfare recipients) who use mental health services, compared them with Supplemental...

The Food Stamp Program 2 and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program have responded very differently to the unprecedented challenges that the current recession, with its high levels of unemployment and rapidly changing economic circumstances, has posed to the nation's safety net. The Food Stamp Program, a federal entitlement prog...

This brief summarizes the other briefs in this series and includes some additional material. It describes four broad strategies: (1) new work opportunities for TANF recipients, (2) administrative strategies, (3) TANF policy changes, and (4) creation of new programs.

In response to higher effective work participation rates that followed the reauthorization of the TANF program in 2005, states added new policies and programs that divert eligible families from the TANF system. This report describes states’ policies on and experiences with diversion. Strategies included lump-sum payment programs, applicant work r...

This brief profiles three programs that use difference approaches—unpaid work experience, subsidized employment, and unsubsidized transitional employment—to create work opportunities for TANF recipients who are living with a disability and have not been successful in finding competitive employment.

Some TANF recipients may have disabilities that would qualify them for the specialized employment preparation services Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide. This brief explores the benefits and challenges of linking TANF and VR services, describes partnerships that have been formed in Vermont and Iowa, and discusses key features critical...

Pathways is a set of protocols and other tools to help welfare office staff support their clients in the transition to employment. It was launched in 1995 by Project Match and is based on the philosophy of "universal engagement" central to most TANF reauthorization proposals. This brief reviews implementation of Pathways in two counties in New York...

Attracting and retaining aides to care for elderly, disabled, and chronically ill people is a major concern for the long-term care industry. At the same time, TANF recipients are searching for employment opportunities to move from welfare to work. Do these two needs create a match? This six-page issue brief summarizes findings from a data analysis...

This chapter examines comparative work experiences of welfare recipients and nonrecipients prior to the implementation of work-related reforms. It estimates the amount of additional work that welfare mothers may be expected to do, highlights the differences that would likely affect their employment prospects, and examines the characteristics of wel...

The implementation of more stringent sanctions as part of welfare reform has been accompanied by interest in how sanctions are used and their outcomes. This report analyzes how TANF sanctions have been implemented in Illinois, New Jersey, and South Carolina, based on six key tasks: informing clients about work requirements and sanctions, defining p...

Based on survey findings, this report examines the characteristics, circumstances, and job readiness of single-parent TANF cases, noting that most are not long-term welfare recipients, and the majority had some paid employment in the past two years. However, many had weak educational backgrounds and reported problems such as poor physical or mental...

This article describes the new welfare reality that has emerged since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The author focuses on four key dimensions of this new system: conditional availability of cash assistance, the promotion of rapid entry into the labor market, an increased emphasis on the...

Describes the administrative framework and key components of a statewide transitional employment program for hard-to-employ TANF recipients nearing the time limit. Notes that program success requires program administrators and staff to think “outside the box†and concludes that clients with complex needs may work with the right amount and types...

Examines six transitional jobs programs to provide insights into the model and its potential for serving hard-to-employ TANF recipients. Notes that these programs, which expand on the "work first" approach by providing a wage, a more flexible environment, and individualized services, can help participants bridge the gap between the worlds of welfar...

Conventional wisdom holds that women on welfare will be better off in the long run if they take a job, even if it means initially having less money to spend on their and their children's needs. Underlying this thinking is the belief that women who take low-paying jobs will eventually move up to higher paying jobs either with their current employer...

A paper presented at the November 2000 conference "Welfare Reform Four Years Later: Progress and Prospects," sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Describes states' policy choices on sanctions and time limits, examines issues involved in implementing these policies, and reviews the research on how sanctions and time limits affect recipients' behavior and well being. Also draws some policy conclusions and identifies areas for consideration during reauthorization.

Examines mental health conditions among welfare recipients, to 1) provide an overview of common conditions and the mental health system, 2) discuss the types and prevalence of certain disorders, 3) offer strategies for linking recipients with treatment and designing employment services to move them into work.

Drawing on the industry that designs incentives for private-sector corporations, this paper explores incentives as a potential strategy for promoting job retention and advancement among disadvantaged workers. The paper, which provides a step-by-step process for designing incentive programs to promote behaviors associated with job retention and adva...

Profiles the efforts of four states--FL, OR, TN, and UT--to address welfare recipients' mental health conditions, which are often barriers to employment. Notes that these conditions, which occur at substantially higher rates in welfare recipients than in the general population, can be addressed in a variety of ways. Although each state used a diffe...

Reviews and synthesizes what is known about the drop in Medicaid and food stamp participation, as well as the reasons for the decline and potential strategies for increasing participation. The report finds evidence of barriers to access and participation, some predating welfare reform and some related to TANF, and points out the need to better unde...

Examines welfare offices' use of "intermediaries"--private or public organizations that act as brokers between the welfare system and employers--noting that a broad range of organizations act as intermediaries, including nonprofit and for-profit organizations, public sector agencies, and educational institutions. Intermediaries operate in a complex...

A downturn in the economy is inevitable — at some point, policy makers at the federal, state and local level will be faced with decisions about how to sustain a work-based assistance system when jobs are less readily available. With a fixed level of funding states and localities will be faced with difficult choices about how to balance competing in...

The authors discuss a number of issues related to time limits on benefit receipt. Although time limits have a very short history as a serious policy alternative to welfare reform development of the 1990's, the authors review scant existing evidence to raise several important discussions. The authors discuss some of the calculations of the fraction...

A downturn in the economy is inevitable — at some point, policy makers at the federal, state and local level will be faced with decisions about how to sustain a work-based assistance system when jobs are less readily available. With a fixed level of funding states and localities will be faced with difficult choices about how to balance competing in...

Draws on the experiences of Oregon, where welfare offices have addressed alcohol and drug problems since 1992, to help states develop ways to include treatment in a work-oriented welfare environment. Key factors for success include strong leadership at the state level as well as collaboration and communication between the existing welfare and alcoh...

Examines welfare reform in Virginia, which implemented reforms early and focused on building attachment to jobs and the economy, noting that many welfare workers believed work incentives were critical to program success and that, despite new strategies to help workers do their jobs differently, major restructuring of the welfare office was uncommon...

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This document was prepared by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) under a subcontract with theVirginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) for the Virginia Department of Social Services. Th e authorswish to thank the many people who contributed to its successful completion. First and foremost, wewould like to thank Sharon Swed...

This resource guide provides examples of program strategies and approaches, including creating a positive context and coordinating services, to help people who face difficult challenges in making the transition into employment.

Most welfare-to-work programs designed to help single mothers leave welfare for employment focus on the challenge of finding a job. This article looks beyond the point of employment to consider the difficulty many former welfare recipients have keeping their jobs. The authors review evidence showing that many families cycle back and forth between w...

This report addresses expanding welfare-to-work (WTW) programs to increase work among welfare recipients facing personal and family challenges. Section 1 examines what is known about the impact of traditional WTW program models and policy innovations on employment and earning profiles of these recipients. Evidence is presented showing WTW programs...

"May 1993." Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1993. Includes bibliographical references (l [72]-75).

ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND BRIEF This practice brief is one of a series describing state and local Strategies for Increasing TANF Work Participation Rates. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) resulted in significant increases in the effective work participation rates that states must achieve. The series of briefs is designed to assist

Examines the emergence of diversion programs in state welfare reform and the potential for these programs to reduce access to Medicaid, finding that diversion strategies are increasingly common; diversion has substantial potential to reduce initial access to Medicaid; and the compelling policy challenge is how to use Medicaid effectively to support...

Assessment is often the first step in helping TANF recipients living with a disability find and maintain employment. This brief describes five different approaches to assessment: disability screening, psychosocial assessments, clinical and psychological assessments, functional needs assessments, and vocational assessments.

Paper presented at the fall 2007 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management conference held in Washington, DC.

Sanctions, or financial penalties for noncompliance with program requirements, have long been perceived as a major tool for encouraging TANF recipients to participate in work activities. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 changed the way TANF work participation rates are calculated and thereby effectively increased the rates required of states. This...

In spite of an unprecedented period of growth and prosperity, the U.S. poverty rate remains high relative to the levels of the early 1970s and relative to those in many industrialized countries today. Looking back over the four decades since the nation declared war on poverty, the authors ask how the poor have fared in the market economy, what gove...

This paper examines how policy and structural changes states made in response to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) may influence the level and composition of the TANF caseload. It is based on Mathematica’s 50-state survey of diversion programs, as well as field visits to state and local welfare offices to study innovative strategies to incr...

The long-term care industry’s need for workers and TANF recipients’ need for jobs could be mutually beneficial if, indeed, recipients’ characteristics, skills, and circumstances match the requirements, accessibility, and availability of these jobs. This paper analyzes characteristics of long-term care jobs and the individuals who hold them; e...

This brief profiles three programs, two statewide and one local, that provide work opportunities to TANF recipients participating in vocational education. The programs combine vocational education and paid work, a strategy that allows recipients to further their education while reinforcing the emphasis of the TANF program on encouraging recipients...

Concern for families reaching the time limits imposed under welfare reform has led states to develop strategies for addressing the needs of this hard-to-employ population. Ramsey County, in the St. Paul area of Minnesota, implemented the Intensive Integrated Intervention project to reduce the number of families that would reach that limit without e...

This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine young women's work experiences over a fixed period to gauge how much additional work can be realistically expected from young welfare recipients. The analysis suggests that, even if states succeed in getting the most disadvantaged young welfare recipients into the labor...

Dramatic changes in the welfare system have drawn attention to the need to engage a broader group of welfare recipients in activities that build their capacity to work. Some state and local programs currently strive to engage all or most TANF recipients in work-related pursuits, but little is known about strategies they use. This study examined sev...

Identifies strategies that state and local welfare offices are using to promote participation in food stamps, Medicaid, and SCHIP. Also discusses challenges they face in providing support to working families. The findings suggest that diverse strategies, focusing on program awareness, simplification, and reduction of risk points, are needed to incr...

This report summarizes state policy choices with regard to TANF sanctions for failure to comply with work requirements, including the structure and stringency of sanctions, their cost, context in which they are applied, and strategies to encourage compliance. In addition, the report reviews the existing literature on sanctioning rates and durations...

Documents findings from a short-term study that identifies and describes four types of work-based program models that are serving, or could serve, hard-to-employ TANF recipients. Also assesses the feasibility of conducting a rigorous, large-scale evaluation of these programs.

Examines Nebraska's reorganized service delivery system, which provides assessment-focused case management to help clients become self-sufficient, finding that case managers need additional tools and support to provide services in a timely and consistent way, connect clients with individualized opportunities and services, and maximize community par...