Thread: CalWORKS: Is it costing too much?

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CalWORKS: Is it costing too much?


!By Steve Wiegand
swiegand@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Jul. 19, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 19, 2009 - 9:37 am

It's the kind of statistic that makes radio talk show hosts drool:

California is home to about 12 percent of all Americans – and more than 30 percent of all Americans on welfare.

Critics of the state's welfare program, called CalWORKs, say it's clear proof that the system is flabby and overly beneficent, particularly as compared to other states.

"We are more lenient here; we are more generous in the state of California," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said last week, "and also we are giving greater benefits for longer periods of time, and there are really no consequences if someone doesn't fulfill the work requirements."

But program officials and advocates for welfare recipients say the statistic masks the fact that California's welfare system is one of those government rarities: a program that actually works.

"That (statistic) is an apples-and-oranges thing," said Frank Mecca, executive director of the County Welfare Directors of California. CalWORKs has been "one of the most successful programs the state has had in the past decade."

There's little argument over the numbers themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 1.2 million Californians (950,000 of them children) participated during the 2008 fiscal year in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program.

In California, TANF is called CalWORKs and is fueled by about $5.5 billion in federal and state funds.

The 1.2 million Californians receiving cash assistance represent 31.3 percent of all TANF recipients – or more welfare patrons than the next nine most populous states combined.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, California's $694-a-month grant for a single-parent family of three was surpassed only by those in Alaska and New York.

But a commonly held theory that California's relatively high benefit level attracts large numbers of welfare recipients from other states is disputed by system officials and program analysts.

"We've never seen any evidence of that," said Mecca, whose experience dates back over two decades. "The fact is, low-income people just can't pack up and move that easily."

Instead, officials and analysts point to a covey of other factors that have helped swell the ranks of welfare recipients in California, including:

The Safety Net. The federal TANF program, a product of compromise in the mid-1990s between Democratic President Bill Clinton and a Republican-controlled Congress, required that recipients be weaned off the program within five years.

California, however, is one of 11 states that have a "safety net" under its welfare program. The net allows children under the age of 18 to continue to receive cash assistance even after the five-year clock has run out on their parents.

Lack of "Full Family" Sanctions. Under the TANF program, adult recipients who fail to comply with rules on working, seeking work or undergoing job training (130 hours a month is required in California) can be sanctioned by a state, and their benefits withheld.

But California is one of six states that penalize only the adult portion of the benefit – which is currently $139.

Moreover, the five-year clock is suspended while a sanction is in place. That means children can continue to receive benefits until they turn 18, even if their parent or parents have been sanctioned for years.

"Technically, you could be on (welfare) aid for 18 years," said John Wagner, director of the state's Department of Social Services. "With our current system, an adult could either work 130 hours or face $139 in sanctions. That's very little incentive to participate in activities, including work, that lead to a family's self-sufficiency."

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2037490.html

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

While the adults may not be eligible for the benefits, they're definitely benefiting from them.

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

While the adults may not be eligible for the benefits, they're definitely benefiting from them.

Originally Posted by MW

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

While the adults may not be eligible for the benefits, they're definitely benefiting from them.

Absolutely! How many illegals have kids ONLY to use them for freebies. Their "family values" shows how much they really care about their kids.

Originally Posted by MW

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

While the adults may not be eligible for the benefits, they're definitely benefiting from them.

Absolutely! How many illegals have kids ONLY to use them for freebies. Their "family values" shows how much they really care about their kids.

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

This is enough to make me blow a gasket!!!! $695.00 a month is a fortune to these people, which doesn't count the money they are earning under the table. TAX FREE! These people live better than I do!!!

Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.

While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.

This is enough to make me blow a gasket!!!! $695.00 a month is a fortune to these people, which doesn't count the money they are earning under the table. TAX FREE! These people live better than I do!!!

Have no problem helping those in need but this makes me see red.

Talk about incentives to come here, especially to have children...we may as well have a big welcome sign at the border.

The party is over! This state is losing residents and businesses due to how this state is run. The ship is sinking because we have too many taxtakers and not enough taxpayers.

Have no problem helping those in need but this makes me see red.

Talk about incentives to come here, especially to have children...we may as well have a big welcome sign at the border.

The party is over! This state is losing residents and businesses due to how this state is run. The ship is sinking because we have too many taxtakers and not enough taxpayers.