- Marci Ybarra
- Spring/Summer 2014
- Focus-31-1
- Link to foc311d (PDF)
- Link to foc311sup (PDF)
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program uses work exemptions to accommodate the needs of mothers with newborns, and those who cannot work because of an injury or other documented disability. Since these circumstances differ greatly from those of participants who are subject to TANF work requirements, it is possible that work-exempt participants have substantially different TANF participation and socioeconomic outcomes. Understanding differences in characteristics and patterns of program participation, work, and earnings between work-exempt and workrequired TANF participants may also have implications for how the TANF system can best serve different types of users. In this article, I describe work done with my colleague Jennifer Noyes, using Wisconsin administrative data to examine patterns of TANF use and employment among work-exempt and other TANF participants.
Categories
Economic Support, Means-Tested Programs
Tags
Mothers, TANF/AFDC/W-2, Welfare, Welfare Reform/PRWORA, Wisconsin