Identificación molecular del ARNr 16S de una cepa

South Carolina implemented its time limit in October 1996 under federal waivers. MDRC visited two welfare offices as part of this project.

Background

• Time-limit policy. A family may receive Family Independence (FI) benefits

for no more than 24 months out of 120 months. There is a 60-month lifetime limit on FI benefits.

• TANF grant level and earned income disregard policies. The maximum

grant for a family of three is $204 a month. The state disregards 50 percent of earned income for the first four months of employment and $100 thereafter.

• Work requirements and sanctions. Individuals with children over age 1 are

required to participate in FI activities except in the case of pregnancy or other incapacity. The first instance of noncompliance results in a 30-day concilia- tion period. If the client is still noncompliant at the end of the conciliation pe- riod, then a full-family sanction is imposed.

Communicating the Message

South Carolina is very proactive about notifying clients about their time limit status. Clients are told about the time limit at application and then are reminded of the time limit and their status during every encounter with staff. All notices from the welfare department, includ- ing monthly benefit checks, remind clients of how many months they have remaining. In addi- tion, formal “staffings” — meetings with clients and all staff working on the case, including the county director, the TANF program director, the supervisor, and the case manager — are held during months 12 and 22. If a client has a job developer or a CPS worker, these workers also attend. In months 6 and 18, there are additional staff-only meetings. (In some cases, clients are also invited to attend.) In all these meetings, the focus is on the client’s progress toward the goals stated in the employability plan.

In recent years, changes in the leadership of the TANF program at the state level have affected aspects of the FI program, including time limits. Most notably, the state relaxed poli- cies about both time-limit extensions and sanctions. (Some of the specifics of these policy changes are discussed below.) It is also important to note that there were some substantial dif- ferences in how policies were changed at the county level. Staff at one office reported that the net effect of the policy changes was to rescind the time limit. Some case managers voiced frus-

tration that they had lost credibility with clients once clients realized that their frequent admoni- tions about the time limit were unwarranted. At another office, staff maintained that although policy changes had resulted in a more liberal sanctioning policy, they did not feel that clients’ perceptions of the time limit had changed.

South Carolina has one of the nation’s lowest welfare grants. Staff report that, because of low grants, clients are much more concerned about keeping their Food Stamps and support services — in particular, child care — than about staying on cash assistance. For this reason, a large part of the time-limit message emphasizes how clients can maximize their transitional benefits and “make the most of” their time on public assistance.

Determining Who Is Exempt

South Carolina’s exemption policy is clear-cut. Disabled clients and clients who are needed in the home to take care of a disabled family member are exempt, as are teenage parents. According to case managers, exemptions are not advertised; rather, if a client brings up a medi- cal problem, the case manager gives her a state-generated form for her doctor to complete. The form has a clear list of questions that specify the nature of the client’s disability and potential for work and the length of time for which an exemption should be granted. Case managers code exemptions for the length of time specified by the doctor. Clients are granted temporary exemp- tions from the time they report a medical problem to the time they return the completed form.

While the process is relatively cut-and-dry for case managers, it is possible that the largely client-initiated process prevents some clients from getting exemptions. Clients might be uncomfortable discussing medical problems with their case manager, or they may be unaware of the severity of their condition. Furthermore, variation in the way doctors interpret and fill out the form as well as the relationship between clients and doctors allow room for inconsistency and potential abuse of the system.

According to state policy, exemptions can also be granted if transportation or child care is not available. However, none of the staff interviewed had ever exempted a client for these reasons. In general, only clients in remote, rural areas are exempted because support services are lacking.

Working with Cases Approaching the Time Limit

Case managers in South Carolina work closely with clients to help them achieve their employment goals. Clients sign an employment plan within 45 days of having their case certi- fied, and case managers monitor clients’ attendance and progress in FI components. Since the new state director took office, case managers have been strongly discouraged from sanctioning clients. At one time, cases were routinely closed for noncompliance. Now, when clients miss

classes or otherwise fail to comply with the program, case managers initiate an in-depth con- ciliation process. Case managers are expected to make telephone contact with the client, revise the client’s employment plan, conduct a home visit, and “grab [clients] by the hand” to make sure that they participate. After taking these steps, a case manager must first meet with the su- pervisor and the county director before imposing a sanction. Case managers noted that, because of the red tape involved, they rarely sanction clients for nonparticipation.

Staff reported that they strongly discourage clients from accumulating 24 months of as- sistance. Rather, they encourage clients to leave assistance and forgo the earned income disre- gard once they are able to support themselves. Case managers tell clients that in the future banked months will be far more valuable than the paltry benefits that they will receive after their earnings are counted. Several staff maintained that a good case manager does not let a client use up all four enhanced disregard months. (In South Carolina, months in which a client receives the enhanced earned income disregard do count against the time limit.) Particularly when deal- ing with single mothers with young children, case managers encourage clients to leave assistance for two years (to exhaust their transitional child care benefits) and then to come back on welfare and repeat the process once they are again eligible for two more years of transitional child care.

Clients who do accumulate 22 months of assistance are required to attend a 22-month staffing to discuss their case. In one office, this meeting is the first time that clients hear about extensions. Staff in another office reported that “the word is out” about extensions and that a client knows well in advance of this meeting that the case will not be closed. Perhaps because of this, staff reported that client attendance is high for these meetings. At the 22-month staffing, extension options are discussed, and the purpose and duration of the extension are decided. Cli- ents must sign a new employment plan at this meeting, specifying what they will accomplish during the extension period.

Until mid-2001, the client’s entire history of compliance was taken into account during this staffing. Generally, only clients who had shown a history of compliance were granted ex- tensions. Now, all clients who are compliant at the time of the 22-month staffing are granted extensions. Compliance with the Family Independence program is the primary factor in decid- ing whether an extension will be granted. Ultimately, the county director has final say regarding the approval and duration of the extension, although case managers and their supervisors can make recommendations.

It is important to note that counties have relaxed their extension policies in very differ- ent ways. One county currently offers all clients 3-month extensions during the 22-month staff- ing. Case managers said that they had never had occasion to ask for longer extensions or to ask for an additional extension after the initial extension expired.

By contrast, staff at another office reported that most clients were offered a 6- or 12- month extension at the 22-month staffing. The general rule, according to case managers and supervisors, is that clients who have not achieved their employment goal will be granted exten- sions. Clients are most often granted an initial 6-month extension to complete a training pro- gram that they are currently enrolled in and are likely to complete in that time. If at the end of this time period they are still compliant, then they are eligible for an additional 12-month exten- sion for full cooperation. The county director has the authority to grant additional extensions, and clients whose extensions are so approved meet with the county director monthly.

After the Time Limit

Case managers in South Carolina are required to conduct a home visit within 90 days of a case closure, to check on the family’s well-being. Case managers refer clients to community agencies for such matters as domestic violence and for assistance with utility bills or household items. If clients become employed, they can apply for transitional benefits. Food Stamps con- tinue as long as the client is income-eligible.

Staff reported that, for the most part, clients are faring about as well after leaving wel- fare as they were while they were receiving cash assistance. No case manager had ever dealt with a client who really feared that she would not be able to get by after her case was closed. Perhaps because of the low grant in South Carolina, clients — at least according to staff — are not greatly affected by termination of their benefits.

Appendix C

Background Information on the Leaver Studies