Profile of San Bernardino County CalWORKs Caseload

摘要

In August 1996, Congress dramatically altered the nation's primary cash assistance entitlement program, AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children), replacing it with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). As its name implies, TANF provides temporary (time-limited) federal assistance for a maximum of 60 months accumulated over an adults lifetime, and requires that recipients work within two years of beginning aid in order to continue receiving assistance. Subsequently, the California legislature enacted CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids), a program that focuses on moving aid recipients into employment, requires counties to provide access to a broad range of services, and also requires the establishment of community service programs for participants otherwise unable to obtain work. The federal and state welfare reforms provide flexibility to counties in designing programs that meet their unique needs and objectives, within State guidelines. California's county welfare agencies have seen their mission expand from eligibility determination and accurate payment of benefits to include the provision of a variety of support services to help participants obtain and maintain employment.