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This article examines the characteristics and income patterns associated with welfare entry and nonentry in the context of an extended application period for a sample of 1,664 women who applied for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families services in Wisconsin in the fall of 2006. The study uses data derived from the systematic review of caseworker notes as well as administrative data on welfare participation, earnings, child support, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Earned Income Tax Credit estimates, and Supplemental Security Income receipt. It finds that about one-half of those who applied for services did not enter the welfare program within a 60-day time frame. Results indicate that those with consistent employment prior to applying for services, those with very young children, and pregnant applicants are less likely to drop out. In examining differences in economic well-being in the year following an application, the study finds that those who applied for and entered welfare (participants) and those who applied for but did not enter (dropouts) generally had similarly high levels of poverty. However, dropouts had higher rates of deep poverty, with some subgroups--such as those who had declined services--faring better than others.

There is speculation that some single poor mothers rely on welfare during maternity leaves from work. A related literature on paid family leave (PFL) policies, wage replacement programs to support caregiving including maternity leave, cites the potential for PFL programs to reduce welfare reliance. Yet there is little evidence of the use of welfare during a maternity-related job interruption or the potential impact on family resources if PFL benefits are substituted for cash welfare. This article considers the characteristics, pre- and postentry employment patterns, and the substitution of PFL benefits for cash welfare for a cohort of 293 “new-mother” welfare participants who entered Wisconsin's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in the fall of 2006. The author used 2006 administrative data from Wisconsin on earnings and public assistance, as well as participation and benefit rules from three state PFL programs, to examine whether new-mother welfare participants use welfare during maternity leave from work and if they would better off with PFL benefits. Results indicated that a substantial minority use the program as a short-term resource during maternity leave from work. Moreover, most would be better off with welfare benefits, although the most consistent workers would receive similar amounts from both programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the characteristics and income patterns associated with welfare entry and nonentry in the context of an extended application period for a sample of 1,664 women who applied for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families services in Wisconsin in the fall of 2006. The study uses data derived from the systematic review of caseworker notes as well as administrative data on welfare participation, earnings, child support, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Earned Income Tax Credit estimates, and Supplemental Security Income receipt. It finds that about one-half of those who applied for services did not enter the welfare program within a 60-day time frame. Results indicate that those with consistent employment prior to applying for services, those with very young children, and pregnant applicants are less likely to drop out. In examining differences in economic well-being in the year following an application, the study finds that those who applied for and entered welfare (participants) and those who applied for but did not enter (dropouts) generally had similarly high levels of poverty. However, dropouts had higher rates of deep poverty, with some subgroups-such as those who had declined services-faring better than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research on welfare reform finds inconsistent earnings and high poverty rates among former participants. We know relatively little, however, about those who leave welfare and have some measure of economic success. This qualitative study explores the everyday lives of former welfare applicants who had improved earnings in the year after leaving welfare. We find that access to formal and informal support is critical to the success of women leaving welfare. Employment circumstances, in particular job protection, are also important in both economic progress and decline. We discuss policy areas that may bolster and help sustain economic growth post-welfare participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous studies have found that child care subsidy spells are often short and that multiple spells are common. Such instability in subsidy use may lead to instability in child care arrangements, yet we have little evidence of the relationship between them. This article focuses on a cohort of young children in Wisconsin and follows their patterns of the receipt of child care subsidies and subsidized care arrangements up until the age of 5. The study estimates the extent to which the patterns of subsidy use is associated with the stability of subsidized child care arrangements. It also examines variation in the degree of instability in the receipt of child care subsidies and subsidized care arrangements and factors related to such variation. The study finds a positive association between the number of subsidy-receipt spells and the number of subsidized child care providers that children experience. The study also finds that children from the most disadvantaged families are the ones who experience the highest degree of instability of care and subsidy receipt. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]