Achieving Change for Texans Evaluation: Net Impacts through December 1997

Authors: Deanna T. Schexnayder, Jerome A. Olson, Daniel G. Schroeder, Alicia Betsinger, and Shao Chee Sim
Date: December 1998
Publication Type: Report, 69pp.

Abstract: In 1995, the Texas Legislature enacted H. B. 1863, which formed the basis for Texas’ waiver from existing Federal laws governing the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. The Texas waiver, officially known as the Achieving Change for Texans (ACT) demonstration, aims to assist participants to achieve independence from welfare through an increased emphasis on employment, training, temporary assistance and support services. It includes four primary components: Time-Limited and Transitional Benefits (TL), Responsibilities, Employment and Resources (RER), Incentives to Achieve Independence (IAI), and TANF One Time Payments.

The evaluation of the ACT demonstration consists of three approaches: a process evaluation, an impact analysis, and follow-up interviews with persons who reached their time limits or who elected to receive TANF One Time payments instead of entering TANF. This report includes net impacts of the ACT demonstration from its inception in June 1996 through December 1997, and describes early impacts of the time limits and RER experiments on welfare dynamics, client self-sufficiency, participation in workforce development programs, and use of subsidized child care services.

Also Available: Executive Summary

The Dynamics of Welfare-to-Work: A Comparative Analysis of Four Urban Areas, 1990-1997

Researchers: Julie L. Hotchkiss, Christopher T. King, Peter R. Mueser, and David W. Stevens.
Publication Date: November 1998, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy and Research, Division of Research and Demonstration. 76pp.
Availability: Available from the Ray Marshall Center, contactrmcpubs@raymarshallcenter.org.

Researcher(s):Deanna T. Schexnayder, Jerome A. Olson, Daniel G. Schroeder and Jody McCoy
Date Published: September 1998
Publisher(s): Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: The Family Support Act of 1988 (FSA) mandated a number of policy changes to increase the employability of caretakers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and to improve the collection of child support from noncustodial parents. Some states, including Texas, enacted state legislation to strengthen their child support enforcement procedures prior to these federal mandates. This research study measures the influence that increased child support enforcement strategies have had on welfare dynamics in Texas, which has one of the lowest AFDC grant levels in the U.S but relatively high rates of paternity establishment and child support collection.

This project investigated four primary research questions: Which factors have the greatest influence on the award and collection of child support in Texas? To what extent does child support influence AFDC exits in Texas? To what extent does child support reduce AFDC recidivism in Texas? What is the combined influence of child support and earnings of the custodial parent in removing families from poverty?

Availability:

Full Report (PDF)
Executive Summary (PDF)
Executive Summary (HTML) Printed Copies: 80pp, $8.00
Contact:rmcpubs@raymarshallcenter.org

Researchers: Christopher T. King and Deanna T. Schexnayder
Date: March 1998

Publication type: Report. Available from the Ray Marshall Center,
contactrmcpubs@raymarshallcenter.org.

The Reality of Welfare-to-Work: Employment Opportunities for Women Affected by AFDC Time Limits in Texas

Researchers: Leslie O. Lawson and Christopher T. King.
Date: September 1997
Publication Type: Report. Available from the Ray Marshall Center,
contactrmcpubs@raymarshallcenter.org.
Publisher: The Urban Institute and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Washington, D.C.

Researcher(s):Deanna T. Schexnayder, Jerome A. Olson, Daniel P. O’Shea, Davy Norris, Daniel G. Schroeder, and Christopher T. King
Date Published: August 1997
Publisher(s): Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: The Texas Department of Human Services has been conducting a welfare reform demonstration project entitled “Lone Star Image System” in Bexar and Guadalupe counties. This project uses electronic finger-imaging to detect and deter duplicate applications for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Food Stamp benefits.

The evaluation of the LSIS demonstration consists of both impact and cost analyses over the first seven months of its operation. The purpose of the impact analysis is to measure the effect of the LSIS demonstration on Food Stamp and AFDC caseloads and to explain changes in the rates at which persons enter and leave the two programs. The cost analysis examines the cost features of the LSIS demonstration and the potential benefit savings resulting from the program. Findings are based on an analysis of administrative caseload and cost data from October 1995 through May 1997, as well as interviews with Food Stamp and AFDC recipients who have recently exited from at least one of the programs.

Availability:

Full Report (PDF)
Executive Summary (PDF)
Executive Summary (HTML) Printed Copies: 90pp, $9.00
Contact:rmcpubs@raymarshallcenter.org