Various states' ideas of 'work' complicate welfare statistics
WASHINGTON (AP) -- No more bed rest, going on errands for a friend or reading the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" to fulfill work requirements for welfare.
The Bush administration will issue new regulations today that clarify what states can count as work participation under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program.
Under the law, states are supposed to have at least half of their welfare recipients in approved work activities or face cuts in funding of up to 5 percent. However, states have been on their own in defining those work activities.
Congress recently instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to draft regulations that would explicitly define the 12 work categories cited in federal law. For instance, on-the-job training will be defined, as will community service and unsubsidized employment.
In a recent speech, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt signaled that he wanted stricter definitions of work. He questioned Wisconsin's use of bed rest as a work activity.
"Needless to say, I think we can all agree we need to have a better definition of what constitutes work," Leavitt told officials at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
The Government Accountability Office said last year there were too many differences in how states defined work.
For instance, of 10 states reviewed, five said caring for a disabled family member would meet work participation requirements. Five did not. Six states counted substance abuse treatment as work, but four did not.
Such inconsistencies cause unreliable comparisons when determining which states do a good job of helping residents find work, the GAO said.
Wade Horn, the HHS assistant secretary who oversees welfare, said in an interview that the regulations will reflect the average American's definition of job training, community service or any of the other work activities already established in law.
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