do you think wellfare recipients should be required to work?? what kind of support should they be given??

Answer 1

Oh my god... people that don't know what they're talking about should shut the hell up. Here's the laws for welfare... read em retards....

Time limitations on benefits and services

Individual heads of households are eligible for TANF benefits for no more than five years over the course of their lifetime. States are permitted to exempt up to 20% of the caseload from this limit.

Individuals may not receive TANF-funded vocational education for more 12 months.

Teen parents

Every teen parent under 18 years of age who lacks a high school diploma or the equivalent must be satisfactorily attending programs leading to a secondary credential or the equivalent or to employment as a condition of receiving federal assistance.

Teen parents under age 20 who are satisfactorily attending programs leading to a secondary credential or the equivalent may be counted in the state’s mandated work participation targets.

Abstinence Education: Starting in 1998, $50 million a year in mandatory funds will be added to the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant to enable states to provide abstinence education with the option of targeting the funds to high risk groups (i.e., groups most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock). Education activities are explicitly defined.

Work Requirements

Work after two years: As part of their state plan, states must demonstrate that they will require families to work after two years on assistance. However, there are no penalties if a state does not meet this requirement.

Participation Targets: States must meet escalating targets for caseload participation in approved work activities. Beginning July 1, 1997, 25% of the caseload must be participating in work activities. By 2002, this target rises to 50% of the caseload. The rate for two-parent families increases from 75% in 1997 to 90% in 1999 and beyond. States will be penalized for not meeting these rates. These are monthly participation targets. Beginning in 1998 states may receive performance bonus funding if they exceed these rates. Percentage targets may be reduced for reductions in caseload levels below 1995 levels (caseload credits).

Work hours: Single parent recipients are required to participate at least 20 hours per week in 1997, increasing to at least 30 hours per week by 2000 to count toward targets. Two-parent families must work 35 hours per week.

Work activities: To count toward the work requirement, recipients must participate in one or more of the following: unsubsidized or subsidized employment, on-the-job training, work experience, community service, up to 12 months of vocational education, or provide child care services to individuals who are participating in community service. Job search is limited to 6 weeks. Beyond 20 hours per week (30 for two-parent families), participation may also include job skills training related to employment, education directly related to employment (for recipients lacking a diploma or GED), and secondary school or GED preparation.

Limit on counting vocational education as work: Enrollment in vocational education that can be counted toward the state’s mandated work participation targets is limited to no more than 30% of the number of individuals participating in approved work activities each month, with teen parents removed from the limitation for 1997, 1998, and 1999.

State flexibility in adopting key definitions: States have the authority to define "vocational education," "community service," and what counts as "work" for purposes of the requirement that all recipients must be engaged in work after 24 months of receiving federal assistance. Definitions for terms such as "disability" are also left to the states. "Community service" and "work experience" in particular could be broadly defined so that states can count programming that integrates basic skills upgrading with work experience, federal college work study, and disability support toward work participation targets.

State Options

Learnfare: States may adopt learnfare programs for children and/or teens that require satisfactory attendance in school as a condition of the family receiving welfare assistance.

Individual Development Accounts (IDAs): Provides states with the option of enacting Individual Development Accounts in which recipients can save for further vocational education and training, including higher education.

Welfare-to-Work Block Grants

In addition to TANF block grant funds, $3 billion in federal welfare-to-work block grants will be provided to states over three years (75% by formula to states and Private Industry Councils and 25% through competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Labor). Priority populations include adults who lack a GED or have low literacy or math skills; and individuals with substance abuse problems. Funds will be used to assist long-term welfare recipients in finding and retaining jobs.
Food Stamp Employment and Training requirements

Able bodied food stamp recipients must be engaged in work requirements as a condition of assistance. States are provided with authority to waive this requirement and the flexibility to design appropriate work and training opportunities to meet this requirement.
An additional $599 million over 5 years is provided to states to fund creation of additional work slots within the Food Stamp program. When continued eligibility is taken into account, the provision spends $920 million over 5 years.
Immigration

Eligibility for federally means-tested programs for legal immigrants who entered the United States after enactment of the federal welfare reform law. Persons who entered after August 22, 1996 remain ineligible for most programs during their first 5 years of residence in the United States, or until they obtain U.S. citizenship. Exemptions are made for refugees and other specific categories. School lunch and breakfast will be available to all immigrants regardless of status.
Eligibility for SSI disability benefits is maintained to qualified aliens who were residing in the United States as of August 22, 1996 who have since or who will someday become disabled.
States have the authority to determine eligibility of non-citizen legal immigrants for state and local benefit programs, except for certain programs such as National School Lunch, Child Nutrition Act, public health assistance, immunization and testing for communicable diseases, higher education, Head Start, Job Training Partnership Act, and programs identified by the Attorney General that deliver in-kind services at the community level and are necessary for the protection of life or safety.
Requires states to enact enabling legislation in order to exempt immigration status as an eligibility requirement for licenses, including professional licensing.
Child Care and Other Programs

Existing federal child care programs provided under AFDC work-support initiatives are consolidated into a Child Care and Development Block Grant. The law authorizes $13.9 billion in mandatory funding for the five years of the Act (1997 through 2002).
The law provides no child care guarantee, but single parents with children under age 6 who cannot find child care may not be penalized for failure to engage in work activities. However, they are not removed from the caseload in determining whether the state is meeting its work participation target.
Child Support Enforcement

The federal child support statute was significantly strengthened and funds may be available for the development of curricula and information about child enforcement.
Supplemental Security Income(SSI)

The new law establishes a new definition of childhood disability, limiting SSI children who meet a set of official conditions called the medical listings. The use of assessments of a child’s functioning and references to maladaptive behavior are eliminated. Children who lose SSI will continue to receive Medicaid only if they are eligible on other grounds.

Answer 2

No. If a person is receiving social assistance it's because they haven't got the abilities to hold down a steady job. Forcing that person to work a menial job does nothing but entrench a mind-set that they are not capable individuals.

You need to train people for better jobs. (I say this knowing that approximately 6 % of the population is not employable - so, I'm talking about the 94 %). People in western countries have the right to affordable housing, and to have access to training to improve their situations.

In Canada, they may take away over 40% of my pay-cheque for taxes, but I am living in downtown Toronto, and I feel perfectly safe. No gated communities, not the prevalence (yet) of gun crime that you see in major urban centres in the States. This is mostly due to our network of social support. You lose your job, you have the opportunity for re-training. Your having a baby, you can take a year off to care for your child.

It's a different mind-set. If you assume that the welfare recipient is a lazy jerk, well, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you assume that the welfare recipient is a person of worth and dignity, that too becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I don't want to paint a picture of a bed of roses, because there are very real problems with the system in Canada. Still, as much as I love the US, I don't agree with the work for welfare idea.

Answer 3

Yes i do. They should have to find a good paying job within a couple of months. The rest of the world can do it, why can't they. I can't stand to see people use the money for everything except for what it is suppose to be used for. Like getting new clothes, shoes, cars ,etc. If a person happens to fall on hard times and need the welfare for assistance, than i have no problem with it. The government should assist them until he/she get back on their feet. But if a person is just too lazy to get off their butt and work, than they shouldn't get a dime. Instead the government should set that person up with job core, temp jobs or something. The whole welfare system needs to be reorganized, because the hard working citizens are forced to pay for other people's laziness and greed.

Answer 4

I think they should be required to work but i also think that there should be more help out there for some of these people. Now I will admit there are a LOT of people who abuse the system and I dont think we will ever be able to get rid of all of the people who do that but I think that we need to find a way to limit the number because right now it is crazy. I think there should be mandatory drug testing for all welfare receipients. I think that they need to get job assistance and have a certain period of time to find employment. Once they get employment I think they need to have some training done as well. After so many children you get cut off. I get so sick of seeing parents with 4 and 5 kids and getting $700 worth of stamps that they dont use to feed there kids. I think that the parents who get larger sums need to get there money in installments. Instead of giving them all there benefits at one time at the beginning of the month spread it out over the month. Needs more requirements for being able to keep and maintain there benefits. Some out there really do need help and others are just trying to take advantage of the system. It is sad that so many people like the elderly can only get $10 worth of stamps and have to eat cat food in order to be able to afford their meds and a 21 year old with 3 kids is eating T Bone steaks every night for dinner. Something needs to be done.

Answer 5

Where i live they are required to work. They are considered the working poor. It means they work but not enough money to make ends meet therefore they qualify for food and medical benefits. Don't judge a book by it's cover man. You will never know where life may take you and then you'll be in similar circumstances. And then you'll have somebody who's never been in that circumstance making all the rules for welfare that they know nothing about and just assume it's worthless lazy people who don't want to work receiving welfare.

Answer 6

Where I live there is a 5 year lifetime limit.

THANK YOU GOD.

I am tired of working two jobs and trying to support MY children I MADE while someone else sits on their fat a$$ and watches soap operas and eats ho hos and dortios on the couch all day and whines that they are bored !!

Bored ? Get off your lazy A$$ and get a job you bum.

Support your own kids damn it ! Im tired of working two damn jobs to support my kids AND YOURS TOO !! Mine have needs of thier own that SUPPORTING YOURS cuts into the money spent on mine !

Better yet , if you cant afford the kids you have now , keep your damn legs shut and get a job, that should keep you from being bored at home !! Just think of the wear and tear you will save on your couch !!

Answer 7

i think that most of the wellfare recipients are lazy... they must be required to work or volunteer for some hours...

Answer 8

MOST DEFFINATELY! I am tired of working my butt off to pay for them to sit on their A**** and keep having sex to pop out more kids. They bleed red just like we do, they have 2 eyes, 2 arms, 2 legs and require the same needs as us. So the way I see it, make um work just like we have to. They don't deserve any special treatment!! They need to quit being lazy and start makin money!!

Answer 9

Well now this is not a far question ... now you know that people on Welfare can't see this question and respond .... "anyway"

I think welfare should be taken away .... cuz I work and pay for these dang losers, so they can sit on there a%$ and eat free food and then they are still popping out kids like it's cool ..

Answer 10

They should be required to work. They should teach classes on mental health, how to stay positive and make a difference in the world. Teaching the classes would invigorate them and help them take charge of their lives.

Answer 11

yes they should have to work i have to work for my money its not fair that all they have to do is squeeze out a kid or 2 and they get paid for being a lazy good for nothing loser who doesn't even spend the money on the kids anyways. they should make them do jobs no one wants to do like pick up garbage till they find a real job of their own.