HHS Approves Amendment to Utah Welfare Waiver
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today approved amendments to the "Single Parent Employment Demonstration" (SPED) project, a welfare demonstration project in Utah. Utah is the 32nd state to receive approval for a welfare waiver under the Clinton administration.
"Utah's demonstration emphasizes President Clinton's principles for welfare reform -- moving people into work and providing the supports they need for self-sufficiency," said Secretary Shalala. "The Clinton administration continues to deliver on its promise of state flexibility in welfare reform."
Utah implemented the SPED project in 1993. The amendments extend the availability of transitional Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) services and the applicability of certain Food Stamp provisions from one year to two years after a family leaves Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).
The amendments provide the state authority to terminate AFDC cash benefits to a family for continued failure to participate in the JOBS program. The original demonstration's sanctions for non-participation will continue to result in a reduction in AFDC cash benefits by $100 per month. The new sanction may be imposed after the $100 sanction has been in effect for two months, but only after repeated efforts have been made to encourage participation of the parent and benefits have been reduced.
"The demonstration recognizes that families need support in order to successfully transition from welfare to work," said Mary Jo Bane, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. "By extending JOBS services, working to get more recipients participating in JOBS activities, and imposing tougher sanctions, Utah invests in people so that work-not welfare-becomes a way of life."
The amendments will be in effect until the end of the SPED project in five years. The demonstration includes a rigorous evaluation.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
