Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 16, 1994 TAG: 9403160052
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But Virginia is poised to become one of a handful of states that has jumped ahead of the national welfare-reform effort.
The state Senate and House of Delegates passed slightly different versions of a pilot program that would move people off welfare and into economic independence. The program will be phased in this summer, pending Gov. George Allen's endorsement and provided it meets federal waiver requirements.
The program calls for thousands of poor families - 3,000 in each of three years - to receive job training, child care, transportation and health care in exchange for a two-year limit on welfare benefits. Participants would seek private-sector jobs within a year of going on welfare rolls or take public service jobs.
They would be forced off the rolls completely after another year, whether or not they had a permanent job. The measure would deny extra benefits to mothers on welfare if they had more children while in the program.
"This is an exceptional piece of work, the culmination of 2 1/2 years of work and study," said Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, who served on the Commission to Stimulate Personal Initiative to Overcome Poverty, led by Lt. Gov. Don Beyer. The group conducted a study that led to a package of welfare-reform proposals.
The pilot program "puts us ahead of the curve," Cranwell said. "It can make sure that the welfare system is a way to improve people's lives - not turning out to be a way of life."
As welfare-reform bills moved through the House and Senate with little opposition, Allen added his support. Last week, he said he would sign a bill once differences between the versions were ironed out.
But before the program can begin, the state must obtain a federal waiver to cut off welfare benefits - specifically, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. To date, only five states have received such waivers. Only three have received permission to impose a "family cap," limiting benefits if a recipient has more children after enrolling in the program.
The program - to be administered through the Virginia Department of Social Services - would be phased in beginning July 1. The department would be assisted by the Department of Economic Development, the Virginia Employment Commission and the Governor's Employment and Training Department.
An Advisory Commission on Welfare Reform would be established as a catalyst for generating a pool of jobs for participants in the program. The commission also would provide evaluation and feedback to the governor on incentives to promote business participation.
The state would not incur any additional costs during the program's pilot years, Cranwell said. When the program is implemented statewide, the initial cost is estimated to be $6 million, he said.
Skeptics have argued that the program will not work. Two years is not long enough, they have said, for some welfare recipients to move to self-sufficiency. And the program lacks crucial components of a good welfare-reform foundation, they say.
Others are not so quick to condemn the effort.
"It will certainly be a challenge," said David Olds, manager of employment service programs for the Department of Social Services. "It's feasible, if we have the resources to do it."
Olds says he is pleased that the program's two-year limit has a little give.
"There are exceptions for folks who for some reason can't perform services in a timely fashion," he said. "There will be exceptions. If a candidate is doing all they can do, they can continue to receive benefits."
Cranwell said he is not surprised that the program has met with some resistance.
"People resist change," he said. "But if we don't restructure welfare, people we'd help the most are going to get hurt. My feeling is we had to come in with a better system."
The pilot program "looks like ample opportunity to successfully do that," Cranwell said. "This can be a pilot program that sets the standard for the whole country."
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994
Memo: ***CORRECTION***