CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- It's called "welfare to work," but a legislative audit released Monday found that only about 14 percent of the state program's recipients actually find employment before their benefits end.
The study of West Virginia Works welfare benefits from 2001 to 2006 found that, at the time recipients' cases were closed, an average of only 14 percent had found employment.
Another 14 percent were unemployed but looking for work, while roughly 72 percent were unemployed and not actively seeking employment.
Those figures trended downward over the five years: In 2001, nearly 31 percent of welfare recipients were employed when their cases closed. By 2006, that figure was below 6 percent.
That's well below national averages, where nearly one-third of welfare recipients are employed when their benefits end.
The study looked at cases closed for all reasons, including finding employment, marriage, exceeding time limits for benefits, sanctions for various reasons, and voluntary closure.
Even for those who obtained employment, the audit's findings were not positive.
Out of 35,609 recipients whose cases were closed for obtaining employment over five years, 32 percent did not retain their jobs and had their cases reopened.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- It's called "welfare to work," but a legislative audit released Monday found that only about 14 percent of the state program's recipients actually find employment before their benefits end.
The study of West Virginia Works welfare benefits from 2001 to 2006 found that, at the time recipients' cases were closed, an average of only 14 percent had found employment.
Another 14 percent were unemployed but looking for work, while roughly 72 percent were unemployed and not actively seeking employment.
Those figures trended downward over the five years: In 2001, nearly 31 percent of welfare recipients were employed when their cases closed. By 2006, that figure was below 6 percent.
That's well below national averages, where nearly one-third of welfare recipients are employed when their benefits end.
The study looked at cases closed for all reasons, including finding employment, marriage, exceeding time limits for benefits, sanctions for various reasons, and voluntary closure.
Even for those who obtained employment, the audit's findings were not positive.
Out of 35,609 recipients whose cases were closed for obtaining employment over five years, 32 percent did not retain their jobs and had their cases reopened.
Another 31 percent reported no income in the year following case closure, indicating that they had earned less than the $10,000 threshold necessary to file a state income tax return.
A survey of 450 former welfare recipients found a median income of $9,515 in 2008, below the federal poverty level of $14,000 for a family of two. (In order to qualify for West Virginia Works benefits, there must be at least one child 18 or under in the household.)
The audit also found that the West Virginia Works caseload peaked at 16,613 cases in March 2004, and had dropped to 10,665 cases in Sept. 2009 - the most recent month tracked in the audit.
The audit notes that through September, the recession has yet to cause a significant upswing in welfare claims.
In an accompanying letter, John Najmulski<co >, commissioner of the Bureau for Children and Families, noted that there is not a direct "cause-and-effect" between state unemployment rates and welfare rolls.
Most individuals who lost their jobs during the recession are still receiving unemployment compensation, he noted. Also, those who recently lost their jobs may have savings, 401(k) plans and other assets that make them ineligible for welfare.
Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1220.
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On a positive note, welfare payments ensure that the rest of us need not encounter these folks at our local fast food restaurants. And such is a good thing.
Gasp1
B-b-b-but I thought ThEstaTe wanted to maintain 'diversity' in society.
I like the way you think. But, there are people that actually need the program. There needs to be a better system in place to weed out those that don't really need it. I think there should be a time limit, if there isn't one already, on how long a person can be on this program. For instance, you have an illness and can apply for short term disability but its not enough to keep food on the table, then you get better and back to work and on your feet,the program is cut off. You go to college later in life because you didn't have the opportunity to go earlier in life, use the program until you are out of school. If you go over the time limit you were allotted, then you must reapply with a valid/documented reason for needing the extension.