TANF caseload composition and leavers synthesis report

The dramatic decline in welfare caseloads in the 1990s suggested that welfare reform was achieving one of its major goals: reducing dependency. It also raised questions among policymakers, program administrators, advocates, and the public as to whether the characteristics of the caseload were changing, whether families that left welfare were better off than when they were on welfare, and whether former recipients were making progress in the labor market. The purpose of this report is to summarize what we know about these issues for current TANF recipients and former recipients (“leavers”)1 from existing literature and to update our knowledge with new analysis using more recent data. The key questions addressed in the report are: 1.) How do the characteristics of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload compare with the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)/TANF caseload characteristics 5 and 10 years ago?2 In particular, is the caseload more or less disadvantaged than in the past, especially with respect to their employability? 2.) What are the characteristics and outcomes for families that recently left the TANF rolls compared with families on TANF, and compared with families that left the TANF rolls 5 and 10 years ago? Have TANF leavers become more or less disadvantaged? Are families better off after leaving TANF than when they were on the welfare rolls? (author abstract)