JEFFERSON CITY • Nearly 4,000 Missouri families already have lost their temporary cash benefits after a GOP-backed welfare reform measure was enacted last year.
And state officials hope to invest the savings from this measure into programs such as child care.
Republican state lawmakers in May overrode Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of the measure ratcheting down the length of time a family can draw welfare benefits and ramping up the requirements for low-income parents to get job training, do volunteer work or complete high school and vocational education.
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program provides federally funded cash benefits to low-income parents with children younger than 18.
As of December, there were about 62,649 Missourians receiving TANF benefits. An eligible household, on average, receives about $217 per month.Â
People are also reading…
Following the Republican's measure, families now are limited to three years and nine months on TANF starting Jan 1, loping off 15 months from the previous lifetime limit of five years.
That change resulted in 2,610 households losing their benefits. Another 1,258 families were not meeting the work activity requirements as of Jan. 21Â and no longer qualify.
With the estimated savings from these changes, state officials suggested nearly $26 million be reinvested into programs such as child care facility inspections and the Alternatives to Abortion program for the 2017 budget year that begins July 1.
Nixon made his recommendations for the $27.3 billion budget in January and lawmakers have until May 6 to make their changes.
