NASW Practice Snapshot:
What's New at DHHS
Office of Social Work Specialty Practice
There are many changes happening at the Department of Health and
Human Services. They brought Michael O. Leavitt on board as the 20th
Secretary on January 26, 2005 . He will oversee a department that
funds numerous health and human service programs nationwide. In his
statement before the Finance Committee on January 19, he described
some of his priorities: the reauthorization of Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid reform, implementation of the
Medicare prescription drug benefit, global health, and medical liability
reform. You can read his entire remarks by going to http://www.hhs.gov/news/speech/2005/050119.html
To read his complete biography, go to http://www.hhs.gov/about/bios/dhhssec.html
TANF is on the Move: What You Can Do to Help
Secretary Leavitt is not the only one concerned about the reauthorization
of TANF. The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act (PRWORA) is before the 109th Congress after previous attempts
to reauthorize it have failed.
Issues in this year's debate are the same as when the President
first announced plans to radically redesign the current TANF program
by tightening work rules, increasing the number of hours TANF recipients
must be engaged in work activities, increasing the percentage of
a state's caseload that must participate in work activities, and
providing states additional dollars to focus on marriage promotion.
The Status of TANF
On Wednesday, March 9, 2005 , the Senate Finance Committee approved
the Personal Responsibility and Individual Development for Everyone
(PRIDE) Act (S. 667) by voice vote. The PRIDE Act would reauthorize
the 1996 PRWORA through fiscal year 2010. PRWORA replaced the entitlement
under AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) with the TANF
block grant.
No date has yet been set for the bill to be debated on the Senate
floor. Prior to leaving for the spring congressional recess, Congress
approved another extension for the TANF program, which will expire
on June 30.
In the House, the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Ways and Means
Committee approved its version of the PRWORA reauthorization bill,
the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act (HR 240)
on March 15. No date has been set for the bill's consideration by
the full House Ways and Means Committee.
One of NASW's top priorities--improving services to TANF recipients
with disabilities such as mental health disorders, substance abuse
problems, and physical disabilities--was included in the Senate bill.
The Association's advocacy, along with the efforts of its many coalition
partners, resulted in the Finance Committee's approval of a provision
that would give states the option of continuing to count recipients
who are engaged in rehabilitation services in their participation
rates for longer than six months. However, these individuals must
be engaged in direct work activities for at least half the time required
for non-disabled participants.
NASW's advocacy was also critical in gaining support for other provisions
in the Senate bill designed to assist TANF recipients with disabilities.
Three additional provisions were incorporated into the bill late
last year. Those provisions include:
(1) Extend the time rehabilitation services can count as work from
three to six months, as long as some level of direct work activity
is included in the second three months;
(2) Allow states to count caring for a child or other adult family
member with a disability as work; and
(3) Require states to attempt to contact the family prior to imposing
a sanction. Studies have shown that families with disabled members
are often inappropriately sanctioned.
In contrast, the House bill would limit rehabilitative services
to three months and would require states to conduct drug tests on
recipients who they have reason to believe have used a controlled
substance. If a drug test is positive, cash assistance to the family
must be stopped immediately. If future drug tests are also positive,
all TANF benefits must be terminated for a period of three years.
You can read more about what NASW is doing to ensure that Congress
passes a responsible TANF bill that meets the needs of low-income
families by going to http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/updates/031105.asp
New Poverty Income Guidelines
HHS recently released their 2005 poverty guidelines which are used
as the basis for determining eligibility for many state and federal
programs. You can access the the guidelines by going to http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-3144.pdf
NASW, March 2005
|
