Elizabeth LowerBasch Senior Policy Analyst Introduction to Benefit

Elizabeth Lower-Basch Senior Policy Analyst Introduction to Benefit Access Working Poor Families Project Policy Academy June 30, 2011 www. clasp. org

Income and Work Supports Child Care Subsidies Pell Grants Unemployment Insurance TANF WIC Medicaid Child Support EITC CHIP Child Tax Credit SNAP (Food Stamps) SSI Housing Vouchers Veterans Benefits www. clasp. org Social Security 2

Work is Not Enough www. clasp. org 3

Work Supports Can Fill the Gap www. clasp. org 4

Money Makes a Difference www. clasp. org 5

Students Need Benefits Too • Tuition, books and fees reflect only 1/3 of total annual cost of attendance for community college students when living and transportation costs are included • College students have substantial unmet financial need even after financial aid (roughly $6, 000/year) • Financial aid generally not available for noncredit classes • WIA rarely provides needs-based payment www. clasp. org 6

Financial need contributes to failure to complete Too much work Too little sleep Stress Too little studying Unmet Need Housing and food insecurity Poor grades Part-time enrollment Failure to complete www. clasp. org 7

Reasons for Leaving School www. clasp. org 8

Supports Local Economies www. clasp. org 9

SNAP Multiplier in Action www. clasp. org 10

But… • Too many families don’t get benefits that they are eligible for. • Childless adults not eligible for many programs • Applying is often time consuming, frustrating. • Programs are often run in “silos, ” don’t look at the needs of the person or family as a whole. www. clasp. org 11

High Participation Programs (> 80%) • Social Security, Medicare • Children’s health insurance • Earned Income Tax Credit (for families) Why high participation? • Entitlement • High levels of publicity/outreach • Broad eligibility • Intermediaries § tax preparers § health care providers www. clasp. org 12

Low Participation Programs (<50%) • TANF cash assistance • Child care subsidies • Housing assistance Why low participation? • Capped funding • Child care and housing: capped enrollment • TANF: Stigma, burdensome requirements, and time limits restrict participation www. clasp. org 13

Medium Participation Programs • • • SNAP (food stamps) Health insurance for parents Pell grants (for students) WIC Unemployment insurance www. clasp. org 14

SNAP Participation Varies by State 2008 Maine – 94% Oregon – 92% National – 67% California – 50% Wyoming – 48% www. clasp. org 15

Health Insurance for Parents • Eligibility limits are very low in many states • Cost is shared between federal government and states, and is a significant portion of state budgets • Complicated rules determine eligibility. • Change is coming…. 2014… www. clasp. org 16

Georgia Peach. Care (CHIP) Login Here www. clasp. org 17

Georgia Medicaid “health care for children, pregnant women, and people who are aging, blind and disabled” No online application Income limit for family of 3 is $424 per month www. clasp. org 18

Even High Take-Up Programs Have Large Holes Note: Program participation among citizen children with family income below the poverty level and no reported health insurance. The data should be viewed with caution. Source: CBPP analysis of 2009 data from Survey of Income and Program Participation. www. clasp. org

Work Supports Can Fill the Gap www. clasp. org 20

Low-Income Childless Adults (no disability) Full time minimum wage worker ($7. 25 an hour, 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year) • Does not qualify for SNAP • Does not qualify for EITC At poverty level ($10, 830) • Pays ~$828 in payroll taxes • Gets ~$200 in EITC • Could get maybe $40 in SNAP benefits www. clasp. org 21

Role for WPFP Members • Influence state policy and spending choices • Influence state process and implementation choices • Bring a cross-program perspective www. clasp. org 22

Continuum of Efforts Image thanks to Shelley Waters Boots www. clasp. org 23