Welfare to Work: Participants' Characteristics and Services Provided in
JOBS (Letter Report, 05/02/95, GAO/HEHS-95-93).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Job Opportunities
and Basic Skills Program (JOBS), focusing on: (1) who is being served by
JOBS; (2) the services JOBS participants receive and the extent to which
their needs are being met; and (3) the implications of serving
participants in a time-limited benefit system.

GAO found that: (1) most adult Aid to Families with Dependent Children
(AFDC) recipients do not participate in JOBS due to the Family Support
Act's allowable exemptions and minimum participation standards; (2) JOBS
only served about 13 percent of single female-headed households
receiving AFDC in 1992; (3) even if states meet the minimum
participation standard, JOBS will still be serving a small percentage of
AFDC households, which raises questions about whether JOBS can transform
the culture of welfare; (4) JOBS services are drawn from existing
community programs to avoid duplicative services; (5) JOBS programs
obtain many services at no cost, although most programs also purchase
some education and training services JOBS participants need; (6) despite
low participation, many JOBS programs are unable to provide participants
with the services they need due to a variety of reasons, such as
transportation problems; and (7) proposed legislation could require
states to place increasing numbers of JOBS participants in a variety of
work-related activities over time and impose a 5-year limit on the
receipt of benefits.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HEHS-95-93
     TITLE:  Welfare to Work: Participants' Characteristics and Services 
             Provided in JOBS
      DATE:  05/02/95
   SUBJECT:  Aid to families with dependent children
             Education or training
             Disadvantaged persons
             State-administered programs
             Aid for training or employment
             Employment or training programs
             Welfare recipients
             Welfare benefits
             Income maintenance programs
             Public assistance programs
IDENTIFIER:  AFDC
             JOBS Program
             Personal Responsibility Act of 1995
             Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program
             
