Discusses effective access to the program by people who are eligible for it, noting that at any given time, only 59 percent of those who were eligible participated in 1998. Furthermore, this number has been declining since the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996. Although there are...

Looks at 16 families who left TANF in spring 1999 and reported $500 or less in family income to see how they make ends meet. Focuses on sources of income and expenses, strategies for making ends meet, and family well-being, noting that most families had earnings from employment, but low pay,...

Despite signs that low-income and uninsured people’s access to primary health care services has improved, serious gaps in care exist, especially for specialty physicians, mental health, and dental care according to findings from the Community Tracking Study. Key factors contributing to these...

Federal/state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies offer services to individuals with disabilities that may help them remain in the labor force and avoid entering Social Security Administration (SSA) disability programs. We assess how the availability of VR services within an agency at the...

A rigorous 6-year evaluation of transitional employment services indicates that the services can substantially increase the employment and earnings of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients who have mental retardation. The evaluation examined the Social Security Administration's...

Follows a sample of SSDI beneficiaires for five years to determine how certain factors help or hinder return to work.

This brief describes characteristics, health status, living arrangements, and income sources of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)-only beneficiaries who meet the federal definition of poor, compared with those who live in higher-income households. The findings help explain why many...