YELLOW SHEET
Office of the State Auditor of Missouri
Claire McCaskill
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YELLOW SHEET Office of the State Auditor of Missouri |
January 28, 2003
Report No. 2003-10
Most citizens who applied for temporary state assistance in 1997 no longer seek assistance, partly due to state-run job-placement programs
About 97 percent of the 63,000 recipients who began receiving temporary assistance benefits from the state in 1997, no longer received these benefits as of January 2002. These recipients were part of a time-limited program (funded through federal and state dollars), which paid benefits for up to 60 months while also helping recipients transition into the workforce. Recipients were required to be working after receiving the first 24 months of benefits.
Missouri's efforts, run by the Division of Family Services, to move people off temporary assistance earned the state a $10.8 million federal welfare-reform bonus in July 2002. Despite this bonus, the audit found case management improvements could increase the number of recipients leaving the program with jobs, rather than because their time limit ended.
About 40 percent of recipients in audit sample found jobs
Auditors reviewed files of 59 recipients receiving assistance in 1997 and found 23 obtained jobs. Of the remaining recipients, 21 left the program, 11 were still receiving assistance and 4 did not participate in the job-placement initiatives. (See page 4)
Improved case management could increase results
Auditors reviewed 179 assistance recipients, including 120 still receiving state assistance, to determine if the state properly handled these cases. Auditors found state officials did not refer 33 of these recipients to various job placement programs. Of these, state officials had no reason or overlooked referrals needed for 12 recipients. For 4 recipients with no referrals, recipients were employed, but in jobs not paying enough to keep them off assistance. (See page 5)
In reviewing 60 St. Louis recipients still receiving benefits, auditors found state case managers did not contact about 45 percent of the recipients within the 30- to 90-day timeframe required by program guidance. Time between contacts by state officials averaged 239 days for these St. Louis cases. (See page 7)
Benefits extended for 1,000 recipients before evaluating extension eligibility
In July 2002, the state extended benefits for 1,034 recipients beyond the program's 60-month limit before determining which recipients could receive an extension. Benefits can be extended for up to 20 percent of the recipients if recipients are receiving treatment for domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health problems or are in family crisis. (See page 9)