Wisconsin's Welfare Policies
Wisconsin's welfare program is called Wisconsin Works, or W-2. As the name implies, the state's primary goal is to help welfare recipients become self-sufficient by getting them back to work. Continued eligibility for cash assistance depends in large part on recipients' willingness to make every reasonable effort to find employment.
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Eligibility
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Families in Wisconsin may receive welfare assistance if the household includes minor children and has income below 115 percent of the federal poverty level. The federal poverty level is an annual figure based on household size. In January 2011, for example, 115 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four is an annual income of $25,358. All participants must meet with a W-2 Financial and Employment Planner to begin charting a path toward self-sufficiency and finding employment.
Job Programs
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The state's preference is to guide W-2 participants into a regular job, which it calls unsubsidized employment. Benefits available for these participants include tax breaks, food stamps, Medicaid and assistance with child care expenses and job access loans. W-2 participants who have basic skills but insufficient experience may have access to "trial jobs," or subsidized employment. Employers agree to provide a wage subsidy while the participant gains on-the-job experience and training. The wage subsidy must be comparable to the wages of regular employees in similar positions. The same benefits are available in the trial jobs program as in unsubsidized employment.
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Alternatives
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W-2 participants without basic skills and work habits may have access to community service jobs, which provide bona fide training opportunities with more supervision and support than standard employment. In returning for spending the required hours in job training and education, participants as of 2011 receive a monthly grant of $673. They also may receive food stamps, Medicaid and help with child care expenses and job access loans. Another category of work is W-2 transition jobs for individuals who can't work independently because of severe barriers. They receive monthly benefits of $628 for spending the required hours in job training and education. These participants may be eligible for the same noncash benefits as those in community service jobs. For every hour of training or education that a participant in community service jobs or W-2 transition jobs misses without good cause, the state may reduce the monthly grant.
Time Frame
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Wisconsin residents may receive W-2 benefits for no more than 60 months over the course of their lifetime. They may not stay in any one employment position category --- trial jobs, community service jobs or W-2 transition jobs --- for more than 24 months. The state may grant extensions if a recipient can demonstrate a legitimate impediment to finding employment.
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References
- Wisconsin Department of Children and Families: Wisconsin Works (W-2) and Other Programs
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: August 2010 Poverty Guidelines
- Wisconsin Department of Children and Families: Wisconsin Works (W-2) Overview
- Law Server: Wisconsin Statutes 49.148 --- Wisconsin Works; Wages and Benefits
Resources
- Photo Credit construction laborer image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
