What is Jobs First and when did it begin?

Jobs First is a statewide welfare reform initiative that began operating in January 1996 under waivers of federal welfare rules; it is operated by the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The program includes many elements that were part of the federal welfare law passed by Congress in 1996.
 

What are the main features of Jobs First?

Jobs First replaced Connecticut’s Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) welfare program with Temporary Family Assistance (TFA). The key features of TFA include:

• Time limit. Families are limited to 21 months of cash assistance receipt unless they receive an exemption or extension. The 21-month limit is one of the shortest in the nation. 

• Financial work incentives. Recipients are allowed to keep their entire welfare check ($543 for a family of three) as long as their earnings do not exceed the federal poverty level. In addition, recipients who leave welfare while employed can continue to receive Medicaid health coverage for two years. 

• Work first employment services. Recipients are required to participate in employment services targeted to rapid job placement.
   

How many families are affected by Jobs First?

About 60,000 families were receiving cash assistance in Connecticut when Jobs First began (although some of them were exempt from the program’s requirements and time limit). The caseload has since dropped to around 25,000 families.
 

Who conducted the evaluation?

The Jobs First evaluation has been conducted by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), under a contract with the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Funding is also provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Ford Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and other public and private sources. MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in New York City.
 

What was the schedule for the study?

Data were collected from the study’s inception in 1996 through mid 2001.  Several reports were issued as part of the study, culminating in the release of this final report in February 2002.
 

Where was the study conducted?

The study focused on the welfare offices in Manchester and New Haven, which together include more than one-fourth of the state’s welfare caseload.  New Haven is a large urban welfare office, and Manchester is a smaller office serving a more suburban area.
  

What is the research design?

The study was based on a random assignment research design. In 1996 and early 1997, nearly 5,000 welfare applicants and recipients were assigned, at random, to one of two groups: the Jobs First group, which was subject to the welfare reform, or the AFDC group, which was subject to the prior welfare rules. The two groups were followed for four years and compared on a number of outcomes, such as welfare receipt, employment, income, and child well-being. Any differences that emerged between the two groups are attributable to Jobs First.
  

What data were used?

The study used computerized data on monthly welfare payments and Food Stamps, as well as quarterly earnings data reported by employers to the state’s unemployment insurance system. In addition, subsets of the two research groups were surveyed 18 months and 36 months after entering the study.