State gets low marks in study on welfare

Eric Leake

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2004 | 11:13 a.m.

Nevada was among the worst states in the nation in reducing the number of people on welfare since welfare reform was instituted in 1996, according to a study released today.

The Cato Institute, a Washington think tank that promotes limited government and individual liberty, gave Nevada welfare reforms and their effectiveness a D in "Implementing Welfare Reform: A State Report Card."

Nevada was ranked second to last in its ability to reduce caseloads and 37th in welfare reform overall.

The study looked at how states have performed between 1996, when they were given greater control of welfare policies, and 2002.

Jenifer Zeigler, the study's author, said the poor showing in caseload reductions was probably Nevada's worst score among performance indicators and due in part to the economic slump after Sept. 11.

"Your state is so susceptible to economic downturns because it's so dependent on the the entertainment industry," she said.

Zeigler said the state did perform well in reducing the number of teen pregnancies, but needed to improve how it enforced welfare-to-work requirements.

That assessment was not a surprise to Gary Stagliano, Nevada State Welfare Division deputy administrator for program and field operations.

"Are we disappointed to be 37th? Yeah, we want to be number one," he said.

"We self-diagnosed our own programs," he said. "If they looked at our programs this year, they would see a dramatic difference."

Stagliano expected the biggest difference to be in participation rates for clients required by federal regulations to work or train 30 hours a week.

Before, recipients could abuse a two-month grace period, he said. The state Legislature in its 2003 session cut that grace period in half and allowed the division to hold client checks in the office so they would be forced to meet with case managers.

Stagliano credited progress in the effort against teen pregnancies to education programs subcontracted to the state health division.

The state welfare caseload is actually decreasing.

Welfare division coordinator of research and statistics Tami Dufresne said the number of recipients of cash assistance, food stamps and Medicaid as of September was 22,965, an 11.35 percent drop from what it was last September.

Dufresne said the higher numbers were a direct result of Sept. 11 and peaked in May 2002 at 35,122.

"When you talk about trends, there's a lot of things that go into that," Dufresne said. "But I'd say the overall trend is that after Sept 11, 2001, our caseload increased dramatically."

She credits an improving economy and some welfare division program changes for turning that trend around.

About 75 percent of the state's welfare caseload is in Clark County, Dufresne said.

Vicki Burleson, who directs the Shelter of Hope at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, sees those numbers as families at her door.

"They come to Vegas expecting to get these big-paying jobs, and when they get here they don't have them," Burleson said.

Burleson said that she hasn't seen a problem with people being refused aid, but that what they do receive is often not enough.

Even when they do find jobs, she said "that's not enough money to live on, especially if you got three or four children to raise."

They become what Stagliano calls "the working poor."

Stagliano said the welfare division is attempting to address those kinds of problems by better managing cases and being more efficient. Some families don't need or want cash assistance, he said, and benefit more from programs such as those that subsidize their child-care payments.

"A lot of the people that we drag into the public assistance arena are people who could sustain themselves without government assistance, they just need some type of support services," Stagliano said.

"What we're trying to do is be a little more thoughtful in our needs analysis for these folks."

Zeigler said Nevada did well to start a job placement program to help people before they may need welfare. Keeping people working is one of the most important things in getting them back on their feet, she said.