Correne Saunders

Missing domestic violence victims in welfare caseloads: the discrepancy between administrative and survey disclosure rates.

Abstract The large discrepancy between epidemiological evidence and welfare administrative data regarding domestic violence prevalence among welfare recipients is an issue of major concern for social policy. This study sought to determine whether or not the discrepancy is due to under—reporting by all women or by certain types of women. Using survey and administrative data on a sample of June 2002 welfare recipients, characteristics of women whose abuse was known to their welfare case—workers are compared to those of individuals who disclosed to survey researchers but not to welfare personnel. Statistically significant differences suggest that some subgroups, including African Americans and women with less education, rather than all women, may be less likely to disclose abuse to welfare caseworkers.

The Relationship between State Welfare Rules and Economic Disconnection among Low-Income Single Mothers

The proportion of low-income single mothers who are disconnected, or not receiving public cash assistance or employment earnings, has increased since the 1996 US welfare reform legislation. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and the Welfare Rules Database, we use multilevel and multinomial logit models to examine the relationship between state welfare rules and the risk of disconnection. We find that women in states with lifetime limits of less than 60 months are more likely to be disconnected. More generous welfare benefits are associated with a lesser risk of disconnection, while diversion programs are associated with a greater risk of disconnection compared to welfare receipt but are not significant in comparison to employment. Our findings indicate that state rules matter and should be considered as a potential mechanism to change the dynamics of economic disconnection.

Arrears Forgiveness: A Strategy for Child Support's

Abstract Arrears forgiveness has been proposed as a method of reducing uncollectible state-owed arrears and encouraging low-income obligors to pay their current child support obligations. Pre-and post-program data for 74 obligors participating in Marylands Arrears Leveraging Pilot Project reveal that both earnings and child support payment behavior improved. Outcomes were significantly related to program progress, with program completers earning more and paying more than those who dropped out. In all, participants paid

100 Billion Problem?

7,000 more in support than was forgiven in state-owed arrears. Our findings suggest that further testing and evaluation of employment and/or expungement programs for low-income, non-custodial parents should be pursued.