Public Assistance Programs

Public Assistance Programs

"Welfare" is a general term that is utilized by most United States citizens to represent a wide range of money assistance or social insurance programs that help individuals well as "public assistance" are terms which can be utilized reciprocally (Segal 23). Welfare refers to a government program which provides money, housing, medical care, food, as well as other things which people need so as to survive. Individuals who can get help from such welfare programs include children, elders, and disabled, along with others who are unable to support their families based on their current income. Public assistance is another name of welfare.

Public assistance programs were organized as entitlement programs. "Entitlement" implies that, if the applicant meets certain criteria (age, wage level, handicap, and so forth), the program must give funds to enroll him or her. No qualified candidate can be dismissed because financing has run out. Such entitlement programs are viewed as appropriation programs which are "open-ended" allocations programs. Consequently, government authorities have truly evaluated the requirement for these projects taking into account projections of potential enrollees. Nonetheless, following the 1996 federal welfare reforms, all the cash assistance programs were withdrawn, successful on July 1, 1997 (Zastrow 33.

The Congress, in 1935, enacted the Social Security Act to act as a response towards the economic hardship that emanated from the 1930's Great Depression. The different titles of the Social Security Act were the premise of the United States' public assistance system for the next six decades. In 1996, government welfare change was established, and usage was needed in all states by July 1, 1997. Preceding 1996, most changes in government welfare arrangement following the amendments to the Social Security Act (for instance, Title XIX, Title XX as well as Title IV-A).

Background: Before Social Security was instituted, the relief for the poor people had been the obligation of the State and the local governments along with private foundations. Amid the Depression, notwithstanding, the local governments and private offices did not have enough assets to help the growing number of individuals in need of direct financial assistance (Zastrow 45).

The Social Security Act denoted the start of government endeavors to help individuals meet their fundamental needs. As initially drafted, the Social Security Act gave aid to the aged and visually impaired individuals in addition to widows having dependent children. Since this system awards support to individuals who fit into specific classifications, the programs are frequently alluded to as "categorical assistance" programs.

Contrary to the popular opinion or belief, the largest as well as fastest increasing share of the public assistance programs are the health care programs, for instance, Medicaid and Medicare. Cash assistance programs like MFIP (previously Aid to Families with Dependent Children), are, in fact, a rather small and stable proportion of these programs.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families- Someone who is a beneficiary of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is influenced by the AmeriCorps living allowance. For Temporary Assistance to Needy Families purposes, the living recompense is considered non-excluded earned salary. This implies that for each $3.00 a person gains prior to taxes and other deductions from the payroll, the TANF gift is diminished by $1.00. For instance, the TANF stipend of a member who makes $600 every month prior to deductions would be diminished by $200 (Segal 32). Serving as a member of AmeriCorps is viewed as an allowable work activity so long as the member works for 30 hours weekly.  This implies that the lifetime advantage time for individuals serving no less than 30 hours every week will be halted. Government enactment permits every state to decide how AmeriCorps profits will influence TANF stipends and if serving as an AmeriCorps part is a reasonable work movement.

Medicaid- The 9/6/05 provisions of The Corporation for National and Community Service states that programs must give health care insurance coverage to all full-time AmeriCorps individuals. Likewise, the U.S. Division of Health and Human Services perceives that AmeriCorps individuals, who will get AmeriCorps human services scope, likewise may be accepting Medicaid scope. DHHS has expressed that AmeriCorps Medicaid beneficiaries are not waived from AmeriCorps medicinal services scope. Since Medicaid "wraps around" other accessible human services scope, Medicaid will just get the expenses that are not secured under the essential AmeriCorps approach. Medicaid is dependably an optional manifestation of scope when there are an alternative human services arrangement set up.

Individuals who loose on the TANF will keep on getting Medicaid for those who depends on them. Individuals who lose TANF because of the living stipend may at present meet all requirements for Medicaid or Family Health Plan, and may normally keep on accepting amplified Medicaid scope for their members for up to one year.

In conclusion, there are numerous organizations which supply this public assistance, for instance, Salvation Army along with other groups. Public assistance programs are beneficial to many people living in poverty since an income level is set up for such families. If one’s income is below a particular amount, one will be eligible to be given these public assistance programs in the Unites States.

Works Cited

Segal, Elizabeth A. Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs: A Values Perspective. Australia: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2010. Print.

Zastrow, Charles. Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2010. Print.