Making America Work : A MODERN LEGACY OF THE WPA

The idea of asking people to work in return for federal aid goes back more than 50 years to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Work Projects Administration, which created jobs for able-bodied men. Widows and their children were not required to work and received temporary help under Aid for Dependent Children, the precursor to Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Cash assistance was later included for poor children and their guardians, usually their mothers. During the past 20 years, various initiatives and experiments have altered these basic programs:

* 1962: Federal government says states can experiment with welfare regulations if they request a waiver. Almost none do.

* Early 1970s: As AFDC expands, states test idea of requiring recipients to work--in mandatory or voluntary jobs or in training programs. California Gov. Ronald Reagan has little success enacting work requirements.

* 1985: California requires all adult welfare recipients except mothers with small children to participate in job search, education, training or community service. Gov. George Deukmejian’s experiment is called GAIN: Greater Avenues for Independence.

* 1988: President Reagan and a Democratic Congress compromise on the Family Support Act, which includes JOBS, a program modeled after GAIN. JOBS offers services, including education and training, to help welfare recipients find work. Since then, all states, at least on a county level, have tried different workfare models and regulations.

* The present: 29 states have federal waivers to experiment with welfare regulations. Twenty require most able-bodied recipients to work after a set period or risk financial sanctions. Among the state provisions for those receiving welfare benefits:

-- Virginia: Must get a job within 90 days of receiving first check. (Program was set to go into effect July 1, pending federal approval.)

-- Mississippi and Nebraska: Recipients can lose benefits if they refuse a job.

-- Wisconsin: Must find work within 30 days or sign up for job training. Those who can’t find full-time work must take community jobs. All cash benefits end in two years.

-- Massachusetts: must work within 60 days of receiving aid. (Awaits federal OK.)