Illinois Families Study

The University Consortium on
Welfare Reform

Northwestern University
Northern Illinois University
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University of Illinois at Chicago

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http://www.northwestern.edu/univ-relations/media_relations/index.htm

CONTACT: Wendy Leopold at (847) 491-4890 or at w-leopold@northwestern.edu

FOR RELEASE: Immediate

MEDICAID AND FOOD STAMPS ESSENTIAL IN TRANSITION FROM WELFARE TO WORK

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Illinois recipients who left the state's welfare program without Medicaid and food stamps were nearly three times as likely to return to welfare as those who retained these transitional benefits, according to a new Illinois Families Study policy brief.

"If we are going to be successful in reducing the numbers of Illinois families reliant on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), we have got to support them in the transition from welfare to work. We have found that transitional Medicaid and food stamp benefits dramatically increase the likelihood of that success," says Dan Lewis, Northwestern University professor of education and social policy and faculty fellow at the University’s Institute for Policy Research.

Lewis, with Bong Joo Lee of the University of Chicago, did the analysis for the brief, which draws upon a sample of 797 adults who (TANF) between September 1998 and September 2000.

The researchers also found significant variation by region among those who received transitional benefits. Fifty-nine percent of Cook County residents lost their Medicaid, compared to only 15 percent of those in six rural counties surrounding Peoria, 32 percent in St. Clair, and 36 percent in Peoria counties.

While 86 percent of Cook County residents lost their food stamps, the corresponding rates were 48 percent in the rural counties, 51 percent in St. Clair County and 52% in Peoria County.

Cook County residents, younger adults (less than 29 years of age) and individuals without a high school diploma or GED were among those most likely to lose Medicaid when going off welfare. "The causes of these regional differences should be examined and remedied, with special attention to Cook County," says Lewis. "Our analysis suggests that it's the more vulnerable groups of recipients who are losing the very benefits that could support their return to work and improve their long-term chances of achieving independence from welfare."

The policy brief, titled "The Importance of Transitional Benefits," was released by the Illinois Families Study conducted by researchers from Northwestern, Roosevelt and Northern Illinois universities, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Chicago.

A second policy brief released by the study identifies which parents are best able to cope and thrive under the new welfare rules and which are most likely to flounder. The briefs are available at www.northwestern.edu/IPR/research/IFS.html.

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