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Trends in Poverty in the United States

Description: This report discusses trends in poverty in the United States. In 2004, 37 million people were found poor under the official poverty definition — a 1.1 million increase from 2003. The poverty rate, or percent of the population considered poor, increased for the fourth straight year, to 12.7% in 2004 — up from 12.5% in 2003, and 11.3% in 2000, its most recent low.
Date: September 6, 2005
Creator: Gabe, Thomas
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions

Description: The 109th Congress is considering legislation to extend funding and possibly amend the block grant of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which was created in the 1996 welfare reform law. The original funding authority provided in the 1996 law expired at the end of FY2002. Since then, Congress has inconclusively debated legislation to reauthorize TANF (and some related programs) but has kept the program alive through temporary extensions. The latest such extension is scheduled to ex… more
Date: August 23, 2005
Creator: Falk, Gene
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicaid Eligibility for Adults and Children

Description: Medicaid is a means-tested entitlement program that is largely designed and administered by states under broad federal rules. The programs are jointly financed by federal and state funds. Federal contributions to each state are based on a state’s willingness to finance covered medical services and a matching formula. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for federal oversight of the program. In FY2003,… more
Date: August 3, 2005
Creator: Hearne, Jean P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Care Issues in the 109th Congress

Description: Federal support for child care comes in many forms, ranging from grant programs to tax provisions. Some programs serve as specifically dedicated funding sources for child care services (e.g., the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)), while for others (e.g., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)), child care is just one of many purposes for which funds may be used. This report discusses budget proposals in areas related to child care and early childhood development in the 10… more
Date: August 2, 2005
Creator: Gish, Melinda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Welfare Reauthorization: Overview of the Issues

Description: In 2003, 12.3 million children lived in families with incomes below the poverty line (a 17.2% child poverty rate). Research has shown that poverty can have negative consequences on a child’s development. Children depend upon their parents for support, and most of the recent policy attention has focused on initiatives to move poor parents (mostly single mothers) from welfare to work and on reducing welfare dependency.
Date: July 1, 2005
Creator: Falk, Gene; Gish, Melinda & Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Welfare: State Performance on Child and Family Services Reviews

Description: This report begins with a short history of the legislation and other factors that led to the creation of the current CFSR and then briefly describes how a CFSR is conducted and what “substantial conformity” with federal child welfare policy means in the context of this review. Much has been made of the fact that no state was found to be in substantial conformity with all aspects of federal policy reviewed during the initial (FY2001-FY2004) round of the CFSRs. This report seeks to better underst… more
Date: June 29, 2005
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicaid and SCHIP: The President's FY2006 Budget Proposals

Description: This report describes the proposal and provides an estimate of the cost or savings based on publicly available information. The report provides a brief background for the proposal and provides a listing of current Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports related to the proposal.
Date: June 9, 2005
Creator: Grady, April; Hearne, Jean P.; Herz, Elicia J.; Scott, Christine; Stone-Axelrad, Julie & Tritz, Karen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Welfare Reauthorization: Overview of the Issues

Description: In February 2002, the Administration proposed its welfare reauthorization plan. The debate was dominated by controversy over the amount of child care funding and the Administration's proposed changes to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) work participation standards. The final agreement reflects the same child care funding increase that was provided in House-passed welfare reauthorization measures in 2002 and 2003 ($1 billion in additional mandatory child care funding over five year… more
Date: June 8, 2005
Creator: Falk, Gene; Gish, Melinda & Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Welfare Reauthorization: Overview of the Issues

Description: In February 2002, the Administration proposed its welfare reauthorization plan. The debate was dominated by controversy over the amount of child care funding and the Administration's proposed changes to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) work participation standards. The final agreement reflects the same child care funding increase that was provided in House-passed welfare reauthorization measures in 2002 and 2003 ($1 billion in additional mandatory child care funding over five year… more
Date: June 8, 2005
Creator: Falk, Gene; Gish, Melinda & Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Child Welfare Workforce: An Overview

Description: This report gives an overview of the Child Welfare Workforce. The contents include who are child welfare workers, size and job characteristics of child welfare workforce, earnings, Working conditions, and job outlook.
Date: June 7, 2005
Creator: Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Hill-Burton Uncompensated Services Program

Description: This report provides information on the Hospital Survey and Construction Act of 1946, commonly known as the Hill-Burton Act, which was enacted to provide federal financial assistance for the planning, construction, and improvement of health care facilities through grants, loans, and guaranteed loans under Title VI and later Title XVI of the Public Health Service Act. The report also covers the obligations and eligibility requirements for free care, and sources for further information
Date: May 23, 2005
Creator: Coleman, Sharon Kearney
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Child Support Enforcement Program: A Review of the Data

Description: This report discusses the child support enforcement program that promotes self-sufficiency of families in which one of the biological parents living outside of the home by ensuring that noncustodial parents meets their financial responsibility to their children.
Date: April 21, 2005
Creator: Solomom-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The “Superwaiver” Proposal and Service Integration: A History of Federal Initiatives

Description: From Summary: This report reviews the history, trends, and outcomes of past federal services integration initiatives that might be seen as comparable to the current "superwaiver" proposal, a welfare reform reauthorization proposed by the Bush Administration.
Date: April 13, 2005
Creator: Vincent, Cheryl
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Welfare Financing: An Issue Overview

Description: The purpose of this report is to describe the federal interest in child welfare (as expressed by Congress); describe the current level and structure of federal dedicated child welfare financing and examine trends in the appropriation and spending of this money; and to review the extent to which states rely on non-dedicated federal funds for child welfare purposes. Finally, the report discusses the future federal commitment to child welfare financing, along with the concepts of flexibility and a… more
Date: April 6, 2005
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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State Medicaid Program Administration: A Brief Overview

Description: Medicaid is jointly financed by the federal and state governments, but each state designs and administers its own program within broad federal guidelines. This report provides a brief overview of the Medicaid program administration at the state level and includes information on organization, responsibilities, and expenditures. It also describes policy issues and proposals related to state Medicaid program administration that has attracted recent attention. It will be updated as legislative or o… more
Date: March 30, 2005
Creator: Grady, April
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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How Medicaid Works - Program Basics

Description: Medicaid is a means-tested entitlement program that has been in existence for over 35 years. It provides primary and acute care as well as long-term care to over 50 million Americans at a cost to federal and state governments of approximately $276.1 billion in FY2003. Of all federally supported social programs, only Medicare comes close to this level of spending, and only Social Security costs more.
Date: March 16, 2005
Creator: Herz, Elicia J.; Hearne, Jean P.; Stone-Axelrad, Julie; Tritz, Karen; Baumrucker, Evelyne P.; Scott, Christine et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Immigration Policy on Asylum Seekers

Description: This report analyzes the processes that aliens must go through to apply for asylum in the United States. It offers a historical overview of legislation concerning immigration as well as an overview of current asylum policy. The report also provides trends on immigration, such as the amount of asylum requests and source countries. Finally, it addresses issues that many have with U.S. asylum law, such as terrorist infiltration, coordination with border and transportation security and numerical li… more
Date: February 16, 2005
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicaid Expenditures, FY2002 and FY2003

Description: Medicaid is a health insurance program jointly funded by the states and the federal government. Generally, eligibility is limited to low-income children, pregnant women, parents of dependent children, people with disabilities, and the elderly. Each state designs and administers its own program within broad federal guidelines.
Date: February 15, 2005
Creator: Tritz, Karen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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