Department of Workforce Development

Tommy G. Thompson Governor Linda Stewart Secretary David Blaska Public Communications	State of Wisconsin	OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 201 East Washnington Avenue P.O. Box 7946 Madison, WI 53707-7946 Telephone: 608/267-4400 Fax: 608/266-1784 http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/
	Department of Workforce Development

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Transition to W-2 is orderly

Hundreds of Wisconsin families began the road to a better life in September as the entire state of Wisconsin moved from the AFDC welfare entitlement to Wisconsin Works.

"W-2 is accomplishing the much needed goal of moving people out of poverty through employment. I am heartened by the success of thousands of people who have entered the workforce already and the hundreds who are getting the training and work experience which will help them move forward," said Linda Stewart, Secretary of the Department of Workforce Development.

"The transition from AFDC to W-2 has been remarkably orderly considering the comprehensiveness of the program and the scope of the challenges," Stewart said. "But it is no surprise to me; Wisconsin's 80 local W-2 providers have been diligent in addressing the individual needs of the people they serve with solutions that make sense in their own localities."

Failure to serve an eligible W-2 participant can result in an agency being fined $5,000. The local W-2 agencies have until March 1998 in which to convert the last AFDC case to W-2.

"This transition period was provided to assure that the correct and most beneficial placement of each participant will be made," Stewart added. Because it is not a "one-size-fits-all" program, W-2 can be accommodated to the skill level of each participant to provide them with the workplace skills, training, and education to succeed.

This is the first of what are planned to be monthly reports on the progress of the nation's leading welfare to work program. These reports will show:

1. Participation levels on each of the four W-2 rungs
2. Straight cash assistance, including the remaining AFDC cases
3. Health care and food stamp usage, which can continue even after a person has left W-2.
4. Child care usage (in future reports).

This report shows:

• A total of 1,813 adults were in one of the four W-2 rungs as of the last day of September, 90 of those were in Milwaukee. [Shown in the W-2 Placements chart on Page 2.]
  
  

• 31,476 families were receiving some form of cash assistance in September, either because they are awaiting conversion from AFDC or because they are on the first two, paid levels of W-2 -down from 34,491 in August. [Shown in the Interim Caseload Report on Pages 3 and 4.]

• That one-month decline of 8.7 percent in the state's welfare rolls is the largest one-month decline ever; the largest previous decline was 6.0 percent in July 1997.
  

• Wisconsin families dependent on cash assistance is now down 37 percent from 12 months ago and 68 percent from January 1987 when Tommy G. Thompson was first inaugurated governor.

• Included in September's 31,476 cash assistance cases were 144 receiving W-2 checks, either at the $628/month W-2 Transition level or the $673/month Community Service Job level.

"These numbers represent real progress, not just in income but in quality of life," Stewart said.

Under W-2, each participant's individual and family needs are assessed in a personal visit with a Financial and Employment Planner (FEP). After the needs assessment is completed, a detailed employability plan is drawn up. These Participation Plans are finalized only with the signed consent of the individual. The FEP continues to update the plan as needed. To help ensure that the family remains self-sufficient the FEP works with the participant even after unsubsidized employment is found.

Because employability plans are individualized, participants are only required to work to the best of their ability. Individuals dealing with issues such as an incapacitated child, domestic abuse or AODA problems may be placed into W-2 Transitions (W-2 T).

W-2 provides paid work experience and 10 to 12 hours a week of education and training in the

W-2 Transitions and Community Service levels. W-2 helps all participants access subsidized child care (for as little as $9 a week for two children), transportation aid, job access loans, Food Stamps, and health care.

W-2 placements on September 30, 1997
	Total State	%	Milwaukee	%
Unsubsidized	1,000	55.2%	37	41.1%
Trial Job	28	1.5%	0	0%
Community Service	478*	26.4%	46	51.1%
W2-Transitions	307	16.9%	7	7.8%
Total W-2	1,813	100%	90	100%
* includes 147 receiving benefits while caring for infants under 12 weeks old