Friday, November 28, 1997 Governor Secretary |
|
When Congress eliminated AFDC, the State of Wisconsin replaced it with Wisconsin Works (W-2) for parents who are able to work. Adults who are not able to work qualify for SSI.
Because AFDC payments for the children of disabled SSI recipients were also eliminated, the State of Wisconsin replaced that program with Caretaker Supplements. Called "C-Supp" for short, the new program pays $77 a month for each child, starting January 1. State and federal Supplemental Security Income payments totaling $567 a month will continue to be paid for each disabled parent. Approximately 6,000 families and about 11,000 children will be affected.
The old AFDC paid at the rates of $248 for one child, $440 for two, $517 for three, and so on. The C-Supp benefits had been scheduled to be phased in for about half of eligible families on December 1. But concerns over adequacy of the advance notice delayed implementation until January 1, the Department of Workforce Development announced today.
Affected families who receive the new Caretaker Supplement check on December 1 will receive another payment in about a week, this one time only, before the program is instituted statewide on January 1.
Although C-Supp will not totally match the old AFDC child payments, increased Food Stamp eligibility should make up about two-thirds of the difference in most cases. Children continue to receive Medicaid benefits and any child support.
| Single Parent | Two children | Total | |
| SSI and C-Supp | $567 | $77 + $77 | $721 |
| AFDC - family of 3 | $517 | ||
| W-2 CSJ - all family sizes | $673 | ||