The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) has begun notifying clients receiving cash assistance through the Temporary Assistance to Families program the number of months they have left in the program.

Under federal welfare reform, people were limited to 60 months of cash assistance. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act went into effect October 1, 1996 and the first deadline for people who have been receiving cash assistance continuously since that time is October 1, 2001.

SRS Secretary Janet Schalansky said the notices are an attempt to give clients the most up-to-date information on the length of time they have left on cash assistance to encourage them to cooperate fully with SRS in finding and retaining employment. She said the agency will continue to work with the Kansas Legislature on policy decisions that must be in place as people on cash assistance begin to reach a 60-month limit.

Under the notification program, clients will receive a notice on the 12^th, 24^th, 36^th, 42^nd, 48^th, 54^th, 59^th, and 60^th month they have received cash assistance.

The federal act, which was actually pre-dated in Kansas by a state welfare reform law, is generally given as the reason for a steep and sustained decline in the cash assistance caseload that continued through 1999.

Under federal welfare reform, states are allowed to continue providing cash assistance to 20 percent of those on assistance after 60 months under a hardship exemption. SRS has been working on criteria to help determine which clients would be eligible for the hardship exemption.

Schalansky said current caseload trends show that some people receiving cash assistance who are not eligible for a hardship exemption will lose their eligibility for the assistance after 60 months.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001