Welfare to Work: JOBS Automated Systems Do Not Focus on Program's Employment Objective
AIMD-94-44
Published: Jun 08, 1994. Publicly Released: Jul 08, 1994.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed states' development of automated systems for their Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs, focusing on the assistance the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has provided to the states for systems development.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families to work with the states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to determine how technology can best be used to achieve the overall JOBS program objective of helping welfare clients become employed. |
Closed – Not Implemented
HHS developed plans to carry out the recommendations; however, insufficient funding prevented the agency from implementing these plans. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 changed key welfare programs from federal to state-administered. Under the new act of 1996, the JOBS program will be carried out by the states through a block grant.
|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families to incorporate these features into system guidance for use by the states in further developing their automated JOBS information systems. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Because HHS's responsibility for the JOBS program has changed, this recommendation is no longer applicable.
|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families to continue working with the states to correct problems with JOBS data and that the results of this work be provided to other states to improve the overall quality of these data. |
Closed – Implemented
HHS recognizes that some states have had difficulty providing some of the data required and that the accuracy of some of the data submitted by the states has been questioned. HHS says that it has been in contact with all states to clarify the mandatory data definitions and to aid in the timely submission of error-free reports. However, HHS has planned no specific effort to share the results of its error-correction activities with other states. HHS believes that, over the long term, its development of a model/prototype JOBS case management system will contribute to better quality data.
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Topics
Data integrityEmployment assistance programsstate relationsInformation systemsJOBS programsReporting requirementsRequirements definitionState-administered programsSystems designWelfare recipientsMedicare