Welfare Reform:
Data Available to Assess TANF's Progress
GAO-01-298: Published: Feb 28, 2001. Publicly Released: Mar 19, 2001.
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GAO commented on the federal government's ability to assess the goals of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program using national, state, and local data. These data address the goals to differing degrees. National data, which includes data collected in national surveys and information that all states report to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), include extensive information on TANF's two goals of providing assistance to needy families and ending dependency on government benefits but have limited information on promoting family formation. The data pertain to such issues as changes in TANF workloads, recipients' participation in work activities, employment status and earnings, and family well-being. Although there are national data on the incidence of out-of-wedlock births and marriage among TANF recipients and other low-income families, these data include only very recently available information on states' strategies to prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies or promote family formation. Studies of welfare reform at the state and local levels contain the same kind of information as national data, but they also include information about areas very recently covered by national data. Much of these data come from waiver evaluations--evaluations conducted in states that experimented with their welfare program, under a waiver from HHS, prior to TANF. The usefulness of existing data for assessing TANF's progress varies. In general, the need for information about TANF's progress will have to be balanced against the challenges of rigorous data collection from the low- income population.
Jul 25, 2018
SSA Disability Programs:
Better Metrics and Evaluation Needed to Inform Decision-MakingGAO-18-677T: Published: Jul 25, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 25, 2018.-
Social Security Disability:
Better Timeliness Metrics Needed to Assess Transfers of Appeals WorkGAO-18-501: Published: Jul 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 25, 2018.
May 30, 2018
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Foster Care:
Additional Actions Could Help HHS Better Support States' Use of Private Providers to Recruit and Retain Foster FamiliesGAO-18-376: Published: May 30, 2018. Publicly Released: May 30, 2018.
Apr 10, 2018
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Social Security Disability Insurance:
Information on Potential Implications of Expanding Private Disability InsuranceGAO-18-248: Published: Apr 10, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2018.
Feb 8, 2018
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Substance-Affected Infants:
Additional Guidance Would Help States Better Implement Protections for ChildrenGAO-18-196: Published: Jan 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Feb 8, 2018.
Nov 9, 2017
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Child Well-Being:
Key Considerations for Policymakers, Including the Need for a Federal Cross-Agency Priority GoalGAO-18-41SP: Published: Nov 9, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2017.
Sep 6, 2017
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SSA's Compassionate Allowance Initiative:
Actions Needed to Improve the Accuracy and Consistency of Expedited Processing of Disability ClaimsGAO-17-795T: Published: Sep 6, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 6, 2017. -
SSA's Compassionate Allowance Initiative:
Improvements Needed to Make Expedited Processing of Disability Claims More Consistent and AccurateGAO-17-625: Published: Aug 11, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 6, 2017.
Jul 14, 2017
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Federal Low-Income Programs:
Eligibility and Benefits Differ for Selected Programs Due to Complex and Varied RulesGAO-17-558: Published: Jun 29, 2017. Publicly Released: Jul 14, 2017.
Jul 13, 2017
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Early Childhood Learning and Child Care:
Overview of Federal Investment and Agency CoordinationGAO-17-671T: Published: Jul 13, 2017. Publicly Released: Jul 13, 2017.
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