ABSTRACT
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 has resulted in the most innovative period in the history of American welfare. In one of its most innovative provisions, PRWORA allows Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) to be established by or on behalf of a Temporary Assistance to Needy Children (TANF) applicant or recipient. All the states require TANF applicants and recipients to sign an Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP), although the plans carry many different titles. Applicants for aid do not meet with a caseworker as in the past, but with a Financial and Employment Planner (FEP), who helps them develop an Employment Plan (EP). The Employment Skills and Advancement Program (ESAP) provides grants of up to $500 for education and training. Wisconsin combines Medicaid, the state's Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and state funds to provide free health care to all recipients below 150 percent of the poverty line.
