Library Index :: Welfare and Welfare Reform in the United States :: Who Receives Benefits? - An Overview Of Welfare Program Participation, Use Over A Period Of Time, Survey Of Program Dynamics For Evaluating Welfare Reform

Who Receives Benefits? - Overlapping Services

Not surprisingly, poor individuals who receive one form of social welfare assistance are likely to qualify for and receive others. For example, during 2002, 37.6 percent of those receiving TANF also received housing assistance, 62.3 percent received free or reduced-price school meals, 80.8 percent received food stamps, and almost all (99.6 percent) were on Medicaid. Similarly, among SSI recipients, 40.2 percent received food stamps, 17.7 percent received free or reduced-price school meals, 22.9 percent lived in public or subsidized rental housing, and 96.4 percent were on Medicaid. About 18.2 percent of those receiving Social Security and 17.8 percent of people receiving Medicare were also on Medicaid. (See Table 6.5.)

At the same time, among households receiving food stamps, 16.2 percent received TANF, 30.2 percent received SSI, 30.5 percent received Social Security, and 26 percent were on Medicare. (The figures do not add up to 100 percent because some people received more than one benefit.) About 10.8 percent of those receiving WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) also received TANF benefits. (See Table 6.6.)

TABLE 6.5
Percent of recipients in multiple federal assistance programs, 2002

Ways and Means assistance programs
Other assistance programs TANF SSI Social Security Unemployment compensation Medicare
Food stamps 80.8 40.2 6.7 10.6 6.3
WIC 35.1 5.2 1.2 8.4 0.8
Medicaid 99.6 96.4 18.2 23.5 17.8
Free or reduced-price school meals 62.3 17.7 4.3 16.1 3.0
Public or subsidized rental housing 37.6 22.9 5.6 3.0 5.6
VA compensation or pensions 1.0 3.6 4.6 1.4 4.8
Number of recipients in households receiving benefits (in thousands) 1,393 5,207 31,358 3,209 28,452
Note: Table shows number of recipient households for February–May 2002. Tables read that 80.8 percent of households with TANF recipients also received food stamp benefits.
SOURCE: "Table 15. Overview 1. Percent of Recipients in Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means Receiving Assistance from Other Major Federal Programs, 2002," in The Green Book U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, 2004

Between 1984 and 2002 the percentage of AFDC/TANF and SSI households who received other benefits fluctuated, but, generally, the coverage for most non-veteran benefit programs increased then declined following the passage of PRWORA in 1996. The percentage of households receiving both AFDC/TANF and food stamps declined (from 87.2 percent in 1995 to 80.8 percent in 2002). The percentage receiving both SSI and food stamps also declined over this period, from 50 percent to 40.2 percent. (See Table 6.7.)

TABLE 6.6
Recipients of federal assistance programs receiving aid from multiple programs, by percent and number, 2002

Other assistance programs
Ways and Means assistance programs Food stamps WIC Free or reduced-price school meals Public or subsidized rental housing Medicaid VA compensation or pensions
TANF 16.2 10.8 9.0 10.9 8.0 0.6
SSI 30.2 6.0 9.6 24.8 29.0 7.0
Social Security 30.5 8.1 13.9 36.9 32.9 54.4
Unemployment compensation 4.9 6.0 5.4 2.0 4.4 1.7
Medicare 26.0 5.1 9.0 33.5 29.2 52.3
Number of recipients in households
receiving benefits (in thousands) 6,924 4,517 9,620 4,795 17,322 2,639
Note: Table shows number of recipient households for February–May 2002. Tables read that 16.2 percent of households with food stamp recipients also received TANF.
SOURCE: "Table 15. Overview 2. Percent of Recipients in Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means Receiving Assistance from Other Major Federal Programs, 2002," in The Green Book U. S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, 2004

TABLE 6.7
Percent of households receiving assistance from multiple federal programs, selected years 1984–2002

Assistance program 1984 1987 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997–98 2002
AFDC/TANF:
Food stamps 81.4 81.7 82.7 86.2 88.9 88.3 87.2 81.0 80.8
WIC 15.3 18.6 18.7 21.5 18.5 21.4 24.7 30.6 35.1
Free or reduced-price
school meals 49.2 55.6 52.7 55.5 56.9 57.5 63.1 60.3 62.3
Public or subsidized
rental housing 23.0 19.4 34.7 29.5 33.1 30.3 31.1 21.2 37.6
Medicaid 93.2 95.5 97.6 96.2 97.6 96.4 97.2 97.3 99.6
VA compensation or pensions 2.8 1.9 1.3 1.9 1.1 1.1 0.8 1.1 1.0
Number of households receiving
benefits (in thousands) 3,585 3,527 3,434 4,057 4,831 4,906 4,652 3,008 1,391
SSI:
Food stamps 46.5 39.7 41.3 46.2 48.0 50.1 50.0 43.7 40.2
WIC 2.5 2.5 3.0 4.3 3.7 5.4 5.6 5.5 5.2
Free or reduced-price
school meals 12.7 11.9 15.3 18.2 21.3 23.8 25.2 18.4 17.7
Public or subsidized
rental housing 21.6 20.0 21.4 23.8 23.9 24.9 24.1 23.4 22.9
Medicaid 100.0 99.6 99.7 99.8 99.5 100.0 100.0 95.0 96.4
VA compensation or pensions 4.7 7.7 5.7 4.0 4.5 3.9 3.6 2.8 3.6
Number of households receiving
benefits (in thousands) 3,008 3,341 3,037 3,957 3,861 4,223 4,580 4,772 5,207
Note: Data on households interviewed between February and May 2002.
SOURCE: "Table 15. Overview 3. Percent of Households Receiving TANF or SSI and Also Receiving Assistance from Other Programs, Selected Years, 1984–2002," in The Green Book U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, 2004

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