Noonan said the department extends the benefits beyond the two-year limit to about 25 percent of applicants who request it. About 25 percent of appeals go in favor of the applicant, he said. Asked whether the hearing officer policy has led to a decrease in the number of people receiving benefits, he said he could not tell, because the two-year cutoff began around the same time as the hearing officer policy. Welfare roles did decrease after welfare reform began and continued to drop for almost seven years, Noonan said. The caseload increased in April but has otherwise leveled off, he said.
Critics say former welfare recipients continue to live at the poverty line since welfare reform.
Used with permission.