The January caseload of 155,558 cases, the lowest since June 1972, marked the 34th consecutive month the caseload has dropped. Not only is the caseload continuing to drop, it has been doing so at double the previous rate since additional welfare reforms were implemented last October.
Families are better off as they enter the work force and trade a paycheck for a welfare check.
The January numbers represent a decrease of 3,686 cases from the December figure. In Project Zero sites, the caseload accounts for 3.7 percent of the total state caseload, yet the number of cases reduced in these sites represents 7.3 percent of the decline in the caseload. The Project Zero sites are Alpena, Menominee, Midland, and Ottawa Counties and the Tireman and Romulus districts in Wayne County. Assistance with child day care and medical expenses is an important component as FIP families move toward economic independence. FIP recipients who are working and still receiving partial money grants are eligible for Medicaid and day care and continue to be eligible for these benefits for up to twelve months following case closure due to earnings.