The plight of these women concerns me because they have already exhausted 12 months of benefits. If they remain on assistance through next April, their benefit eligibility will terminate April 30, 1998. In May 1998, they will neither receive a welfare check nor food stamps. At this point, I could make an impassioned plea for extending and expanding hardship exceptions, which allow a person to continue receiving benefits after her two-year limit is up. But I don't think exceptions are the answer.
Welfare reform is supposed to be about working to earn one's own living.
Janet Schrader is a welfare caseworker in Alexandria. The views expressed in this article are solely hers and not those of her agency. There is a critical shortage of adult education programs, yet the majority of state welfare reform plans do not address that lack. Most states are demanding specific work-related courses. This causes a surge in demand for classes that do not exist, and the forced departure of current students to fit the work requirements.