MONTGOMERY: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that the state of Alabama is being awarded $2.56 million for outstanding performance in moving welfare recipients from public assistance rolls to the job market.
"This bonus is the result of the successful partnership between the Department of Human Resources, other state agencies, the business community, and the welfare recipients who wisely utilized the training and support services provided to them," said Page Walley, Commissioner of the state Department of Human Resources (DHR). Increased earnings by welfare recipients, job retention and other factors were evaluated in determining which states earned the bonuses.
"Several state agencies and the business community continue to work with us to ensure that welfare recipients are getting the skills they need to fill the jobs that await qualified, conscientious applicants," said Commissioner Walley. "These special partners’ assistance with training and job placement is invaluable," he added.
Since passage of the 1996 welfare reform law, Alabama’s welfare rolls (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) have dropped by more than 50 percent. Alabama is one of 37 states and the District of Columbia receiving a share of $200 million in TANF High Performance Bonuses.
"The availability of these funds will allow us to continue to prepare welfare recipients to become self-sufficient. It will also help us continue the progress that has turned our state’s child welfare system into a national model," said Commissioner Walley.