3 U.s. Social Programs
About 52.2 million people in the US participated in major means-tested government assistance programs. (or 21.3 percent) people in the U.S. S Social, Economic. The development of social welfare programs has been strongly pragmatic and incremental. Proposals for change are generally formulated in response to specific problems rather than to a broad national agenda. A second characteristic of U.S. Social welfare policy development is its considerable degree of decentralization. Social Security Administration Research, Statistics, and Policy Analysis. Internet explorer 8 windows xp pro.
Welfare Programs fit into 13 large categories which are listed and described below. Welfare Programs provide benefits to low-income individuals and families. The programs represent entitlements to all Americans but benefits are only paid to individuals and families with low income. For more information see the, the and the. In addition to the 13 programs shown below, U.S. Welfare Programs also include the Medicaid Program which provides health care to low-income citizens and certain non-citizens. – Two tax credit programs are administered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to distribute money to low-income Americans.
The tax credits include a “refundable” portion which is paid to individuals and families that owe no income tax for the year. Therefore, this portion of the tax credits act as “negative income tax”. The two programs are the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Child Tax Credit. – This is a food program for low-income individuals and families. SNAP used to be called the food stamp program and stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
It is run by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Participants receive a debit card which is accepted in most grocery stories for the purchase of food. – Various housing programs are administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) including rental assistance, public housing and various community development grants. – This is a program to pay cash to low-income individuals over 65 years of age or under 65 if the individual is blind or disabled. SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income and is administered by the Social Security Administration. – This is a grant program administered by the Department of Education to distribute up to $5,550 to students from low-income households to promote postsecondary education (colleges and trade schools). This is a combined federal and state program that pays cash to low-income households with the goal of moving individuals from welfare to work.
TANF stands for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. – These are food programs administered by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) which include school lunch, breakfast and after school programs. They target children from low-income households and provide free or reduced price meals. – This is a pre-school program available to kids from low-income families. It is administered by HHS (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services). – These are a myriad of training programs administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) to provide job training, displacement and employment services generally targeting low-income Americans. This is a program to provide Healthy food to pregnant women and children up to five years of age. WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children and is available to low-income households.
– This is a block grant program to states and local public and private agencies who administer child care programs to low-income families. It is administered by HHS. – This is a program to aid low-income households that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, either heating or cooling a residential dwelling. LIHEAP stands for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and is administered by HHS.
(Obama Phone) – This is a program to provide discounted phone service, including cell phones, to low-income individuals. The program is administered by the Federal Communications Commission.
U.s. Social Programs
A little over 60 years ago, the Social Security Act was signed into law. This historically significant legislation changed how we as a Nation take care of our people. For the first time, there was direct Federal involvement in the welfare of individuals, particularly for alleviating poverty among the aged.
Although the original law has been amended many times, it remains the cornerstone of our vast network of social programs. The primary purpose of this publication is to give you a comprehensive picture of the programs under the Social Security Act and how they operate for the benefit of society as a whole and its individual members—be they workers, parents, children, persons with disabilities, or those who are poor. A picture of our Nation today is very different from the one taken in 1935. This publication provides an informative frame of reference for viewing our Social Security programs—a brief look back and a look at the present. This edition was prepared by many individuals in the Office of Research, Evaluation and Statistics and other SSA offices.
Social Programs Definition
To those individuals, thank you for your work. An expression of appreciation is also extended to those in other agencies who reviewed and checked the accuracy of the materials related to their programs. Wheeler Associate Commissioner for Research, Evaluation and Statistics July 1997.