DPAweb

New 2003 Federal Poverty Guidelines
Attached is the new Medical Assistance Standards chart. This chart reflects the 2003 Federal Poverty Guidelines, which increase the financial eligibility standards for the following eligibility categories:

Greetings from the Director's office in Juneau.
I am honored by my recent appointment and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. I am deeply impressed by the competence and expertise I have already encountered among the staff. I hope the talents that I bring to your executive management team will add and enhance that competence. I will work diligently to create the best administrative team, increase teamwork, build on past successes and surmount regional and systemic challenges.

We are proud to announce the release of the 2003 Welfare Status Report, covering the first five years of welfare reform in Alaska. This report, along with the previous reports are also available for viewing on the DPA Publications page.

Click to read the 2003 Welfare Status Report (pdf).

Nearly identical to a plan put forth by President Bush, the GOP legislation passed by a 230-192 vote, largely along party lines. It would renew a 1996 welfare overhaul that allowed states to impose tough new rules and helped spark a massive reduction in welfare rolls.

Editor's Note: The Senate must still pass a similar bill for these rules to become law, and the President must sign it. View the full story by clicking here.

As many of you know, every year DPA launches an EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) campaign to help raise awareness of the benefits of the EITC as well as the Advance EITC. As in the past, we will once again focus our marketing efforts toward informing Public Assistance recipients of tax credit opportunities.

National totals for fiscal year 2002 show recipient caseloads ended the year at 4,995,719 -- decline of 6.2 percent since the end of previous fiscal year and a decline of 59.2 percent since August of 1996, when the TANF law went into effect. Additionally, families receiving TANF benefits declined 3.9 percent to 2,024,691 since the end of the previous fiscal year. Overall, since the TANF legislation was enacted in August of 1996, the number of families receiving TANF assistance has dropped by 54.1 percent, according to statistics from HHS' Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

As noted in Jim Dalman

Full report: TANF Fifth Annual Report to Congress
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the release of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Fifth Annual Report to Congress. The report, covering fiscal year 2001, highlights the status of the TANF caseloads, work participation rates, state expenditures, characteristics of TANF recipients, and other state policies.

DHSS Commissioner Names Three Division Directors
(Juneau)

The world is a much better place to live for many, many lives because of our first Star's expertise and compassion. A Star of our agency since July 1985, 18 years. This star's aura shines brightly. Described by co-workers as soft-spoken and calm, with a extremely strong intellect, an excellent grasp of our systems and human behavior - this star is someone client's and co-workers have learned they can admire and rely on.