Proposed adjustments to the welfare program would allow students more time to hit the books and get extra credit for work activity under federal regulations.
Under the proposed legislation, recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families would be able to count more of their time Pursuing higher education as “work” under federal welfare restrictions. The program, established in 1996, requires welfare recipients to meet work requirements, with limits set for receipt of welfare benefits. Currently, those receiving benefits may consider up to twelve months of postsecondary education as “work” under the program. The bills introduced in the House of Representatives would double that time to twenty-four months.
TANF was originally created as a means of moving people from receiving welfare checks to receiving pay checks. State governments are expected to show progress in helping those collecting benefits become gainfully employed in the workplace. If states do not show satisfactory progress in moving Certain percentages of welfare recipients into work-related activities, including postsecondary education, they risk losing federal funding.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than forty percent of TANF recipients do not have a high school diploma. Many of those in the program would require remedial courses in order to seek postsecondary education.
Some argue that Stringent requirements of the TANF program actually discourage recipients from seeking higher education. Students are currently required to have their classroom attendance or distance learning studies verified by their schools, as well as having their homework supervised. Proponents of the bills say not only the twelve month extension will allow students the time to take remedial courses, but make significant progress in their postsecondary courses as well.
The bills may be eighty percent of estimated job openings between now and 2014 will require at least some postsecondary education. The average income of adults with at least an associate degree is thirty percent higher than those with only a high school diploma or GED, according to U.S. Census Bureau Statistics.
For students interested in health care profession a recent study reported that health-related associate programs in the US are now gaining grounds as professionals are now receiving good salaries according to a research made by the Hudson Institute conducted in January. The said research was funded by the famous Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Yesterday was the press release of the President Obama’s economic bailout plan that been labeled as Troubled Assets Relief Program or known as TARP. In which, it contains about an offering of extensive relief to the different school districts and towards the higher educational program or career education all throughout in the United States. Part of the bail out aid plan for getting a higher educational learning is the inclusion of the support towards the online education degree program in the country. Since, it’s been seen in the educational statistical records that as the years goes by an increase of enrollees also occur and it will continue to rise up for several individuals to get interested of this online learning program or distance learning. So inclusion of the aid in getting in support of this educational learning program has also become part of the educational plan aid of the government for this year.