
DATE: Sunday, September 28, 1997            TAG: 9709280059

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   83 lines

TWO YEARS OF REFORMS HAVE ALREADY TRIMMED WELFARE ROLLS MANY FAMILIES LOST BENEFITS FOR FAILING TO ESTABLISH PATERNITY.

The focus of welfare reform in Virginia has been on work mandates and time limits, both of which will go on line in Hampton Roads Oct. 1, but some reform policies have already been in effect.

Since July 1995, recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families must provide paternity information, make sure their children attend school, and, if they're under 18, live with their parents, or risk losing benefits.

While work mandates and time limits are expected to have the greatest impact in reducing welfare rolls, the policies already in effect have been chipping away at the caseload for two years.

Paternity establishment went the farthest in reducing the welfare caseloads locally. In South Hampton Roads, 839 families lost benefits because of failure to cooperate in establishing paternity. That compares with 2,969 statewide.

State officials say the tough paternity rule has helped the state achieve a 98.5 percent rate of identifying fathers in welfare cases.

A 35-year-old Chesapeake woman, who didn't want her name used, had her welfare benefits cut in June because she didn't provide enough information about the father of her 7-year-old daughter. The woman said all she knew about the father was that his name was Howard, that he had a muscular build, and that she met him one December 1989 night when she was drunk. He took her home, she woke up the next morning, and he was gone.

For seven years, the woman received welfare benefits for the girl, but in June, after several appeals, her payments were cut off.

``I cooperated as much as I could,'' she said. ``I'm glad to see welfare reform come. It's been a long time coming. But in some instances, like mine, it's too rigid.''

Virginia's Division of Child Support Enforcement lists 16 categories of information and says women must furnish at least three of them. Categories include a description of the man, the make and model of his car, his date of birth, an address and an employer.

Recipients can file to be exempted from the policy if they were victims of rape, incest or abuse.

Other policies that have been in effect since July 1995 are:

Family cap: If welfare recipients have additional children while receiving aid, they no longer get added payments for the new child.

Learnfare: Children 5 to 18 must attend school or the family's welfare payments cease. Mothers and fathers under 18 must also attend school to be eligible for TANF.

Immunizations: Families whose school-age children have not been immunized may have TANF grants reduced.

Minor parents: Parents under 18 must live with their parents or lose benefits. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

DECLINING CASELOADS

TANF cases dropped from July 1995 to June 1997 because of lack of

cooperation on paternity establishment:

Virginia: 2,969

Chesapeake: 86

Norfolk: 432

Portsmouth: 106

Suffolk: 59

Virginia Beach: 156

TANF cases dropped because of Learnfare from July 1995 to June