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Show THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS AND BENEFACTORS!!! STEPHANIE LOKER MURRAY SCHOOL DIST. COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICE VIRGINIA PARMALEE GEORGE & NANCY MELLING MARVA WIMMER GEORGE HATCH LYLA FULLER much better than others in helping the poor. While the report indicates Utah provides many needed programs, the state falls short in at least the following areas. AFDC payments are not adequate. Unlike some payments which are set nationally and are adjusted yearly to keep pace with inflation, AFDC benefit amounts are determined by each state. Utah does not index benefits to inflation, and the value of its AFDC benefits has declined markedly over time. For example, in 1987 a single parent with two children and with no income was eligible for a maximum AFDC cash benefit of $376 per month, or $4,512 per year. This benefit is slightly less than half of the 1987 poverty line for a family of three. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!!! •LEONARD W. JARCHO, M.D. 1497 Devonshire Drive SLC, UT 84081 582-3608 MARGARET M. NASH 2764 Louise Avenue SLC, UT 84109 484-5380 MARTHA R. SMITH 1316 Penn Street SLC, UT 84105 NANCEE CORTES 2329 Kensington Ave. SLC, UT 84108 583-3240 CATHERINE DEE 29 South State Street SLC, UT 84111 SUSANPIELE 4320 So. 700 East Murray, UT 84107 268-4258 (h) 582-5847 (X 7427) JULEE ERSKINE 7290 So. 525 East Midvale, UT 84047 566-4 788 Also, Utah does not provide AFDC emergency assistance. This assistance is possible when a child's well being is directly threatened by broadly-defined natural or domestic emergency situations. Utah does not have an AFDC-UP program. Some 28 states offer this program wherein AFDC cash benefits may be offered to two-parent families with an unemployed primary wage earner. Utah does have the Emergency Work program, but participants must perform at least 40 hours a week of community work, job search and skill training and the program is limited to six months participation. Utah only supplements the basic Supplemental Security Income (SSI) grant by $9 for an individual and $17 a month for a couple. SSI provides some of the elderly and disabled poor with additional cash assistance. The basic SSI payment is set nationally and adjusted each year for inflation, but states may choose whether to supplement this amount and by how much. AND WELCOME BACK, OLD FRIENDSIII ADRIENNE SILVERSTEIN 2725 Comanche Drive SLC, UT 84108 583-2725 JANE HOLT 2799 Kenton Drive SLC, UT 84109 485-1357 For single people and childless married couples who are poor but neither disabled nor elderly, little or no cash assistance is available (unless they are receiving unemployment insurance). SOCIAL POLICY Utah does not provide Medicaid coverage to two-parent families who meet its AFDC income eligibility requirements. However, participants in the State's Emergency Work Program are eligible for Medicaid. A 1988 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities entitled, "Holes in the Safety Nets," indicates that the safety net for poor people in Utah contains some substantial holes. A report was written for each of the 50 states, and Utah's report indicates that although it may not be widely recognized, there is not a single "safety net" providing assistance to the poor throughout the United States. Because many social programs allow states to mandate their own guidelines, some states do Salt Lake Voter Utah does not have a SOBRA program, leaving some pregnant women and young children from poor families without Medicaid coverage. SOBRA is an acronym for the Sixth Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act and allows states to cover poor pregnant women -5- April 1989 |
