Survey of Closed Cases-South Carolina

Tracking Recipients after They Leave Welfare

Survey of Closed Cases-South Carolina

Survey of Former Family Independence Program Clients: Cases Closed during July through September 1997

Date: October 9, 1998

Investigator: Department of Social Service, Division of Program Quality Assurance

Contact Person: Marilyn Edelhoch, Director of Research and Evaluation (803) 898-7461

Method - Phone interviews and home visits with sample of families who had case closings from July through September 1997 and who had not returned to welfare. Random selection of 545 cases from universe of 4539 closed cases. Initial contact was made by telephone, but when respondent could not be contacted by telephone, a home interview was attempted. 403 interviews were completed, a response rate of 75.6% once ineligible cases were excluded. South Carolina has now conducted four surveys of families that have left welfare. For some indicators, the four sample average is reported alongside the data from the July - Sept. survey.

Findings in Brief

Employment status at time of interview

	July-Sept 97	Four samples
Employed at time of interview	61.8%	63.1%
Not employed since leaving welfare	14.4%	16.0%
Average Hours	36.4
Average Wage	$6.45

Most common reason for leaving welfare-reflects respondent opinions

Got a job	51%	47%
Earned too much money	23%	19%
Did not want to be on welfare	14%	12%
Child support income	2%	6%

Sources of support (four samples)

	Medicaid		76.7%
	Food stamps		61.5%
	Child support		35.8%
	Child care subsidy		12.9%
	Gifts of money from family or friends		14.8%
	Help to pay bills from others in household		10.4%
	Help to pay bills from others outside household		13.0%

Barriers to employment (if no job at time of interview)

	No transportation		25%
	Lack of child care		24%
	Can't find a job		16%
	Illness or injury		12%

Household Deprivation on welfare after leaving

	July-Sept 1997		Four samples
	During welfare	After	After
Period without money to buy food	6%	14%	16.9%
Behind in rent or housing payment	12%	18%	26.6%
Behind in utility bill	16%	19%	31.1%
Lack of money for child care	12%	11%	19.4%
Could not pay for medical care	3%	9%	11.6%

What are your perceptions of your current situation?

Just barely making it from day-to-day - agree			56%
Life was better when getting welfare - agree			24%
Have more money now than when on welfare - agree			59%

Access to transportation

	Had access to car, truck or motorcycle		44.2%
	Own vehicle		34.7%

In the most recent survey, about two-thirds (68%) of the families eligible for transitional child care (those that left welfare for employment) knew of their eligibility and slightly more (72%) knew about their continuing Medicaid eligibility.

For more information please contact Jack Tweedie at NCSL, 303-830-2200.

Welfare Reform Page