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Project Description

NY CAP is a voluntary program that uses work and child support incentives to motivate AFDC recipients (families with a custodial parent and at least one child covered by court order for child support from non-custodial parent) to take steps towards financial self-sufficiency.

Project duration: Apr 1989 - Dec 1996

Sites studied include Monroe County (Rochester), New York
Niagara County (Niagara Falls), New York
Suffolk County (Long Island), New York

Sample Characteristics and Sites Studied

4,287 welfare recipients (single parent families and "potentially CAP eligible cases"). CAP eligible families have a custodial parent and at least one child covered by court order for child support from non-custodial parent.

Random assignment in each county to control group (subject to normal AFDC rules and procedures) and treatment group (opportunity to participate in CAP if qualified and interested).

Size of control and treatment groups not reported.

Treatment group includes not only CAP participants, but also a large number of people who could not or did not want to participate in CAP.

Approximately 16% of treatment families participated in CAP at some time.

Recent Findings in Brief

12/01/96: New York State Child Assistance Program: Five-Year Impacts, Costs, and Benefits

Final Cost-Benefit Findings: "Savings [totaled] $2,603 per household over the 5 years. To achieve the savings, the government invested $237 per household in additional administrative costs for cash assistance programs over 5 years. In other words, the government realized over $10 in savings for every $1 invested" (iv). "The total government savings from Fiscal Year 1990 through Fiscal Year 1995 in these three counties amounted to about $50 million" (vi). "20% more earnings or $2613 on average over 5 years [for treatment group members]" (v). "4% reduction in Public Assistance payments" (vii). "4% more child support orders" (x). "7% increase in administrative costs for cash assistance" (xi). Final Impact Findings: "Over the course of the five years, 16% of the families the treatment group participated in CAP at some time...
-Most people who participated in CAP took sizable steps to do so.
-The requirement for child support orders clearly limited participation.
-CAP reached most subgroups quite evenly" (xiii). Final Implementation Findings: "Results varied across counties... [according to] implementation strategy, administrative effectiveness, and local conditions" (xiv).

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