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Project Description

The study is designed to (1) monitor the status of families leaving cash assistance at multiple time points after exit; (2) compare the experiences of exit cohorts drawn at quarterly intervals throughout the gradual process of welfare reform implementation; and (3) describe differences in exiting families’ experiences before and after time limits go into effect.

Project duration: Oct 1998 - Jul 2003

Sites studied include Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Sample Characteristics and Sites Studied

The study of families leaving cash assistance in Cuyahoga County uses a longitudinal, cohort comparison design. For each quarter beginning with quarter 4, 1998, all families that left cash assistance for at least two months are identified from agency records. This identification of quarterly exit cohorts continues through quarter 2, 2002. Time limits went into effect in October 2000, so the study contains both pre- and post-time limit exit cohorts. Each cohort is also studied longitudinally. Random samples of the exiters in each cohort are interviewed at 6 months and 13 months after their exit from cash assistance. Administrative records containing information on monthly welfare benefits and quarterly employment and earnings are compiled for all of the exiters for the year prior to and following the exit.

Recent Findings in Brief

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