Prioritizing Proposed Changes to W-2

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to ask for your help--on a very short turnaround basis--in our planning related to the W-2 program. As you know, we are responding to severe economic distress, both for low income families and for our state's budget. We are currently developing some recommendations for Secretary Bicha and Governor Doyle that reflect these two realities, and have developed a short survey that asks for your help in thinking about our priorities.

Two caveats: first, we do not know whether any of these will be adopted at this time; and second, these efforts do not represent the full scope of our anticipated planning process over the coming months and year to review and update W-2.

But the survey does cover a lot of suggestions that have been made by you and others over the past several years. If you can help us, please complete the survey by noon on Tuesday, October 28th. I realize this is an incredibly short timeline, but our staff members have been working on multiple deadlines and we would rather have an imperfect process for getting your feedback than none at all. Also, please feel free to forward the survey to anyone that you think would like to participate. If you have questions, please contact Rebecca Swartz at 608-266-1717.

Thank you very much.

Julie Kerksick
Division Administrator
Division of Family and Economic Security
Department of Children and Families
Name (optional): 


A red asterisk (*) indicates required questions.

  1. How would you describe your current position?*
    State DCF Staff Person
    W-2 Agency Line Staff Person
    W-2 Agency Manager
    Advocate
    W-2 Parnter Agency
    Current W-2 Participant
    Past W-2 Participant
    Researcher
    Other Intersted Party


  1. Below are a list of policies changes recommended over the years to improve the focus of the W-2 program on providing individualized services to help participants find and maintain employment. We ask that you rate the importance of implementing each of these proposals. Use 1 as something you definitely would not want to change and a 5 as something you definitely would want to change.

          1 2 3 4 5    
      Update the Guiding Principles for W-2   
      Increase the Screening and Assessment Requirements   
      Eliminate the Learnfare Program   
      Eliminate the Strikes Provision for nonparticipation   
      Eliminate the Requirement for a Children Services Network   
      Eliminate the Requirement for a Community Steering Committee   
      Eliminate the 180 day requirment to have made a good faith effort to get a job and not have refused a job or quit a job without good cause   
      Eliminate the 180 day requirement that applicants have cooperated with W-2 in the last application   
      Eliminate the 60 month state time limit leaving the 60 month federal time limit   
      Elminate the 24 month time limits for W-2 T, CSJ, and Trial Jobs   
      Require up to 40 hours of individualized participation activities and not limited to 30 hours of work activities and 10 hours of education and training for CSJs and 28 hours of work activities and 12 hours of education and training for W-2 Ts   
      Establish a nonparticipation policy in which a case can be closed if the participant refuses without good cause to participate even after a conciliation period   
      Have only one W-2 contract in Milwaukee    
      Establish a common application for W-2, FS, MA and CC   
      Split the eligibility function from the education and training function of W-2   
      Improve the child care eligibility and authorization process   
      Increase the Child Support Pass Through   
      Eliminate the Trial Jobs Component   
      Centralize W-2 benefits so that benefit allocations are not included in agency contracts   


  1. Below is list of changes to the W-2 program that have been recommended by various constituencies over the past few years. We estimate that each of these changes will require significant new funding.
    - Set up a separate program for parents with disabilities who are applying for SSI /SSDI
    - Set up a "Transitional Jobs" program which pays parents wages for working at non-profit organizations
    - Expand statewide the Real Work Real Pay Pilot which gives employers a subsidy to hire W-2 participants
    - Give services including cash assistance to non-custodial parents
    - Give services including cash assistance to minor parents
    - Give a "wage supplement" either through an "earnings disregard" which pays parents a small grant while they work until their income reaches a certain point or through funded pro-rated CSJs which pays parents a partial cash grant while they work part time
    - Expand access to post secondary education, vocational education and bridge training
    - Increase the monthly W-2 cash assistance grant to something above the current $673
    - Pay W-2 T participants the same amount as CSJ participants
    - Increase the Emergency Assistance grant to cover deposit as well as first months rent for homeless applicants
    - Increase funding to provide W-2 services to a wider range of people
    - Establish a universal maternity leave program
    - Keep Caretaker of an Infant (CMC) W-2 placement and expand to provide cash assistance to mothers in their 3rd trimester pregnancy
    - Keep CMC placement and extend cash assistance from 3 months to 12 months for new moms
    - Another change not listed above

    Please review this list and identify three items that you feel would most help families be more economically stable.*


  1. Using the list above in Question 3, identify three items that you feel would help the most families.


  1. Using the list above in Question 3, identify three items that you feel would help 2-parent households, or non-custodial parents?





Neb Macura
WI