Evaluation of the SB 1041 Reforms to California’s CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work Program

Lois M. Davis, Lynn A. Karoly, Robert Bozick, Diana Catherine Lavery, Dionne Barnes-Proby, Beverly A. Weidmer, Praise Iyiewuare, Jonathan Schweig, Gabriele Fain, Sami Kitmitto, Lori Turk-Bicakci, Cheryl Graczewski, Jennifer Anthony, Johannes M. Bos, Kaitlin Fronberg, Melissa Arellanes, Andrew Horinouchi, Charles Blankenship

"The California Budget Act of 2012, through trailer Senate Bill (SB) 1041, contained significant reforms to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. CalWORKs is California's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, a central component of the safety net that provides cash aid for low-income families with children. The SB 1041 reforms to CalWORKs aim to engage participants in more-intensive work activities as early as possible, while also providing more flexibility in work activity options and increased incentives for work as participants move toward self-sufficiency. The California legislature included a provision in the bill for an independent evaluation to determine if SB 1041 is achieving its objectives and if there are any unintended consequences. Following the background and study design report, this first evaluation report...