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A total of 2,934 cases were randomly assigned among four research sites (2,538 cases in the three Phoenix sites and 396 cases in the Navajo site). Of these cases, 2,601 were receiving cash assistance, and 333 were receiving Transitional Medical Assistance. Random assignment took place from October 1995 through July 1997 according to the following ratio: 25 percent to the intervention group, 25 percent to the comparison group, and 50 percent to a nonstudy group. This review reports on the 2,538 cases from the initial case cohort who were randomly assigned in one of the three Phoenix sites. Among these participants, 1,290 cases were randomly assigned to the intervention group, and 1,248 were randomly assigned to the comparison group. This study only examined educational outcomes among the full sample of Phoenix cases and only examined employment and earnings outcomes among the subgroups of these cases receiving either cash assistance or Transitional Medical Assistance; reviews elsewhere on this site present full findings for Phoenix cases receiving cash assistance and Phoenix cases receiving Transitional Medical Assistance, as well as findings for the Navajo sample.
Evaluators studied EMPOWER for 30 to 36 months, beginning with random assignment in October 1995.
This evaluation was contracted by Arizona's Department of Economic Security.
The study included AFDC, TANF and Transitional Medical Assistance (extended benefits available to individuals transitioning off of AFDC/TANF cases). These cases were groups of individuals, such as families, who were jointly eligible for these benefits. Fifteen percent of cases had no associated adult, 79 percent of cases had one adult, and 5 percent of cases had two or more adults. Most cases had children, and 37 percent of cases had one child. Almost all (98 percent) of case heads were female. In the intervention group, 40 percent of case heads were White, 12 percent were African American, 1 percent were American Indian, 45 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were another race. Most case heads (47 percent) were 20 to 29 years old or 30 to 49 years old (44 percent). Thirty-six percent of case heads had received cash assistance for each of the previous 24 months.
Arizona Department of Economic Security
Arizona piloted this program for nine months before the evaluation began in June 1996.
Clients assigned to the intervention condition were subject to EMPOWER polices, which included the following: cash assistance limited to 24 months in any 60-month period; restricted eligibility for cash assistance for single parents who were minors; mandatory participation in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) for teen parents; sanctions for not complying with JOBS; extended transitional child care and medical assistance; cancellation of the 100-hour rule, which made two-parent families ineligible for cash assistance when the primary wage earner worked more than 100 hours per month; and individual development accounts in which individuals could deposit money for training or education, and which was not considered countable income.
Clients assigned to the comparison condition were not subject to EMPOWER policies.
Participation was mandatory for parents who were minors (ages 13 to 15), and sanctions were imposed on all participants for noncompliance with JOBS requirements.
EMPOWER limited cash assistance to 24 months during a 60-month period for adults.
Arizona Department of Economic Security (AFDC and TANF agency) using federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) funding
Three local cash assistance offices in Phoenix facilitated Arizona's EMPOWER program.
Family structure and housing status