WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Welfare officials across the United States will have to make major adjustments in state programs to comply with new Congressional rules, effective Oct. 1.
The biggest change involves shifting the focus from a long-term perspective to the short-term goal of getting more poor people to work and having them work longer hours, the Washington Post reports.
Under the new rules, studying for a college degree no longer counts by itself as an acceptable activity for people on welfare.
The new rules written by Congress and the Bush administration place limits on the length of time welfare recipients can devote to getting an education, recovering from mental illness or dealing with drug addiction.
While the 1996 law that reformed welfare left responsibility in the hands of the states, the 2006 changes have shifted control to the federal government.
"We expected the (rules) to be bad. They are worse than that," says Robin Arnold-Williams of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
Kate Jesberg, the head of the D.C. Department of Human Resources, says the rules will turn her staff into "extraordinary bean-counters."
