January - February 2003

Cover

The January-February issue includes a primer on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as articles on social security benefits antiassignment protections, helping low-income women access reproductive health services, and representing the whole client.

 
  • An Introduction to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

    Created as part of the 1996 welfare law, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is the federally funded assistance program for low-income children and their families. States have broad discretion to design programs, often at the expense of federal protections for clients and accountability to clients and the public. Advocates need to assist TANF recipients on various legal issues. They must also urge states to make TANF a safety net and an opportunity for a better life for clients.

    By Wendy Pollack

  • Social Security Benefits' Antiassignment Protections Under Attack

    Federal law historically exempted social security benefits from attachment except in rare situations. However, two recent federal court decisions and other statutory changes may have altered social security benefits' antiassignment protections. The law in this area is key to protecting clients' scarce income and resources from often illegal attachments.

    By Louise M. Tarantino, Catherine M. Callery, and Barbara Samuels

  • Have You Seen a Fleeing Felon? Social Security Administration Targets SSI Recipients with Outstanding Warrants

    A provision of the 1996 welfare reform law restricted the availability of several categories of public benefits to "fugitive felons." While the provision has had comparatively little impact on recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, and housing assistance, it has led to loss of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to some 78,000 people; most of them charged with offenses that are minor, remote in time, or both. The Social Security Administration is implementing the provision, and advocates can challenge its application to clients in danger of losing SSI benefits.

    By Gerald McIntyre

  • Representing the Whole Client

    Whole client representation means looking at clients as whole people and not simply poor people with legal problems or as legal issues separate from the person affected. Representing the whole client effectively involves various skills and approaches.

    By Ellen Hemley

  • Helping Low-Income Women Clients Access Reproductive Health Services

    Legal services programs are encouraged to work on low-income women's reproductive health needs and issues, including barriers to access to reproductive health services, as part of their health care activities. Applicable Legal Services Corporation regulations give some guidance on what activities are permitted for programs receiving such funds.

    By Lourdes A. Rivera

  • Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers and the Law

    For the newer legal aid attorney, an overview of the migrant and seasonal farmworker population describes the federal laws that protect—and, more often, fail to protect—this group.

    By Bruce Goldstein