Question

How does welfare work in Pennsylvania?

Answer 1

There are two separate cash assistance services in Pennsylvania: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA). In order to qualify for cash assistance, the salary must be less than the amount of the cash grant: $205 a month for a single individual, $316 a month for two people, $403 a month for a family of three. Pennsylvania also has an annual contribution limit of $250 or $1,000 for more than one person.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) provides temporary financial assistance to one or more dependent children for pregnant women and families. TANF is offering cash assistance to help pay for other than essential food, housing, electricity and expenses. TANF applicants are eligible to receive support services to help you meet the requirement for inclusion in the program, such as child care and transportation. If your salary gets too high when you collect TANF, there are temporary opportunities available to keep your SNAP, medical assistance and child care subsidy intact.

Medical assistance services provide higher income requirements for pregnant women and young children. Pregnant women and children may seek benefits if they have an income below the federal poverty reduction cap of 215 percent. If the income of the family is below 157 percent of the federal poverty levels, children under the age of 6 can get coverage. Children between the ages of 6 and 18 get compensation if the income of the family is below 133 per cent of the federal poverty guidelines.

Community colleges run their own incentive programs, where free diapers, laundry detergent or gift cards are used to reward good grades. It may seem easy, Turner said, but it's a huge help even to make sure a student's kids have clean clothes for school. Facilitators at community colleges in Pennsylvania often act as liaisons between students and government, helping parents access deep or even entirely subsidized childcare, as well as funds for bus passes or gas reimbursements.