Audit Says W.Va. Welfare-To-Work Falling Short

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Nearly 86 percent of West Virginians leaving the state’s welfare-to-work program are doing so without a job.

So says a new legislative audit that also faults West Virginia Works for not adequately tracking former welfare recipients who find and keep jobs.

The audit presented Monday to lawmakers reviewed cases where Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits had ended between 2001 and 2006.

On average, 71 percent left the rolls unemployed and not looking for work. Another 14 percent had no job but sought one.

That left 14 percent working, less than half the national average. And for those West Virginians, median wages fell below the federal poverty line.

Program officials say the audit did not consider all ways recipients can become self-sufficient.