Maryland Plan Would Link Welfare Benefits to Behavior

Maryland officials, staggered by soaring welfare costs, announced Tuesday an innovative plan that would give full public assistance benefits only to recipients who get preventive health care, keep children in school and pay their rent.

Under the plan, which requires federal approval, benefits provided by the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program would be reduced 30%, beginning July 1. Welfare recipients could then get the money back by displaying what state Secretary of Human Resources Carolyn W. Colvin called responsible behavior.

Some advocates for the poor expressed reservations about the plan, saying that many of Maryland’s 215,000 AFDC beneficiaries will not be able to meet the new requirements. The result will be smaller monthly checks.

A family of three now gets $406 a month in benefits, but that amount will drop to $377 on Dec. 1 because of the last round of state spending cuts. Under Colvin’s plan, which will need the approval of the Department of Health and Human Services, the basic grant would drop to $264. Recipients could then receive additional money up to the basic level by proving that their children are getting health care and schooling and by keeping up with their rent.

In addition, state officials said, trimming benefits and making it more difficult to get them could encourage recipients to look for jobs and get off welfare.