NASW was pleased with the announcement yesterday that the Census Bureau has created a supplemental poverty measure. The measure will use the best new data and methodologies to obtain an improved understanding of the economic well-being of American families and of how federal policies affect those living in poverty.

The current poverty level is determined by a family’s cash income and the cost of food. Since food has become a smaller share of a family’s income, it has become outdated. The supplemental poverty measure takes into account more variables such as location, housing, medication, utilities and child care.

The supplemental poverty measure does not replace the existing poverty measure, which will still be used to determine program eligibility for programs like SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The National Academies of Science have long advocated an alternative poverty measure. A report released in 1995 called for an alternative poverty measure.

Today the President’s Middle Class Task Force released its annual report with significant recommendations that would provide support for families.   Chaired by Vice-President Joe Biden with social worker Dr. Jared Bernstein serving as Executive Director, recommendations were categorized in the following four areas:

• Protecting Workers and Creating Middle Class Jobs
• Retirement Security
• Balancing Work and Family Responsibilities
• Pathways to the Middle Class
  

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) enthusiastically supports the recommendations of the Task Force and wrote a letter, along with a number of other groups, specifically regarding “Helping Families Balance Work and Caregiving Obligations.” The proposed policies in this area supported our own suggestions and experience in working with families who care for their older relatives.

In 2006 and 2008, NASW, in partnership with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), conducted research focusing particularly on sandwich generation women (SGW) who were between the ages of 35 and 54 and caring for their own children and aging relatives. Key findings from our surveys support the need for the expanding the Dependent Care Tax Credit, which has only been raised once in 28 years, as well as expanding the $102.5 million Caregiver Initiative, which provides resources for respite care, transportation, and assistance with activities of daily living.

To see all of the letters on this issue, click here.  For more information on the Middle Class Task Force, go to www.astrongmiddleclass.gov.

Within four weeks of taking office, Congress presented a “stimulus package” to President Obama, who signed it.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is now one year old.  About half of the money has been distributed, mostly to states, as well as to extend unemployment benefits, expand eligibility for Food Stamps, support Medicaid for states.  Independent economic analyses of ARRA show where it has been effective.  It’s hard to make the argument that things would have been worse for people without the package, because for many people, their economic situation is difficult and challenging.  However, reading accounts of the mass suffering during the depression makes us glad that we did not have to witness similar challenges.  It was the work of social workers led by Frances Perkins and Harry Hopkins that supported people and institutionalized programs like unemployment insurance and social security to ensure people could be cared for throughout the ups and downs of economic cycles.

NASW, partnering with you, our members, continues this legacy of providing direct aid and advocating for structural economic changes.  (See our advocacy alerts on extending benefits to people who have lost their jobs and supporting Medicaid relief to states.) We look forward to continuing these efforts.

You may find these recent articles of interest regarding the ARRA:   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17leonhardt.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes and  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704804204575069772167897834.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories

Families USA held its 15th Annual Grassroots Meeting Health Action 2010 on January 28-30, 2010 in Washington, DC.  NASW was a cosponsor of the conference.  Some of the presenters included White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Al Franken, Reps. Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin.

To view, their presentations and more from the conference, go to: http://www.familiesusa.org/conference/health-action-2010/webcast.html

First Lady Michelle Obama has made military families a priority throughout her time in the White House. First, she thanked veterans and their families privately for their contributions. Then, she publicly stated her support alongside Dr. Jill Biden at the 2009 World Series.

Now, she has delivered the most meaningful contribution of all: a promise of funding. According to Mrs. Obama, a three percent increase in funding will be implemented to a wide range of military programs. Official information, including a video, can be found at the official White House website here.

This work comes on the heels of other White House announcements that not only benefit veterans, but social workers as well. For example, one year advanced funding for the Veterans Administration was authorized by President Obama in October. Multiyear budgets can help social workers understand their job security within the VA’s employment structure.

Additionally, The White House has announced the construction of 359 military facilities across the country, to provide our nation’s veterans with improved rehabilitation and support services. This was part of The Recovery Act, described in greater detail here.

All in all, the first year of the Obama Administration has witnessed important gains not just for military personnel and veterans, but for the social workers who serve them.

Recognizing the impact of the economic recession on working families, President Obama and Vice President Biden held a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force on January 25, 2010 to discuss ways to reduce the financial burden for this group and increase investments for them. Over the past year, the Task Force has held several meetings on this topic and their recommendations include the following:

1. An increased Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for families making under $85,000 a year. The administration also plans to provide a $1.6 billion increase in child care funding to help an additional 235,000 children.

2. A decrease in students’ federal loan payments to 10% of their income, referring to the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program, created by Congress in 2007. For more information about IBR or Public Service Loan Forgiveness, go to NASW’s loan forgiveness website at http://www.socialworkers.org/loanforgiveness/default.asp.

3. Creating a system of automatic workplace IRAs, requiring that employers give employees the option to enroll in a direct-deposit IRA.

4.Tax credits to match retirement savings and new safeguards to protect them.

5.Support for families balancing work with caring for elderly relatives, which is intended to help families manage multiple responsibilities and allow seniors to live in the community for as long as possible.

For more information about these initiatives or to review remarks by the President and Vice President at the Middle Class Task Force meeting, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/key-investments-middle-class-families.