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Abstract
Although a large number of job-ready welfare recipients have left welfare since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P. L. 104-193-PRWORA), 5.5 million “harder-to-serve” populations including those with substance abuse problems still remain in state TANF caseloads. Although researchers and policy makers need to better understand the connections between substance abuse and welfare dependency, little is known about states' response to substance-abusing TANF recipients. This review of state TANF policies on substance abuse found that few states have developed systematic procedures for assessment, evaluation, and treatment of substance abuse among welfare recipients. Implications for policy are discussed.