The DSHS Economic Services Administration.
The DSHS Economic Services Administration (ESA) administers numerous assistance programs for the state, including: the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and State Family Assistance (SFA) programs; WorkFirst; Basic Food; the Aged, Blind, or Disabled program; the Pregnant Women's Assistance program; and Refugee Cash Assistance. The ESA is also responsible for the administration of child support enforcement and financial recovery and disability determinations for Social Security disability benefits.
WorkFirst.
The WorkFirst program provides employment, training, and support services for TANF and SFA recipients to help them move toward economic stability. Examples of WorkFirst services include case management and referrals to social services, education and training services for wage progression and job retention, and assistance preparing for and looking for work. In general, adult TANF and SFA recipients must participate in one or more WorkFirst activities that are identified in the participant's individual responsibility plan.
The DSHS must, through its regional offices, develop work programs that are effective and work in local communities. In doing so, the DSHS must collaborate with employers, recipients, frontline workers, educational institutions, labor, private industry councils, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, community rehabilitation employment programs, employment and training agencies, local governments, the Employment Security Department, and community action agencies. For planning purposes, the DSHS must collect and make accessible to regional offices successful work program models from around the country, including the Employment Partnership program, apprenticeship programs, microcredit, microenterprise, self-employment, and W-2 Wisconsin Works.
The DSHS must establish WorkFirst service areas for purposes of program planning and distribution of resources. Every two years, a plan for the WorkFirst program must be developed for each region in consultation with local and regional sources and must include input from local and regional planning bodies for social services and workforce development.
The Legislative Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force.
The Legislative Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force (LEWPRO) oversees the operation of WorkFirst and TANF. The LEWPRO is additionally responsible for: developing and monitoring strategies to address adverse childhood experiences and reduce intergenerational poverty, in collaboration with the Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Committee (IPAC); seeking input from various entities on best practices for poverty reduction; analyzing available data regarding intergenerational poverty; and recommending policies to the Governor and the Legislature to reduce intergenerational poverty and promote and encourage self-sufficiency.
The Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Committee.
The IPAC is composed of public, non-profit, and for-profit entities and was created to advise the LEWPRO. The IPAC is tasked with gathering input from diverse communities about the impact of intergenerational poverty on outcomes such as education, health care, employment, involvement in the child welfare system, and making data-supported recommendations to the LEWPRO on how to effectively address the needs of children affected by intergenerational poverty.
Customer Voice Council.
Effective July 1, 2025, the DSHS must establish a statewide public assistance customer voice council and provide staffing and training to support the council. Members of the council must be current or former recipients of state public assistance and may be paid a stipend for participation. In setting policies and membership for the customer voice council the DSHS must consult with the LEWPRO, the IPAC, and local community partnership groups.
Local Community Partnership Groups.
The DSHS must ensure that local community partnership groups are established, and must provide staffing assistance to these groups. Communities may determine the specific structure and composition of these groups based on community needs and existing resources. Local community partnership groups must meet at least quarterly and must:
Beginning in 2025, local community partnership groups are responsible for developing the plan every two years for the local aspects of the WorkFirst program and the plan is expanded to include other poverty reduction efforts for each region. In completing the plan development, the local community partnership groups must gather input from current or former WorkFirst participants and other public assistance recipients, in addition to local and regional planning bodies for social services and workforce development.
Other Changes.
The entities and interest groups that the DSHS must collaborate with to develop work programs is modified to: include both current and former public assistance recipients; add the workforce development councils and organizations serving refugees and immigrants; and remove references to private industry councils and rehabilitation employment programs. The DSHS must develop assistance services, in addition to work programs, that are effective and work in communities.
The DSHS must collect successful public assistance program models from around the country, in addition to work program models, and must make these models accessible to local community partnership groups, in addition to regional offices. References to specific work program models are removed.
Legislative findings are changed and terminology is modified in multiple places to use updated terms.