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Summary

The New York state Child Assistance Program (CAP) was a voluntary alternative to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) that provided intensive case management and other supports to encourage single-parent families to become more financially self-sufficient.

CAP was one of the demonstration projects made possible by Section 1115 waivers to the rules in effect at the time for the AFDC program. These Section 1115 waivers allowed states to test new approaches to advance the objectives of the AFDC program.

CAP provided intensive case management in addition to cash food assistance, childcare stipends, and a smaller reduction in benefits for earned income compared with AFDC. In CAP, families also received assistance in getting child support orders in place for all children in the family. Case managers helped participants with problems that could threaten their ability to continue working and worked to move participants toward better-paying and more secure employment.

CAP grants had less of a benefit offset for earned income than AFDC; CAP grants were reduced by just 10 cents per dollar earned for the first several hundred dollars of earnings, compared with AFDC’s nearly one-dollar reduction per dollar earned.

Families could participate in the program for up to five years. To qualify for this program, the AFDC-eligible family had to include a custodial parent and at least one child covered by court-ordered child support from the noncustodial parent. Only children that were covered by a court-ordered child support order were eligible for CAP benefits. The program operated in 14 counties in New York state.

3018-Study of New York St
Populations and employment barriers: Parents, Single parents

Implementation at a glance

Primary service
Earned income disregards
Program services
Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Earned income disregards, Unconditional cash transfers
Review services terms
Setting(s)
Tested in multiple settings
Year evaluation began
1989
Implementing organization(s)New York State Department of Social Services

Effectiveness ratings

  • Well- supported
  • Supported
  • Mixed support
  • Not supported
  • Insufficient evidence
  • Cannot assess support

Studies of this program

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
Low Low 1
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Program cost

No cost information available.

Cost results

Estimate (in 2024 dollars) Quality of cost analysis that produced the estimate
Total program cost, per participant $7,632
Good quality
Net benefit to participants, per participant $1,713
Good quality

Cost information

How much did the program cost per participant? 

The average total program cost per participant was $7,632 in 2024 dollars. This figure is based on cost information for this program reported in one cost study reviewed by Pathways to Work (for details, see the FAQ). This study received a rating of Good quality for the cost analysis.

How much did the program cost relative to the benefits it generated? 

A cost-benefit analysis was conducted in the cost study reviewed, receiving a rating of Good quality. The net benefit to participants was $1,713 per participant in 2024 dollars. This means that the net program benefit to participants (difference in benefits between the program and comparison group) was $1,713 more than the net cost of the program to participants. The estimate is expressed as the net present value, which accounts for differences in the timing of when benefits and costs occurred. In addition, the net benefit to government was $4,751 per participant in 2024 dollars. The study broke out the net benefit to government into a net benefit to the federal government of $3,048 per participant, a net benefit to state government of $679 per participant, and a net benefit to local government of $1,024 per participant in 2024 dollars.

Cost information is not directly comparable across programs due to differences in the categories of costs reported and program length. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

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Implementation details

The information contained here reflects how the program was implemented at the time of the evaluation.

Local context

State(s) where implemented

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Canada

Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.