arizona works; program
extension
HB 2515 continues the Arizona Works pilot program for an additional year and makes several changes to the program.
The Arizona Works Pilot Program was created through Laws 1997, Ch. 300 and Laws 1998, Ch. 211 to determine the cost effectiveness of privatizing public assistance administration. The program privatizes Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) by operating intake, eligibility and employment training through a private contractor. The contractor and site for the pilot program were determined by the Arizona Agency Procurement Board (Board), which was statutorily charged with creating Arizona Works and continuing to oversee the pilot project. The Arizona Works pilot project was originally implemented on April 1, 1999 in Eastern Maricopa County, and the contractor chosen to administer the program was MAXIMUS, Inc.
At its inception, Arizona Works was intended to be a two-phase pilot, the first phase taking place in an urban area and the second in a rural area. Although the second phase was to be implemented by April 1, 2001, the Board made the final site decision in December 2001 and the second phase has yet to be implemented.
Arizona Works currently serves 13 percent of the households in Arizona that receive benefits under TANF and is scheduled to end on December 31, 2002. HB 2515 extends the Arizona Works Pilot Program for another year, eliminates the Board and directs DES to take over the duty of determining caseload eligibility from the private contractor MAXIMUS, Inc.