Welfare is a government program that provides food, money, shelter, medical care, and other things people need to survive. These programs are designed to help seniors, children and disabled people who cannot support their families on their current income. To be eligible for assistance, the individual's income must be below the poverty threshold. There are approximately sixty assistance programs, however most people receive help through Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families also known as TNAF. I would like to reform welfare because welfare has become a way of life for some of its recipients and has created a culture of dependency. The goal of the welfare reform system should be designed to get people off welfare and into the labor market. The goal of the system should be to move people from dependency to self-sufficiency. Under current policy, the applicant must have no paid employment opportunities due to lack of jobs or job skills. The recipient must commit to self-sufficiency before any potential benefits can be received. The head of the family will also have to make an agreement because they will have to become self-sufficient within a certain period of time. “Texas time limits were set by House Bill 1863 in 1995 and have not changed significantly since then” (Randolph 4). A commitment to cooperation must also be signed by the heads of families because they will have to comply and continue to comply with all rules and requirements while receiving aid. Dependent children must live in the family unit. There are very few exceptions, but generally all dependents must be within the home. All minors must attend school during school days. All minors and...... middle of paper......014.Montgomery, Dave. “Texas Senate Approves Drug Testing for Welfare Claimants.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram., April 11, 2013. Web. January 30, 2014. Pimpare, Stephen. "The 15-year welfare reform and the analysis of the state of the policies". Academic research completed. Social Work, 2013. Web. 20 February 2014.Prce, T. “Child Welfare Reform.” Online QC Researcher. CQ Press, April 22, 2005. Web. February 20, 2014. Randolph, Capps, Nancy M. Pindus, Kathleen Snyder, and Jacob Loes-Urbel. “Recent Changes in Texas's Work, Child Welfare, and Welfare Systems.” Recent changes in Texas' welfare and employment, child care, and welfare systems. Urban Institute, 01 June 2001. Web. 30 January 2014. Rector, Robert and Jennifer A. Mrhal. “The unfinished work of welfare reform.” Academic research completed. National Affairs, 2013. Web. 20 February. 2014.