TIME LIMITS: Most families now have a time limit for getting welfare. Only "child-only" cases and people who are elderly or disabled don't have time limits. Almost everyone else can only get WAGES for a total of 4 years in a lifetime. In addition, most families can only get WAGES for 2 out of 5 years. Some families can get WAGES for 3 out of 6 years. It may be possible to get a hardship exception to this 2 or 3 year limit, but not to the 4 year lifetime limit.

RECIPIENTS HAVE TO WORK: Most people have to be in a work activity to get a WAGES check. If they don't, their whole family's WAGES check may be cut off unless they have a good excuse. In the future, DCAF may cut off everyone's food stamps and Medicaid, too. The only exceptions to work are for children, people who are disabled or elderly, and most parents taking care of a baby under 3 months old. The kind of work activities you may be told to do include things like work, look for a job, get training, or go to school if you are a teenager. You may be able to get support services, like child care and transportation to a work activity. But, most recipients will have to pay something for child care now.

RECIPIENTS CAN'T GET WAGES FOR NEW BABIES: Families who are already on WAGES can't get full benefits for more babies they have. It doesn't matter if the family's birth control fails. The only exception is for rape or incest. Families who have one baby after they are on WAGES will only get half as much money as they would have gotten otherwise. And they can't get any money at all for second or future children. These children can still get food stamps and Medicaid, though.

TEEN PARENTS MUST LIVE WITH AN ADULT: Teen parents can still get a welfare check, but they have to live at home with their parents. If not, they have to live with an adult who can look after them. Teen parents have to be in school. Their check has to be made out to someone else who makes sure the money is used correctly. The income of the parent of a teenager who lives at home will count toward how much WAGES the teen parent gets.

CHILDREN HAVE TO BE IN SCHOOL (Learnfare): Learnfare is the name for the rule that all children have to be in school. This includes teen parents. Your WAGES check may be cut if your child is absent so much that your child fails. Also, the child's parents must talk with the school each grading period.

CHILDREN HAVE TO GET THEIR SHOTS: In most cases, pre-school children have to get all their shots. If they don't, the entire family may be ineligible for WAGES.

FAMILIES MUST HAVE LITTLE INCOME AND RESOURCES: Families can't get WAGES unless they have very little income or resources. A big change in WAGES is that child support income is counted, too. There isn't a $50 pass-through anymore. Also, there is no longer a credit for the money you spend on child care. Eventually, SSI income will also count. But when that happens, there will be a special program in place for SSI recipients. The program will help pay for some of the extra expenses of the disabled recipient.

WAGES lets you work and still get a WAGES check. It does this by the way earnings are counted. When DCAF figures out how big your WAGES check will be, it will only figure in about one-half of your earnings.

The resource limit for WAGES is $2,000. Resources are things like cash, bank accounts, stocks, personal property and land. Cars are a resource, too. Eventually, at least one car valued up to $8,500 will not count.