Gov. John Kasich has applied for a waiver with the federal government to allow changes in work requirements for welfare recipients. The Director of the Department of Job and Family Services, Cynthia Dungey, says the current rules don’t allow for some Ohioans with low levels of education to get enough time in the classroom to get good jobs.
“We know that in Ohio, we have about 24,000 Ohioans that drop out of school every single year. In that instance, we know the employers are telling us that, at a minimum, they are looking for a GED or a high school diploma as a minimum requirement to enter into the workforce," Dungey said. "We are very concerned, because of time limits and because the fact that many individuals are required to have additional hours divided between core and non-core activities that that is an artificial distinction.”
Dungey says the department knows the federal government has received the waiver, but doesn’t know when the state will hear the outcome of the request.