Facts

In 1996, "welfare as we knew it" went through a massive overhaul, putting caps on how long welfare recipients could stay on the dole and requiring they work and/or study along the way. Now that we've hit the 10th anniversary of welfare reform, most pundits are revelling in the success of reform, while some wonder if the drop in welfare roles doesn't have a dark side (see poverty). Here we only offer a brief fact backgrounder.