Audit Flags W.Va. Welfare-to-Work Program

A legislative audit finds that "nearly 86 percent of West Virginians leaving the state’s welfare-to-work program are doing so without a job," The Associated Press and others report.

The audit tracked six years' worth of adults enrolled in West Virginia Works once they had exhausted their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits.

"On average, 71 percent left the rolls unemployed and not looking for work. Another 14 percent had no job but sought one," AP reported. "That left 14 percent working, less than half the national average. And for those West Virginians, median wages fell below the federal poverty line."

The Charleston Gazette also has an item.