The 2013 Annual Report for SSBG has been released. The annual report documents overall expenditures of the $1.7 billion in funding (approximately $1.6 billion in 2013 due to the sequestration cuts). In addition, each states breakout of how they spend SSBG and the number of adults and children served are listed.
Overall the report summary indicates that approximately 28 million people received services funded in whole or part by the SSBG. The number of recipients is not an unduplicated count as an individual may have received more than one service supported by SSBG.
* An estimated 48% of the individuals who benefited from SSBG services were children. The largest percentage (28%) of recipients, both children and adults, received services designed to prevent or remedy abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
* Of the 29 service categories for which States reported expenditures in FY 2013, the four service categories receiving the highest proportion of SSBG expenditures were:
o child foster care services (14%)
o child protective services (13%)
o prevention and intervention services (11%)
o child day care services (10%)
Although some critics point to the use of SSBG funds for “administrative” expenses states used a small percentage of 2 percent SSBG funds for administrative costs totally $71 million.
In mid-March the House Ways and Means Committee approved a bill HR 4724 that would eliminate the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). The effort is part of a package of mandatory and entitlement cuts as part of a budget resolution deal. There was more than a half an hour of a debate during the Committee consideration. The bill passed by a vote of 20 to 16. Leadership’s intent is that the SSBG elimination along with other program cuts will be bundled and House members will have an opportunity to vote for the budget resolution with a separate vote on the cuts.
