As the recession grinds on and people run out of unemployment benefits, the last safety net is the government's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Though benefits vary by state, TANF provides a maximum of 60 months of coverage throughout a recipient's lifetime.To get an idea of which states pay out the most welfare checks, the (NCSL) surveyed state governments. Using the most current information, NCSL then compared the total number of recipients of TANF to the overall state

As the recession grinds on and people run out of unemployment benefits, the last safety net is the government's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Though benefits vary by state, TANF provides a maximum of 60 months of coverage throughout a recipient's lifetime.



To get an idea of which states pay out the most welfare checks, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) surveyed state governments. Using the most current information, NCSL then compared the total number of recipients of TANF to the overall state populations (through June 2009).



So, what are the biggest US welfare states? Click ahead to find out!



By Paul ToscanoPosted 21 July 2009