In the past few years, advocates have secured a number of improvements to cash assistance. In April 2019, the Massachusetts legislature repealed the welfare family cap, the rule that barred benefits for children conceived while the parent received TAFDC. The Legislature raised grants by 10 percent beginning January 1, 2021, by an additional 9.1 percent beginning July 1, 2021, and by an additional 10 percent beginning October 1, 2022. In April 2024, grants will go up another 10%. Effective July 1, 2021, the Legislature eliminated the asset test for cash assistance. Despite the grant increases, grants still pay less than 40% of the federal poverty level, about half of what the grants paid in 1988 after adjusting for inflation. Because of these very low grant levels our lowest-income and most vulnerable children suffer from a lack of basic necessities, resulting in health and emotional damage, toxic stress, and impaired school performance.