The United States government recognizes that all its citizens have the right to access basic survival needs, including shelter, food, and health care, to live a dignified life. To make this possible for the poor, the government established a transfer program known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which was later changed to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) after the 1996 welfare reforms (Moffitt, 2008). . Through the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, other welfare reforms introduced include increased state powers to provide benefits through TANF; work requirements for people receiving benefits; conditions to reduce single motherhood by encouraging marriage and minimizing non-marital births and; introducing lifetime time limits for those receiving benefits (Moffitt, 2008). Following these welfare reforms, states have implemented various welfare programs that offer different welfare benefits to residents. This article will examine the welfare benefits offered in Alaska and compare them with those in Arizona with the aim of giving an idea of ​​the welfare state in the different states of the United States of America. The state of Alaska provides welfare benefits to its residents through six major welfare programs, namely: Medicaid; Chronic and acute medical care; Temporary Assistance Program; Public Assistance for Adults; Meal vouchers and; General Relief Assistance (Alaska Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). For starters, the Medicaid program offers health benefits that include payment of medical bills for children, families, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and seniors. Second, the Chronic & Acute Medi...... middle of document .... ..State of Arizona (2011), these services assist in family selection and placement, as well as supervision of children. Through this program, cases of child abandonment are reduced. Works Cited Alaska Department of Health and Human Services (2012). Demand for services. Retrieved from http://dhss.alaska.gov/dpa/Documents/dpa/forms/gen50b-packet.pdfOffice of the Governor and Alaska Department of Health and Human Services (2011). Alaska State Plan for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. Retrieved from http://dhss.alaska.gov/dpa/Documents/dpa/programs/atap/PDF/TANF_State_Plan_FY2010-2011_rev%206.2.11.pdfMoffitt, R. (2008). An introduction to US welfare reform. Focus, 26 (1), 15-26. Arizona State (2011). State Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) plan. Retrieved from https://www.azdes.gov/InternetFiles/Reports/pdf/tanf_state_plan_august_2011.pdf