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I am interested to know how the Food Stamp Program works... who funds it, do we as the taxpayers? is it federally mandated or does each state have their own program with their own set of regulations ? just curious....
I am interested to know how the Food Stamp Program works... who funds it, do we as the taxpayers? is it federally mandated or does each state have their own program with their own set of regulations ? just curious....
From Wiki:
The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) historically and commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal-assistance program that provides assistance to low- and no-income people and families living in the U.S. Though the program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, benefits are distributed by the individual U.S. states.
Sadly, I don't qualify even tho I live on a small pension & Social Security.
As a cashier at our local WalMart I am always surprised at just "who" gets food stamps. I can understand the elderly, who are on small fixed incomes...like my mom and families with lots of kids but others?? I have quite a few co-workers who get them and I don't "get" why. We have a LOT of husbands/wives who both work there and if they both make the same as me I don't see how they qualify. Even with a couple of kids. Most of them actually make more than I do because they've been there a long time. One guy I know...who isn't on food stamps...makes $15 hour but has been there ten years. We have a LOT of employees who've been with Wal Mart 5, 10 and even 20 years so you KNOW they make a decent wage. And still they get food stamps? I just don't 'get it'.
The ones that REALLY kill me are the ones who will buy $200 worth of food on an EBT card then turn around a pay for the rest with $100 bills. Some of them actually have a ROLL of money with big bills. It just astounds me. I also notice that there are very few who get 'cash' cards. The vast majority is just EBT.
I don't qualify either but it's fine with me. I HAVE qualified a few times in the past and would just as soon not.
I am interested to know how the Food Stamp Program works... who funds it, do we as the taxpayers?
Yes, taxpayers fund it from the general fund (as opposed to the separate Social Security or Medicare funds obtained through special payroll taxes).
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYMD67
is it federally mandated or does each state have their own program with their own set of regulations ? just curious....
The pseudo-federal government issues block grants to each county.
It is the typical "spend-it-or-lose-it" mentality.
Whether or not you qualify depends on a number of factors not related to your income. The number one factor is how many people in your county get Food Stamps, because that is what determines eligibility.
As the Cincinnati Enquirer discovered, a family of three in Kenton County, Kentucky was limited to an income of $13,000 something, while a family of four earning $32,000 something in nearby Boone County qualified.
Why? Because Kenton County is urban, and has a higher proportion of the Welfare Class than Boone County, which is largely rural/semi-rural and has relatively few people in the Welfare Class.
The moral of this story is DO NOT automatically assume that you do not qualify simply because you mistakenly believe you earn too much money or have too many assets.
In other words, your hard earned tax dollars not being used to put food on people's plates, rather you are paying for their cable TV and cell-phones.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 08-15-2011 at 10:32 AM..
Reason: Deleted rude comments
Yes, taxpayers fund it from the general fund (as opposed to the separate Social Security or Medicare funds obtained through special payroll taxes).
In other words, your hard earned tax dollars not being used to put food on people's plates, rather you are paying for their cable TV and cell-phones.
Dang...I once rented a room from a homeowner that included cable tv and I had a prepaid cell phone (no landline in the house)...and I was getting $25/mo in food stamps. I moved into the room because the WEEKLY rent and low deposit made it the only place I was able to afford to move into.
I was getting $25/mo in food stamps.
What was I supposed to do, chuck the prepaid cell phone and not watch the cable tv?
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 08-15-2011 at 10:32 AM..
Reason: Edited quoted text
Dang...I once rented a room from a homeowner that included cable tv and I had a prepaid cell phone (no landline in the house)...and I was getting $25/mo in food stamps. I moved into the room because the WEEKLY rent and low deposit made it the only place I was able to afford to move into.
I was getting $25/mo in food stamps.
What was I supposed to do, chuck the prepaid cell phone and not watch the cable tv?
You know, I never ever complained about being broke because the first thing people want you do to is get rid of everything in your life that MIGHT bring you some enjoyment. Sure, I could just see me sitting here with no TV, no internet, no phone...in the dark! lol I've been where you are but somehow I always managed to hang onto those things. I got a job just in the nick of time because the next months expenses would've been on a credit card and, for me, that's a BIG 'no no'.
Your personal expenses are what determines how much you get in food stamps. At one point I was unemployed, had gone through my savings and applied. My expenses were covered...barely...and I got $180 in food stamps. The next time my expenses were cut in half and I got 'about' $100 month. $25 a month doesn't buy much food these days.
Yes, taxpayers fund it from the general fund (as opposed to the separate Social Security or Medicare funds obtained through special payroll taxes).
The pseudo-federal government issues block grants to each county.
It is the typical "spend-it-or-lose-it" mentality.
Whether or not you qualify depends on a number of factors not related to your income. The number one factor is how many people in your county get Food Stamps, because that is what determines eligibility.
As the Cincinnati Enquirer discovered, a family of three in Kenton County, Kentucky was limited to an income of $13,000 something, while a family of four earning $32,000 something in nearby Boone County qualified.
Why? Because Kenton County is urban, and has a higher proportion of the Welfare Class than Boone County, which is largely rural/semi-rural and has relatively few people in the Welfare Class.
The moral of this story is DO NOT automatically assume that you do not qualify simply because you mistakenly believe you earn too much money or have too many assets.
In other words, your hard earned tax dollars not being used to put food on people's plates, rather you are paying for their cable TV and cell-phones.
Please provide a link to the article cited in your post. I don't see anything at the Dept of Agriculture's SNAP website that would suggest the feds are distributing funds in the manner you have described. Thank you. http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/Memo/2010/080210.pdf
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 08-15-2011 at 10:33 AM..
Reason: Edited quoted text
You know, I never ever complained about being broke because the first thing people want you do to is get rid of everything in your life that MIGHT bring you some enjoyment. Sure, I could just see me sitting here with no TV, no internet, no phone...in the dark! lol I've been where you are but somehow I always managed to hang onto those things. I got a job just in the nick of time because the next months expenses would've been on a credit card and, for me, that's a BIG 'no no'.
Your personal expenses are what determines how much you get in food stamps. At one point I was unemployed, had gone through my savings and applied. My expenses were covered...barely...and I got $180 in food stamps. The next time my expenses were cut in half and I got 'about' $100 month. $25 a month doesn't buy much food these days.
As far as I am aware, the ONLY factors in calculating food stamp benefits are:
Rent/Mortgage, Utilities, Medical expenses, Income, and whether your income is earned/unearned. (only 80% of earned income is counted for food stamps, so if your income ix X dollars, you get more food stamps if you're working than if you're not working)
My problem was that I had a big hole in my budget in the form of a student loan payment, which represented an expense and also income which reduced my food stamps. That is, if your income is X and your rent is Y, you get the same amt of food stamps whether you have no student loan payment or a big student loan payment. Food stamps care how much rent you pay but not how big your student loan payment is.
I am interested to know how the Food Stamp Program works... who funds it, do we as the taxpayers? is it federally mandated or does each state have their own program with their own set of regulations ? just curious....
Federal program, but administered by individual states. Just like Medicaid. Medicare and SSI are separate funds.
I used to be a paralegal for a legal aid firm, in a division that helped people who qualified retain access to public benefits (including SNAP) that had been erroneously discontinued. Often, the discontinuation was due to the state department of social services, who administered the program in my state, not getting renewal information/appropriate documentation from recipients. Like all federal programs, it's a lot of paperwork. You are always having to recertify to prove that you still qualify based on income, family size, etc., and all that paperwork is transferred via mail. Since many recipients of food stamps and other public benefits are transient and even homeless, their mail doesn't always catch up to them, and then they go to use their EBT cards, and there's nothing there, because they didn't get the paperwork and/ or return it in a timely manner. So it's a bunch of hoops to get it reinstated, often requiring legal hearings, etc. Contrary to the beliefs of many, the state does NOT make it easy for people in need to retain public assistance. I feel like there's this mentality that all you have to do is walk into some agency and say you're poor and money is thrown at you...not really the case. I've seen severely disabled people living in their cars with no food, due to the state cutting them off due to overworked caseworkers' sloppy paperwork errors. More often than you'd want to know.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 07-23-2011 at 11:15 AM..
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