How food stamps/Medicaid/child care subsidies work

I think its time for an economic reality check.

Money multiplier: the amount of dollars circulated out in the economy based on a single dollar of government expenditure. (note: a multiplier of over one is a highly efficient use of government outlays).


The multiplier of defense spending is .69; rising unemployment will boost the multiplier to .81, but the multiplier is still fairly inefficient. In other words, for every dollar spent on Defense only $.69 - $.81 'recycles' back into the general economy.
D efense Multiplier


The multiplier of SNAP is 1.79. An extremely efficient use of government outlays. In other words, SNAP expenditures are anywhere from 2 - 3 times as efficient at boosting the economy.
SNAP Multiplier

Hey, you may not like SNAP or food stamps or other types of welfare assistance, but do know that they make your economy grow. And since everyone champions Defense spending being a boon for the economy, you may want to actually understand the economics of it.

Deny Ignorance.

originally posted by: ChiefD
Hi everyone. I decided to post this thread after seeing a number of threads bashing and slamming those receiving food stamps, Medicaid, and child care subsidies.

I imagine more than a few of you are receiving benefits of this sort. I work at my county human services department, in economic support. I see people come in on a daily basis to apply for benefits, so I have insight on how it works.

I want to clear up some misconceptions. First, if a person is undocumented, they cannot receive food stamps, Medicaid, or child care. I have seen several posts by people saying they can. That is not true. Second, these benefits are not handed out like candy. People are required to turn in many verifications, and they have a narrow timeframe in which to turn them in.

If they turn in the verifications in a timely manner, and they are within the income/ household composition criteria, they will receive benefits. Every six months, they must re verify their situation and turn in more verifications in order to keep their benefits. If they do not, their benefits will end. For food stamps, you get a card. You use it like a debit card. You cannot buy alcohol or cigarettes with an EBT card.

One cannot simply stroll in, say they have 19 kids, and we hand them cash. It doesn't work that way. The process can seem humiliating, and that is because the few bad apples that commit fraud ruin it and make it all the harder for everyone.

I see people from all walks of life come into my office. Guess what? They are people, not animals. They have hopes and dreams. They have good and bad in their life, like the rest of us. The great majority are good people in a bad way, either by a couple of poor decisions or life circumstances. Of course, we only hear the horror stories in the news because if it bleeds, it leads.

I'm pissed and tired of hearing all this bashing of people because they are poor! If I had a dollar for everyone who told me they were ashamed to even be there, I would have been able to retire long ago to a beach in Tahiti.

I wish everyone would have more compassion for poor people. I remember something one of my former bosses said to me shortly before I started working at human services - most of us are 2-3 pay checks away from being on the other side of my counter, applying for benefits. Most us us would be well to heed that.

I hope my thread educates those who read it.

I personally know about six people that sell their EBT card "Credit" so they can get drugs. They trade card, get pills or little baggies full of smack. And I live in a small town with three stop lights. It's not hard to get any of this "help," all they have to do is show up within requirement, give required papers, and fill out a few papers, one of these acquaintances now has three kids, and hasn't work a job since her senior year in high-school. We've been out of school for eight years, do the math. After her first kid is the instant she never got another job. The biggest diffculty is waiting in line. I've tried to get help when I "TRULY" needed it and I made too much money, which was an exact 8.25 an hour. Who can live on that? The system is designed in such a way as to reward the people that are lazy scum.

The system is broken. A simple drug test can and will halt assistance abuse immediately, at least half of it. I guarantee it.

originally posted by: ChiefD
Hi everyone. I decided to post this thread after seeing a number of threads bashing and slamming those receiving food stamps, Medicaid, and child care subsidies.

I imagine more than a few of you are receiving benefits of this sort. I work at my county human services department, in economic support. I see people come in on a daily basis to apply for benefits, so I have insight on how it works.

I want to clear up some misconceptions. First, if a person is undocumented, they cannot receive food stamps, Medicaid, or child care. I have seen several posts by people saying they can. That is not true. Second, these benefits are not handed out like candy. People are required to turn in many verifications, and they have a narrow timeframe in which to turn them in.

If they turn in the verifications in a timely manner, and they are within the income/ household composition criteria, they will receive benefits. Every six months, they must re verify their situation and turn in more verifications in order to keep their benefits. If they do not, their benefits will end. For food stamps, you get a card. You use it like a debit card. You cannot buy alcohol or cigarettes with an EBT card.

One cannot simply stroll in, say they have 19 kids, and we hand them cash. It doesn't work that way. The process can seem humiliating, and that is because the few bad apples that commit fraud ruin it and make it all the harder for everyone.

I see people from all walks of life come into my office. Guess what? They are people, not animals. They have hopes and dreams. They have good and bad in their life, like the rest of us. The great majority are good people in a bad way, either by a couple of poor decisions or life circumstances. Of course, we only hear the horror stories in the news because if it bleeds, it leads.

I'm pissed and tired of hearing all this bashing of people because they are poor! If I had a dollar for everyone who told me they were ashamed to even be there, I would have been able to retire long ago to a beach in Tahiti.

I wish everyone would have more compassion for poor people. I remember something one of my former bosses said to me shortly before I started working at human services - most of us are 2-3 pay checks away from being on the other side of my counter, applying for benefits. Most us us would be well to heed that.

I hope my thread educates those who read it.

Who would bash someone because they are poor? We all have compassion on poor people. People who choose not work and spend my dimes however, no......no compassion. And I have seen it first hand, UNDOCUMENTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DO receive services. Maybe not in your town.

a reply to: ChiefD

Right off the bat.... you are wrong.

My wife works in the emergency department at one of the larger hospitals in our area. On a daily basis undocumented/illegal aliens are admitted (some for true emergencies and some using the ER as their primary care physician). They are immediately give 'emergency medicare.' Are they "supposed to" pay it back? Yes, but when they provide fake names and addresses.... the monies never get recovered.

Thank you all for your responses. I see many posts talking about what undocumented people can do. I feel this is veering away from the main topic of this thread. I prefer to focus on the main point of the thread. Thank you.

originally posted by: Ultralight
a reply to: ChiefD

I have an employee being paid $2113.00 every 2 weeks. She rejected our group helth benefits because she has medicaid for her and her 14 year old daughter. She receives food stamp assistance as well. She takes home $4300 a month. How does she qualify for my tax dollars toward Medicaid and food stamps? She just bought a 2015 Honda something brand new.

What would I need to pay her for her not to qualify for taxpaid assistance?

Throughput the year she also makes another minimum $1500 on top of her salary for bonuses and profit share.

She is poor.?

Is this in the US ? I assume it is, since your avatar says California. That just doesn't make sense. I don't see how she qualifies for any assistance with that income. And for the same reason, she should have signed up with the company insurance, because when she has her benefits cut off, she won't have Medicare any more. Some folks amaze me with their ability to be quick to judge others, but when it's their situation, they turn their own moral alarm off.

a reply to: Flesh699

Well i hope by saying lazy scum you are talking about those who can work but choose not to do so. SOme of us have worked and are now unable to work.

As for those people selling stamps for pills testing sounds good because you not gonna bust em on the grocery side.

a reply to: ChiefD

GREAT post!!

I myself spent 9 hours in our Humans Services Department on Tuesday. I was humiliated and didn't want to be there. I could feel the judgment from people while sitting in there. The circumstances as to why I was there I didn't ask for, my ex husband canceled his bank account at the beginning of the month which made the rent check not go through so I was left wondering how to pay the rent! He was legally obligated to pay the rent this month, July and next month the lease is in my name and I pay it. I will get child support next mont which covers my rent but this month he did what he did to get back at me for leaving. It's been very humiliating. I had a complete breakdown at the office and afterwards at home.

I was approved but not for all of it. So now I still have to wait for them to give me a rejection letter for the remainder so the local Catholic Charities can help me, and they will with the paper I need. My apartment complex has been alright about it but I can tell in their voice when I call they are judging me. I've lived here for two years with no issues of rent being on time, they also know what I'm going through but because I'm still on the lease I am held responsible even though our lease had my ex as the income provider because I did not work. I am so worried about it I dont sleep and I"m constantly going through anxiety. I've never in my life had to ask for help. I don't like asking for help. I"ve always been on my own but I didn't ask to be in this situation at all. I've always paid my bills especially rent! My ex did it on purpose and said it's not his problem even though his own child lives here! He is overseas and thinks he is untouchable because he has a top secret clearance. Well i go to court in two weeks and they don't care where he is they will get that money out of his account and he will have to pay back this months rent to me.

I also get medicaid and food stamps. I'm embarrassed to use my EBT card at the store because I think they are judging what I buy which is mostly produce and some meats. I cook everything I can from scratch so it lasts longer. I was on my ex's insurance but he took me off, even though he was told he couldn't do that. He didn't care.

I don't plan on living off these benefits for life but the help has been nice. I work but I was spending most of my money on childcare and food and i had no money left for bills. I've sold everything i could sell for money and I'm out of things to sell. I am very thankful for programs like this. I never thought I would be in this situation but things happen in people's lives they can't control. It's not like I enjoy applying for such help but I wasn't about to stay in an unhappy marriage just because he paid for everything. I am happier but stressed of course. I am actively looking for more work. The days I don't work at the job I have now I spend my days applying for work online and going to the mall and various plaza's looking for work. It's been very frustrating to say the least!

As for the paperwork, yes you have to show a lot of proof! They want everything but your first born I joke. I got all the proper paperwork and had no problem getting it. It's been a process but I"m thankful to these programs. I honestly never knew they existed until I was in a rut and freaking out.

Thanks for this post! It made me smile honestly.

originally posted by:Flesh699


I personally know about six people that sell their EBT card "Credit" so they can get drugs. They trade card, get pills or little baggies full of smack. And I live in a small town with three stop lights. It's not hard to get any of this "help," all they have to do is show up within requirement, give required papers, and fill out a few papers, one of these acquaintances now has three kids, and hasn't work a job since her senior year in high-school. We've been out of school for eight years, do the math. After her first kid is the instant she never got another job. The biggest diffculty is waiting in line. I've tried to get help when I "TRULY" needed it and I made too much money, which was an exact 8.25 an hour. Who can live on that? The system is designed in such a way as to reward the people that are lazy scum.

You know 6 out of how many people on assistance? Way to group all together. I'm not saying abuse doesn't exist but there are many who needed and use it the way it should. I KNOW I get assistance now, just started this month and it saved me. I'm far from lazy nor am I scum. How much you get and if you qualify is based on so many different factors. Income, cost of living and so on. Don't group your 6 friends or people you know in with the rest of us.

The system is broken. A simple drug test can and will halt assistance abuse immediately, at least half of it. I guarantee it.

I guarantee you are wrong! Not all people on assistance do drugs. What a stereotype. Here is some information from Arizona.

Ari zona Drug Tested 87,000

The results are thin: According to USA Today, three years after the program began Arizona had tested more than 87,000 welfare recipients. The total number of drug cheats caught was exactly one — a single positive result, which saved the state precisely $560.
Checking in again in March, the Arizona Sonora News Service cited state Department of Economic Security figures which found that over the course of more than five years, "42 people have been asked to take a follow-up drug test and 19 actually took the test, 16 of whom passed. The other 23 were stripped of their benefits for failing to take the drug test."

That adds up to a grand total of three failed tests from 2009-2014. The net savings reaped from withholding benefits for those who either tested positive or failed to complete a drug test was around $3,500, once the $500 cost of testing the 19 is factored in, according to one state agency report. The haul is shockingly unimpressive when you consider the $1.7 million in savings state officials promised when they began the program.

a reply to: mblahnikluver

Thank you so much for your post. Thank you for sharing your story. That took a lot of courage. God bless you! Prayers and hugs.

Never be ashamed to use your benefits! If anyone gives you a dirty look, just smile and tell them to mind their own damn business! People in glass houses shouldn't lob rocks.

I hope and pray things get better for you. It's so hard when you're in a situation like that. People like you are who these benefits are for.

a reply to: mblahnikluver

So true on what you said about drug testing. Florida did that too, and spent way more than any savings from the very low number that tested positive for drugs.

Drug testing people receiving benefits is absolutely ridiculous! I think any state doing that should be ashamed of themselves! Talk about fraud, waste, and abuse!

originally posted by: ChiefD
a reply to: mblahnikluver

Thank you so much for your post. Thank you for sharing your story. That took a lot of courage. God bless you! Prayers and hugs.

Never be ashamed to use your benefits! If anyone gives you a dirty look, just smile and tell them to mind their own damn business! People in glass houses shouldn't lob rocks.

I hope and pray things get better for you. It's so hard when you're in a situation like that. People like you are who these benefits are for.

Thank you!

Nobody knows this but ATS and my apartments. It's embarrassing. My ex did this to us on purpose but it's ok he can't bring me down. I've been through a lot in my life and this is the one time I had to ask for help and boy was it hard! My pride gets in the way when I need help. I've a,was been very resourceful but this time I wasn't and I'm thankful they have programs like this. I never even knew they did!

originally posted by: ChiefD
a reply to: mblahnikluver

So true on what you said about drug testing. Florida did that too, and spent way more than any savings from the very low number that tested positive for drugs.

Drug testing people receiving benefits is absolutely ridiculous! I think any state doing that should be ashamed of themselves! Talk about fraud, waste, and abuse!

Yup I live in Florida and it was a joke. I didn't get benefits at the time. Heck I prefer some green over the meds I'm given but one its illegal here and two it's damn expensive! People assume just because you're on assistance you're some drug dealer loser sitting on your rear. Do those types exist? Oh yes but the majority are not like that and it's frustrating.

I've known people who have used the system and it bothered me because I was struggling and getting denied for months yet they lied on their apps. Here you apply for things like EBT and medical online and they don't verify anything. No wonder you have those who use it when they shouldn't. I don't know if all states are that way but here it is.

I have a friend who makes insane money and can buy all these things yet gets assistance. She just refurnished her kitchen with all new, brand new, appliances and here I am trying to pay rent my ex canceled! I love her to death but when she goes on about the cars they have, work they're doing to their house and trips they go on it truly upsets me because I can't even afford to take my son to the zoo! It's damn cheap but I just don't have it. I want to say something to her about it but I feel it's really none of my business.

I am right now trying to find daycare assistance because it's killing me! I only want it til I get on my feet. I can't look for work if my son is home and it's been difficult. I know the owners of the daycare and have since I was a kid and they've been great about when I pay but I still feel bad. I don't like to owe anyone or be behind in anything. It just sucks right now but I'm working on it!

Thanks for your replies!

originally posted by: ChiefD
a reply to: mblahnikluver

So true on what you said about drug testing. Florida did that too, and spent way more than any savings from the very low number that tested positive for drugs.

Drug testing people receiving benefits is absolutely ridiculous! I think any state doing that should be ashamed of themselves! Talk about fraud, waste, and abuse!

Yup I live in Florida and it was a joke. I didn't get benefits at the time. Heck I prefer some green over the meds I'm given but one its illegal here and two it's damn expensive! People assume just because you're on assistance you're some drug dealer loser sitting on your rear. Do those types exist? Oh yes but the majority are not like that and it's frustrating.

I've known people who have used the system and it bothered me because I was struggling and getting denied for months yet they lied on their apps. Here you apply for things like EBT and medical online and they don't verify anything. No wonder you have those who use it when they shouldn't. I don't know if all states are that way but here it is.

I have a friend who makes insane money and can buy all these things yet gets assistance. She just refurnished her kitchen with all new, brand new, appliances and here I am trying to pay rent my ex canceled! I love her to death but when she goes on about the cars they have, work they're doing to their house and trips they go on it truly upsets me because I can't even afford to take my son to the zoo! It's damn cheap but I just don't have it. I want to say something to her about it but I feel it's really none of my business.

I am right now trying to find daycare assistance because it's killing me! I only want it til I get on my feet. I can't look for work if my son is home and it's been difficult. I know the owners of the daycare and have since I was a kid and they've been great about when I pay but I still feel bad. I don't like to owe anyone or be behind in anything. It just sucks right now but I'm working on it!

Thanks for your replies!

what progress ( grimace ) democracy electronic cards for rogue. Stalin raised 2 times from the ruins of the Soviet Union after the gang of US citizen Trotsky 1917-1929 Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and canceled cards (1941-1947)
for food and industrial products
December 14, 1947 подробней grachev62.narod.ru... while the Soviet people ( red blood ) endured incredible horrors and hardships , blue blood were other problems in the besieged Leningrad where take fierce dogs and be able to safely continue to change the crust of bread for gold

a reply to: ChiefD

ChiefD...I have a few questions if you don't mind. First, I completely understand the the majority of people who receive benefits are justified and I believe the various agencies (in general) do a good job. So here we go.

1. When a person does milk the system, how with all the verification you mention does that happen? Obviously lying is involved but are falsified documents part of that? And if so...are these people arrested and tried for committing fraud and stealing from the public and the system?

2. I would think that the six month window of collecting without verification is a bit long. Is there a reason that it isn't more often...do they have to check in to clarify if they have been seeking work...etc.

3. How is the following example of a situation I see all the time policed by your agency? A woman drives to Walmart in her brand new 2015 car, buys groceries and pays with an EBT card and then separately buys a 60" flat screen TV for cash. The obvious assumption here is that if she can afford a new car payment and a 60" flat screen TV...she probably doesn't need help with groceries.

4. The perception of many is that the government throws our money away to "the poor" and doesn't police the system as well as they should. What would YOU suggest to fix the problems that obviously exist so only the people who should receive help...do receive help and in turn, fix the perception.

5. Here is the tough one. What percentage of people getting assistance do you believe don't need it, aren't trying to get out of the hole they are in or outright milk the system. I'll guess up front just for fun. I would guess 5-10%. A number to me that is way too high.

6. And finally...are you speaking of your experience from working in a rural area, a city or what? Just for a better understanding of the demographic of your experience.

Thanks

Thanks for this thread ChiefD, very good info and topic I can very much relate to.

I'm on food stamps, I make barely more money each month at my part time job to cover my super low rent. My job is simple now and allows me time and energy to pursue my art career. I've worked my butt off for almost 30 years of my life, but don't feel entitled to this assistance. It's simply the only way I'm going to be able to die a happy man, having pursued my talents and dreams, trying to bring my magic to the world.

My other path was leading nowhere. The path of following a path of ample money, and illusionary rewards. The tech industry I was working in was either outsourcing my job, or automating it completely. The pay was dropping like crazy too, so I got out and went in a simpler direction. But I have experience contracting and collecting unemployment while I find the next gig. Without it I would now be on the street.

People who have never filed for unemployment or collected food stamps should really understand how degrading it is to apply and collect this assistance, but to be 'schooled' by this system with the endless hoops you have to jump through, makes you feel pretty small. They all add up to make you feel moire stupid and less secure about your future. I have learned to have thick skin, and just move on and realize this is a temporary phase as my real passion starts to pay off.

a reply to: Aliquandro

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It took a lot of courage for you to do so. I wish I could give you 50 stars!

Yes, there are so many hoops to jump through, and it really is degrading and humiliating what they make you go through to get the benefits. I think about this every day, and I frequently need to take five to sob for a bit and then collect myself and move on.

God bless you! Best of luck in pursuing your dream. You have my prayers. People need to hear these stories.

a reply to: Aliquandro
I'm glad that you feel you will die a happy man.

However, I don't care for the fact that you will do so on my dime.

Harte

a reply to: Harte

I feel your remark was really rude and uncalled for. Please stop trolling in my thread. Thank you.