Fun with WIC/EBT

[Lehk]

She once let a friend borrow her EBT card and spend $20 on it if that friend would give her $20 in cash for a bag of weed. Yes, I'm serious.

There's gracious, good-hearted people like my friend, and then there's scamming types like my ex-coworker.

that is why welfare, WIC, and Benefit cards/EBT/foodstamps programs should come with random drug (hair test) screenings. people using the programs as intended would have more money available from the budget with the freeloaders removed. if you can afford your sack of weed you don't need government help for food.

I'm not even anti-drugs i just think that government aid should be for those who need it rather than those lacking the self control to buy what they need and forego what they want till they can afford it.

[Primer]

government aid should be for those who need it

In my area, government aid is only for women who are pregnant and/or have kids already.

When I was a full-time student, making way below poverty level, I applied for temporary assistance. I was told I'd have to drop out of school AND get pregnant before I would even be considered. That was the last semester I attended school full time. Neither dropping out nor getting pregnant was an option for me. I'm not too proud of some of what I did do to survive the rest of that semester, but "obviously" I did not need aid.

[Lehk]

In my area, government aid is only for women who are pregnant and/or have kids already.

I was told I'd have to drop out of school AND get pregnant before I would even be considered.

that is f***ing ridiculous. anyone acting to improve their situation should be first in line for aid because they will need it for less time and put it to good use.

[Becks]

that is f***ing ridiculous. anyone acting to improve their situation should be first in line for aid because they will need it for less time and put it to good use.

But that would mean that is MAKES SENSE. That's a big no-no in the real world nowadays.

[karma_gypsy]

So, dealing with WIC and EBT, I'm sure most of you know about the beginning of the month rush? We'll at least here where I live we get it pretty bad, unfortunately this town thrives on the beginning of the month, meaning, Disability checks, Welfare checks, Child Support, EBT and all that get sent out/refilled etc.

There are those out there who do know how to spend their government granted money, then there are those who simply live off it, they blow it at the beginning of the month and live poorly the rest of the month. . . It's sad, really, considering that money is mainly to support children (we'll, except the disability - which some people have figured out a way to abuse), but the money ends up going to, like everyone's saying, junk food and drugs.

I've got a story though.
We're were standing behind this nicely dressed couple in line, they purchased a substantial amount of food with their EBT card. I can't remember exactly what they got, and it was just the couple, no kids were present.
We were rang up and we went out to parking lot only to find the couple were loading up their groceries in a very, very nice (and probably very spendy) sports car. Could they have borrowed it? I'm not quite sure, unless they're very thrifty with their money . . .

[LadyMage]

There's people that need it and there's the people that scam it.

I see both on a regular basis. The scammers seem to be coming in a much bigger propensity than the people that need it because they make the biggest hissy fits at the checkout lines. I've witnessed many a stereotypical "babymomma" paying for junk foot with EBT and then throwing a fit because something or other isn't for EBT purchasing ...and as an insult to injury, throwing it all in a Beemer or Cadillac.

But really...I'm facing the same barrel and may have to go on medicaid since 1. my income doesn't cover and 2. once the divorce finalizes, I'm w/o insurance and 3. I'm an independent on my taxes. I'm, basically, screwed unless I do.

So it's a matter of where, who and how - most people that get aid that need it usually don't do what the welfaeries do.

I would personally love for the welfare system to be audited, but that'd take enormous money and effort.

[Sacknahalf05]

Oh yeah, been there. My (now ex-husband) and I went to apply for some kind of aid after the birth of our son, due to his losing his good job and taking a fast-food position just to have some income, and losing my income (I worked up to 3 days before my son was born). What I heard from that social services worker that day just about killed my faith in humanity. The woman told us that since he had a job, they were unable to offer us anything, but if he were to quit his job (this is where she went hypothetical on us) there were many things she could offer us, such as an apartment, food stamps and grants for schooling.

However, let's switch gears here. My mother (whose only major medical issue is an acute case of leadintheassitis) has been receiving food stamps for well over 10 years now, and had a government apartment for 4 years (where she got a monthly check to pay the utilities), that she actually only lived in for the first 8 months or so. Weekly visits to the emergency room for things as simple as headaches, I could go on. She may work 1 month out of the year, just to get that child deduction on her taxes and get upwards of a 1000 dollar refund.

Makes you sick, doesn't it?

[Lehk]

I would personally love for the welfare system to be audited, but that'd take enormous money and effort.

it needs more than an audit.

the entire system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, however the challenge is doing this "hot" since you can't just say "sorry kids no food or electricityfor 6 months while we revamp social services"

i believe 40 hr/week job training should be required for welfare benifits that way people

A: won't become trapped in the system due to no recent job experiance or skills

B: would not gain free time by being supported by government programs instead of supporting themselves.

if we base the training programs on what local employers need we help the local economy twofold, by reducing the number of long term welfare recipients and improving the overall workforce. this also gives more dignity to anyone who must take welfare to support their families due to having somewhere to be and work to do in the training programs. i have seen the effect of years of "free time" on someone and it really does break both your ambition and your self esteem.

[Ringtail Z28]

So, dealing with WIC and EBT, I'm sure most of you know about the beginning of the month rush? We'll at least here where I live we get it pretty bad, unfortunately this town thrives on the beginning of the month, meaning, Disability checks, Welfare checks, Child Support, EBT and all that get sent out/refilled etc.

At the Target I used to work at we would refer to the first of the month as "Welfare Day". It was in a poor neighborhood too, so we would expect to get slammed whenever it came up.

I've got a story though.
We're were standing behind this nicely dressed couple in line, they purchased a substantial amount of food with their EBT card. I can't remember exactly what they got, and it was just the couple, no kids were present.
We were rang up and we went out to parking lot only to find the couple were loading up their groceries in a very, very nice (and probably very spendy) sports car. Could they have borrowed it? I'm not quite sure, unless they're very thrifty with their money . . .

More than likely it was their car. You would truly be amazed at what a lot of welfaires own. I see it everyday at the welfare office I currently work at. Blinged out, tacky looking Escalades seem to be really popular lately, along with Jaguars and Minis. A lot of this has to do with fraud or people who simply can't handle their money properly. Many own these expensive cars, designer clothes, plasma screen TVs and things like that yet are horribly in debt and live in a dump.

[staticradio]

WIC is usually easy when the computer prompts you if something is not in the approved list. EBT can be annoying when people think they can pay for a $200 bill with only $50 left on their account. I get a good chunk of these people who are amazed there's a remaining amount that has to be paid either in cash, check, debit, blood, et al. (well, not blood ).

[coop52]

Where I live, every Thursday is Welfare Day, so today over half of my customers had EBT cards. Fortunately, the vast majority were really nice customers. Unfortunately, our card readers don't read the majority of EBT cards for some reason, so if it doesn't slide we have to punch in the account number. Any card that needs to be punched in needs an override, so all us cashiers spend a few minutes per purchase waiting on people with override keys to come to us. Meanwhile, our lines are getting bigger and bigger. We stayed pretty busy from just after five until closing time. Normally, it's dead after seven. This is why I HATE working Thursdays.

[Lehk]

Unfortunately, our card readers don't read the majority of EBT cards for some reason, so if it doesn't slide we have to punch in the account number.

it would be nice if they would use a barcode or 2D barcode system much less likely to be damaged and with a 2D barcode (the ones that look like random noise) you can encode a ton of redundant data so if only a little bit is left undamaged it can be read with no problem

[Barefootgirl]

A lot of this has to do with fraud or people who simply can't handle their money properly. Many own these expensive cars, designer clothes, plasma screen TVs and things like that yet are horribly in debt and live in a dump.

Over here the people who live on benefits but appear to "live large" are doing one or more of three things;

a) living entirely on credit - store cards, credit cards, Fat Stan the Loanshark's friendly Handouts With A Smile. i don't know if this is a significant issue in the US, but certainly in less well-off areas here, there are sharks that go door-to-door loaning people money at extortionate rates of interest (can be upwards of 500%). A few people can pay it off, but of course the majority can't, so Fat Stan lends them more and more...and so it goes on. Of course if they can't pay, that's when he stops being Fat Stan everybody's friend, and sends in his men with baseball bats.

b) simple fraud - defrauding the benefit system and lying about the things they qualify for, pretending to be disabled at assessments, etc

c) flat-out crime. An AWFUL lot of the people you see who are apparently living on benefits but are driving round in flashy cars are criminals, pure and simple. They may be burglars, or drug dealers, or shoplifters, or kiters, but they are all criminals. I may wish i had the material assets that some of these people have, but at least I don't have to worry about the knock on the door at 4am.

[stickycoins]

It's all about the bling and some people will do anything for that. We only take cash, but I lost count of what I have seen in the grocery lines here. Yes, some are truly deserving, especially the young military families. Believe me, they DO qualify for aid. Those are the ones I see getting what will provide them good meals. The rest load up on soda, chips, TV dinners, and pure junk. They are usually well-dressed, designer nails, lots of jewelry, equal amount of kids. And driving nice cars. I just don't get how they can afford a new car but still qualify for EBT. At one time, I tried to get it but I made too much money($12,000 a year!) but they didn't take bills into account or after taxes. That's waaay below poverty here for one person. It seems to me the ones that really need it can't get it because of the frauds that do. They know how to work the system from generations before them. It's passed down.

[pbmods]

-During my very first week as a cashier I had a lady come through my line and spend the whole time talking to my bagger about the new pool she just got. When it came time to pay, she used an EBT card. I remember thinking that she could have easily bought groceries had she not gotten her stupid pool.

I thought to be eligible (at least in Illinois) for EBT, your total assets must be worth less than a ridiculously small amount (something like $1000, depending on your income).

A pool?? WTF? Somebody's been lying on her application....