I pit the Welfare Division (long and slightly lame)

The BBQ Pit
1

I know that $10 an hour seems like a lot for someone who didn’t go to college. I get that. Really. I do. And yes, I could go without a cell phone, except that I signed a contract with Sprint and the fuckers are gonna charge me $200 if I cancel it - and I kinda need it, now that I’m going to be walking to work every day.

I know that Internet may not seem like a requirement to you, except that I need it for both of my jobs. Oh, sure, you could talk about how then I could have my employer pay it, but they won’t, because they’re stingy bastards, and because instead of paying it they’ll just knock that part of my job off and give me $2 less an hour.

I know my laptop isn’t a neccesity. I got the loan for it when I was in a much better financial situation, and I got it to build my credit. I can’t default on it, because then I’ll get dragged to court, AND ruin any chance I ever have of trying to build my credit. It only costs sixty bucks a month anyway, which isn’t that bad considering how much my CAR loan costs (the car, incidentally, I have to get rid of, so I guess I just get to walk my happy ass two and a half miles to work every day - right as it’s getting ready to snow. Thanks a bunch, assholes).

That said - my boyfriend doesn’t even come into the picture here. All of the bills are in my name, as is the apartment. His income is negligible because he got hurt - and before you ask, NO, motherfuckers, he doesn’t qualify for workman’s comp. Besides, where do you get off asking about his income? We aren’t married.

No, I don’t have kids. Don’t look at me like that.

I want to know why I got turned down for food stamps. Do you know how much pride I had to suck down to even apply for them? The idea of being on welfare of any kind horrifies me, but God damn it, I need to eat. Saltines don’t exactly nourish you, now, do they? Why is it that I, who works two jobs and actually attempts to make my own way through life, who actually takes reproductive responsibility instead of spreading my legs to anyone who comes around and popping out with a new baby every year, who actually expects very little from the people around her, who actually knows the meaning of the word “budget” and refuses credit card offers because she knows they’d get her into trouble - why am I being punished, when I know several welfare moms who haven’t worked a day in their life because they just sit around, popping out more babies? I didn’t want much - a little extra food with some actual nutritional content. Not much! Twenty or thirty extra dollars towards food a month would help me so much, I can’t even begin to express it. I’d do it on my own, except that I’m not allowed overtime at either of my jobs.

I’m not asking you to pay my fucking rent. I’m not asking you to pay my utilities. I’m not asking you to give me a huge wad of cash every month that I’m going to blow on drugs and gambling. No. Just some food stamps. That’s it. I’m not going to sell them - I’m too cheap to sell them (the going rate for food stamps is two for one - two foodstamps for one dollar). And HOW DARE YOU act like I should be having kids? Do you think that I am somehow worthless unless I’m pushing out more useless wastes of space that I wouldn’t even be able to feed? HUH? How fucking dare you, you worthless, piece of shit bitch! If I had kids I’d go talk to WIC before coming to try and get food stamps - they’re nicer.

In short, State of Nevada Welfare Division, I hope the terrorists come after you next.

~Tasha

2

Well, I can tell you a few things about the way welfare works in Pennsylvania, with the caveat that it may not work the same ways in Nevada.

First of all, please don’t get angry with the caseworkers. It is NOT their fault. No welfare caseworker in any state has the power to grant benefits if the applicant doesn’t qualify, and there are pages and pages of criteria that they must consider when they review your application. I know for a fact that there are a lot of welfare caseworkers who would be made deliriously happy if they had the power to grant benefits at their discretion, because there are a lot of very unhappy applicants who’ve been rejected for those benefits because of a piddling technicality.

Secondly, they are doing you a favor. Believe that or not, they are. If they were to fudge a figure here or there and get you the benefits, eventually OIG (Office of the Inspector General) will find the fudge and dun you for overpayment, which means you will now owe them the money you got that you didn’t qualify for, and we’re talking actual criminal penalties for not repaying it. And the caseworker will most likely lose their job. Welfare fraud, on either the recipient or the grantor ends, is serious business.

Thirdly, the only thing you might get away with applying for without having your boyfriend included in the equation is medical assistance. For Cash and Food Stamps the entire household has to be looked at unless you have an affidavit that you don’t eat together. Ever.

In short, there are rules that must be followed. If you really want to be angry at someone, aim it at your state government, which made the rules. The caseworkers (and especially the receptionist, who comes into much more than his/her share of the public’s frustration) can’t do a sorry thing about it.

3

You have absolutely, positively, GOT to be kidding. Right? Please?

Otherwise, the “slightly lame” in your thread title wins the prize for Understatement of the Year, Internet Division.

Let’s see, you have a cell phone, internet access, a laptop, a car, an apartment, two jobs, and a [del]shiftless[/del] non-working boyfriend you are probably supporting, and you expect the rest of us to feed you? For the love of God, WHY?

4

Truth to tell, I’d be hard-pressed to find ANY welfare recipient that comes into our office who doesn’t own a cell phone. They’re rapidly becoming as ubiquitous as land lines.

5

Oh, and may I just ask that you NOT wish terrorist attacks on government offices? Most of us are just people like you trying to do our jobs (which, in my case, anyway, is to help people) and constrained by the rules our bosses make up.

6

I realize you’re not married and don’t want to “include” your boyfriend in your financial picture, but if he’s living with you and eating food that you’re buying and his income is negligible, then why doesn’t he apply for the food stamps?

7

24 packs of Raman is always a good dirt-cheap addition to the larder for those that can’t scrape much money together. Ditch the boyfriend if he is not contributing. You cannot afford the luggage. Consider the tried and true, "Mom, can I come home? My first attempt to fly the coop is not working out. "

You do not sound like you are in a good spot; can you optionally get a roommate that actually makes money? Have you any decent chance to develop skills on either job that will allow you to make better money in the future?
How old are you? There is no shame in going back home if it is a possibility. I did so for 2 years after I got out of the Navy at 22. I paid my way slowly through school and saved, saved, saved. I am now solidly Upper Middle Class.

If home is not an option, seek a roommate that makes money. Better your social situation. Clip those damn coupons. You can get through this. Return to the Welfare office with a pleasant attitude, politely explain your situation and ask them what they can do for you or if another organization can help. Be polite and try to get them on your side. Be 100% honest and they will probably try to help you in any legal way they can. I bet the average caseworker at the office gets happy endorphins popping when they get a chance to help a polite young person that has not made terrible life decisions. It probably gives them job satisfaction, which can be hard to come by in many government jobs.

Good Luck,
Jim
Carol Stream: try to show a little mercy, just because this is the pit, is not a requirement to piss on people in bad straights, while tashabot has made some poor financial decisions, none are truly horrible and she is trying to dig herself out and avoid defaulting on loans and remaining a permanent burden of society. She is just seeking a little help in a bad time and was met with red tape she was not prepared for. She is not asking for handouts to stay at home and play video games.

8

jayjay - I’m not mad at the case worker except that she implied that I’m a moron even trying to get help if I don’t have kids. I get that kids are important, but I like not having them because I know I can’t take care of them. I take reproductive responsibility, which means that if I can afford birth control, we use it, and if I can’t, we don’t have sex. That she implied that I should be out there popping out babies like the rest of the welfare mothers pissed me off. Other than that, it’s just government regs. And they took my boyfriend into account, and not the fact that he can’t work right now because his neck is messed up (despite the fact that I brought the doctor’s slip). Actually, he’s working NOW, but he literally just started up again today.

Carol Stream - fuck you, up the ass with a rusty chainsaw. Like I said, if I had known I was going to be in this situation, I wouldn’t have gotten the laptop. I was a lot more financially secure at the time. The apartment is a piece of shit, as is the car (and by the way, the car is only worth $500, but I got suckered into paying $3,000 for it, with a 35 percent interest rate because I have shitty credit - one thing I was trying to remedy with getting the laptop - the car is already broken). I need the cell phone (which is actually really cheap), for reasons I don’t feel like discussing and involve my father. And how DARE you imply that my boyfriend is shiftless? HE GOT HURT (WHICH, you cunt, I mentioned in my OP)! His doctor ordered him nonworking for three months because HIS NECK GOT FUCKED UP. You don’t fuck around with a neck injury. I’d honestly rather starve than risk losing him. My boyfriend diffused bombs in other countries in the Army for people like you, and you come in here and imply that he is being supported by me out of pure laziness? Fuck you. “In good times and bad” means just that. The only reason I have not married this man, who is wonderful to me and has supported me in bad times, is because I am terrified of the concept of marriage. Would you ask a wife to leave her husband because he got hurt and couldn’t bring money in for a few months? I changed my mind - I hope the terrorists come after you.

jayjay again - Alright, I’ll retract that statement to only mean the office of the person who wrote the policy that ten dollars an hour in a place where housing costs $700 a month at it’s cheapest is a lot of money. :slight_smile:

~Tasha

9

tashabot: Please excuse by comments about dumping your boyfriend, but you just provided far more information in your second post to go by then you did in the first post. Sounds like you have a good man there. Can you possibly complete the story and tell us how he hurt his neck?

Sorry,
Jim

10

What Exit?, I am not trying to piss on anyone; I just don’t find the OP to be believable.

jayjay:

That may very well be true. But do they also have the laptop, internet access, car, two jobs, a place to live, and no dependents, and still expect to get food stamps?

11

Jesus, that’s what I get for not hitting preview and checking out the rest of the thread. >.<

Auntie Pam - he doesn’t qualify for food stamps because of some obscure reason that I didn’t understand when the office told me about it. Something about not seeking employment (he belongs to a hiring hall union, he’s not allowed to seek other employment). I’m just annoyed because this woman asked stuff about him she shouldn’t have asked - like “does he hit me” and stuff (which he doesn’t), stuff that doesn’t even apply to welfare. That’s an entirely different department’s job.

What Exit? - I’m 22. I can’t ditch the boyfriend, he’s my best friend, we’ve been together two years, and he got hurt, not his fault (plus, he’s a co-signer on the lease, even though it’s technically all in my name). He does contribute, normally, but like I said, he got hurt, which for some reason the state agencies don’t want to take into account. As much as I’d looooove (sarcasm) to move back into my parents with my cantankerous father, I can’t. They gave my room to a stroke victim friend of theirs when I moved out. And I’m really, really unfortunately proud (I literally had to not be able to afford ramen before I even applied for food stamps). And I am extremely frugal - the laptop was the ONE luxury I allowed myself when I had more money, and it’s come back to bite me in the ass (note to self: nice things are NOT WORTH THE EFFORT - at least, not until you’re making 50,000 or more). I shop bargains, generic brand, and if we don’t need it, I don’t get it. We get a LOT of ramen 'round payday, and things like frozen cheap veggie mixes to mix in with it to try to get ourselves some vitamins. I don’t want a lot, just like an extra thirty bucks or so a month that I can dedicate to real food - milk, bread, cheap ass lunch meats, things like that. Considering my circumstances, I’m doing everything right; it’s just not quite enough. At least the car is going away; as much as I am going to loathe trying to ride a bike in the snow, it’s going to be better than the stress of a breaking-down car.

That said, I’m working on the whole career thing - because I stupidly gave up my chance to go to college, I have to work at what I finally decided I want to do with my life, from the ground up. At the moment, I don’t qualify for enough in scholarships (I have a fastweb account, so I know what I qualify for, unfortunately) to make it worth quitting one of the jobs to go to school. I get lots of experience in my chosen field at the newspaper that I work at, luckily, so hopefully within the next six months I’ll get promoted to reporter and get a substantial raise. I’ve just gotta make it the next six months…

~Tasha

12

That would depend. Is the laptop a new model, or was it bought in better times? Is the internet access paid for or stolen wireless bandwidth or maybe library computer? Is the car a Lexus or a beater? Are the jobs decent-paying or McDonalds/Walmart? Is the apartment like Friends or is it a closet on the third floor of a crack-house?

13

Oh, and Carol, which way would you rather have welfare work: only going to completely indigent people with no chance to actually change their lives for the better, or also going to help people who are trying and just can’t get by? Would you prefer to go back to the days when working at all was grounds for rejection of benefits? Or would you rather pay a bit to keep the larder stocked for people who are going through a rough patch and probably won’t need welfare in 6 months?

14

Wait, when did you move out of your parents’ house? You went from having a decent home to needing food stamps in 3 months?

15

Strange (or not), I have always been much more sympathetic to the working poor than the non-working welfare recipients of the past. I am glad to see that you seem to agree and it is your job.

Jim

16

tashabot, are there any food banks in your town/city? They often have work/trade agreements, where you help fill bags or whatever for a couple of hours and then they give you one of the bags. Most of the clients at our local food banks are working but just can’t afford rent **and ** food and aren’t eligible for food stamps.

Also, does Nevada provide disability insurance? If your boyfriend was off work per doctor’s orders, he should be eligible. It’s usually administered through the unemployment office. Even though he’s back at work, he could be eligible for retroactive benefits. There will be more hoops to jump through, but his doctor’s office should be able to assist him in jumping through them. Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t suggest it to him in the first place. You mentioned the Army, is he eligible for any veteran’s benefits?

BTW, this would make a great story for your paper; these kinds of stories are popular towards the holidays.

17

First of all, from what others have told me, food stamps are one of the more difficult things to come by and yes, the income and resources of every person in the household must be considered.

If your boyfriend was told by a doctor that he must not work for several months, he should look into getting disability benefits. This is NOT the same as worker’s compensation, which is for job-related injuries. Few years ago I had to be out of work for about 6 weeks while recovering from surgery, and I was on disability after 2 weeks. (If the injury were permanent, he could apply for Social Security disability. )

The reason they asked about abuse is that if you were being abused, you might be entitled to housing assistance to help you get into a safer environment.

18

Not that my position as a totem-pole-base-level peon makes my personal beliefs about welfare terribly important or anything. :slight_smile:

19

Are you sure about that?

From her profile:

http://www.gun-slinger.net/us.php

tashabot, You never answered the question. Why did you expect to get food stamps from the government? Seriously, who taught you that? WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), commonly refered to as food stamps, was designed to help mothers in need to feed themselves and their children, not as a giveaway for healthy, able-bodied, lazy, (your own words, from your profile) single adults.

No, it’s not any department’s job to sort out your life for you. The government cannot solve your problems. For your own good, you need to become self-reliant.

20

WTF? So she’s not allowed to have certain interests, in order to be deserving of assistance?

You’re a real piece of work, Carol Stream.

:rolleyes: