Should a person be able to use a welfare benefit card to pay bail?

[PotatoChip]

19. EBT cards for food stamp benefits CANNOT be used for cash.

Last edited Wed Mar 26, 2014, 03:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Just food and ONLY food. There seems to be a lot of confusion about this, so let me explain:

EBT cards are primarily for food stamps since all but less then 1% of the assistance goes to people on foodstamps. (I'll get to the less than 1% later.)

For people receiving foodstamp assistance, their EBT cards have a certain amount loaded onto it. My MIL's was $102.00/month. She is not well now, but when she was able to do her shopping w/my assistance, I saw how it worked... There was no cash involved whatsoever. We'd load up her cart with the things she needed. This would include non-food items such as cleaning stuff, toilet paper, ect.

There was no need to separate the items because when it was rung up, the register automatically did it. In other words, that $102.00 went to her food, and her food ONLY... the non-food items had to be paid for w/cash (from her SS). No cash was involved w/her EBT card. Plus there was no way to buy anything other than food because the card would not do it. I really want to make that clear, since people seem to think other things (like cigs, alcohol, ect) can be bought w/them but it doesn't work that way. She was a FS only EBT card holder.

The only way cash comes into play w/an EBT card is if a person is receiving TANF assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). That is the less than 1% that I was referring to... They get their monthly cash assistance (and foodstamps) on an EBT card. That assistance does indeed come via cash, and can be gotten through an ATM. As an aside, the average monthly amount for a family of 3 is $486.00 (I will see if I can find the source. I just read about this the other day in my local newspaper...)

Just wanted to clear that up.

Eta The link I promised in my last paragraph:

All of these bills are related to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a mostly federally funded program administered by the state. It currently helps about 7,500 families, including 12,300 children. The maximum monthly benefit for a family of three is $486. No other program distributes benefits as cash.

It involves about 1 percent of Maine households and doesn’t even cover a majority of children in poverty. As the name suggests, it is a short-term benefit for almost all its recipients, and those who stay on it longer than five years are likely to have a disability or be caring for a family member who is disabled. This is hardly the overgenerous and overused, out-of-control welfare program that its critics claim.

http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/editorials/Our_View__Welfare_bills_move_Maine_in_the_wrong_direction_.html