Tax credit, food-stamp increase take effect today
Millions of Virginia will begin to feel the effects of the federal economic stimulus package today, as tax credits start to show up in paychecks and benefits rise for food-stamp recipients.
A tax credit amounting to $400 a year for most workers will benefit more than 2.9 million Virginians. The credit will reduce the taxes withheld from most workers' paychecks by about $13 per week this year and $7.70 next year. Today is the deadline for employers to begin implementing the credit as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The law, proposed by President Barack Obama and adopted by Congress earlier this year, also mandates a 13.6-percent increase in food-stamp benefits that takes effect today. In Virginia, the increase will benefit more than 608,000 people living in more than 280,000 households. Virginians will receive an estimated $355 million in additional benefits over the next five years.
The maximum monthly benefit for a four-person household will increase by $80 a month, from $588 to $668 under the change. The typical household receiving food stamps will see an increase of about $32 a month.
The program also will get a new name today -- the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP. The change will not affect the benefits of program participants.
-- Michael Martz
Reader Reactions
qhgirl, it’s quite difficult to get medical disablity - and it isn’t “real good money per child.“ If they’re telling you its lots, they’re BSing you - they have other income from somewhere (legal or otherwise.)
browneyes, maybe you should think - the people who are getting assistance are even poorer than you are.
The reason you can’t get assistance is because, to be eligible, you have to be even poorer than you are.
M&P, if you try to live on rice, you will die. People - especially growing kids - need a variety of foods, not just rice.
Eating rice all the time does not mean a person can live on just rice.
Checking math its more like 15,700 calories per person per day.
A 50lb bag of rice has 504 servings of 170 calories each.
Costco sells 50lb bags of rice for $30.
$668 would purchase 22 50lb bags.
504 servings per bag * 170 calories * 22 bags = 1,884,960 calories
Yes. 1.884 million calories
That is 21,000 calories per person per day for a family of 4.
This is why you can get fat on food stamps.
My next door neighbor was a VMI grad doing dentistry at MCV, and he at rice all the time. And the boy was ripped.
more foodstamps is the last thing we need to be giving out. The foodstamp program is so abused and its sad because the individuals who need the assistance the most like people who have been paying taxes for years who recently suffered a loss of family income! Are the people who can not qualify to get the assistance. Then you have the people who know how to lie and flimflam the system that are getting benefits that they are not intitled to. Recently due to cuts in production my family lost part of its income so I go down to apply only to be told that although we had loss half of the income that comes into a household of 5 in which both partents have been paying taxes for the past 20 years plus we did not qualify for any assistance not even food stamps. Government assistance what a JOKE!! The people who pay the taxes to help keep these so called programs working are the very ones who in their times of need can not turn to these programs and get ANY assistance!!
I can’t believe the audit captured the true “abuse.“ Sure, in the audit, they may have only found fraud in 2% of the cases, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of people on various programs that truly could be living independantly if they got off their tails. That is what most of us feel is abuse.. sure you can sit back and do nothing and you will qualify.. that is not going to flag the audit since by your own inaction you meet the criteria. The medical disability issues (esp mental) is something people have learned can be their ticket to ongoing funds and for real good cash money per child. I know a family that the father (not husband though) is on disability.. so is a kid.. they bring in more cash to that household than I have. You ought to see their house at Christmas.. looks like a toys R us exploded.. sure is different than what my stepkids get.
The welfare system is without a doubt the most abused entitlement program in the country.
Citing all the rules and regulations (which are easily accessed on Google)
mean absolutly nothing in actual practice.
I have several friends who are social welfare workers and the reports of the ultra sophisticated schemes designed by recepients to bilk the system are appalling.
Everythig (justme) mentioned is indeed correct and right on the money as it were.
We should include SCHIP and Medicaid into the mix. There are many private and religious organizations who also provide services.
And illegals certainly benefit from all or most of these hand-outs.
All the rules and regulations in the world are of no use without oversight and regulation.A bloated corrupt system slated to get bigger and more inefficient is a money pit for the wage earning public.
VirginiaGal2: you say you get your information from those who work with recipients. That explains why the system is so completely broken. Even the people in charge of monitoring it are clueless. For as many examples as you list, there are ways to beat the system and it is indeed possible to say on government assistance for as long as you wish. Need more money after your child reaches age 5? Perfect timing! It’s time for little Johhny to go to school and play the ADHD game and get another check. I know one teacher who has a parent with 4 kids getting a check for each one. And we’re not talking a check that goes to a physician or pharmacist - it goes straight to the parent to be cashed under the assumption that it will be used for the intended purpose. Right. No WIC? No problem - your school-aged child can just get free lunch. And the school is not allowed to question your application (so much for reporting it). Oh, and they can’t question the fact that your baby’s daddy lives with you and also draws assistance either. After all, you’re not married. Don’t qualify for medical assistance? Just go on down to MCV’s emergency room next time you have a sore throat. They can’t refuse you treatment. In fact, tell them your throat is so sore you need pain medication and then sell that on the street to pay your BabyPhat handbag or the Pick 6. If you do get bill just don’t pay it. They’ll write it off. Audit? No problem - get a construction job and take your pay in cash so there is no income to report. It’s a win-win for you and your employer - there’s your 75% that don’t make the audit. This also solves that nasty social security number problem.
And finally VirginiaGa12: Maybe your food bill is so high because you’ve been swallowing too much socialist propaganda.
Citycynic, if you actually know someone who is collecting money fraudulently, WHY HAVEN’T YOU REPORTED THEM?
If her kids are over 5, they are not getting WIC.
She cannot have been on welfare over 5 years, because that’s when the benefits end. There is no ongoing welfare - there’s an inflexible lifetime limit.
Them’s the rules.
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