$1 mil Michigan lotto winner still collecting food stamps

[TheSchragFamily]

Here is what isn't clear to me: let's say you have a newly single mom with three kids. Let's pretend her husband up and leaves and doesn't pay child support for the kids, or it isn't started yet, or what have you. If she was a stay at home mom and has no income, should it matter that she is living in a nice house with a nice car? Do you have to sell down a certain amount of assets before you can qualify? Because if it is based only on INCOME, that would cover a lot more than just lottery winners. It would cover a lot of upper-middle-class people as well. Even a layoff in a family where the dad was still at home might result in no income whatsoever, but they'd still have assets in the house, cars, etc. Right now my dh is technically "unemployed" but we are not hurting financially. Rest assured that we will not be filing for food stamps!

 

[dakcp2001]

Disgusting human being. And the other guy that was on the news for the same thing a few months ago. I am a big fan of karma, and they have got some coming.

This girl is obviously going to be broke again, she has no sense at all. I hope by then the law has changed, and her previous lottery income prevents her from getting anything.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Where's she getting money for lottery tickets?

I can only assume that you don't realize that lottery tickets only cost one dollar. I'll not get fired up because someone on assistance spends one unnecessary dollar.

Well I had the same thought Kaytieeldr did and I WILL get fired up about it. As pointed out by a PP, many, many lotto players (most) seem to buy a lot more than one ticket at a time. And, honestly, even one ticket, is too much IMO if someone cannot afford to buy their own food. If tax payers are paying for your food you have no business gambling with the money you do have. Even with one dollar.

The example in the OP and the other man who won big and kept his bridge card really anger me. People abusing the system (and there are far too many) cost everyone else a small fortune and make it so much harder to keep the help there for those who truly need it

 

[kaytieeldr]

I can only assume that you don't realize that lottery tickets only cost one dollar. I'll not get fired up because someone on assistance spends one unnecessary dollar.

Oh, no. I'm from Massachusetts. We've had "The Lottery" (not to be confused with the intriguing yet disturbing Shirley Jackson short story) here almost 40 years.

While it's possible she only ever bought this one ticket in her life and got extremely lucky, that scenario seems unlikely.

 

[Colleen27]

Part of the food stamp application/requalification process in Michigan is an asset test. One car (up to a point, IIRC) and your primary residence are exempt. Cash/bank accounts and second vehicles/homes are not. But that's a recent change; up until late last year it was based solely on income and one time "windfall" income didn't effect eligibility because of the way change reporting rules are written (for good reason - no sense in closing millions of cases at tax return time only to reopen them a month or two later).

Most likely this woman had her last recertification under the old rules. The asset test has only been in place 3 or 4 months and cases are reviewed every 6 months. The article only said that she won "in the fall" so it is very likely that she hasn't yet had that semi-annual contact form show up in her mail box. When her case came up for that review it would have been closed unless she's going to considerable lengths to hide those assets under other names/social security numbers. But until then her case would remain open.

As far as the rest goes, I can't begrudge someone living in the dismal circumstances that it takes to receive public assistance a small entertainment expense. We don't know how many tickets she bought; I've known a lot of struggling families who spend a dollar a week on a lotto ticket because it is a glimmer of hope in a life largely lacking that. When you can't afford cable or going to the movies or home internet access, much less real recreation like museums, vacations, and such, those little things become a big part of what keeps you plugging along.

And yes, the right thing to do would be to report the income and insist your case be closed, but at the same time the odds against this specific set of circumstances are so slim that legislation and the proposed new cross-checking system to prevent it will likely cost the taxpayers far more than the food stamps provided to lotto winners.

 

[topolino]

Those of you who are saying you hope she is charged with fraud, did you even watch the video? It clearly states that what she is doing is not illegal. How can she be charged with something if she isn't committing it?

Why would you comment on a thread without first gathering all the information that it presents?

 

[PeterPan09]

Those of you who are saying you hope she is charged with fraud, did you even watch the video? It clearly states that what she is doing is not illegal. How can she be charged with something if she isn't committing it?

Why would you comment on a thread without first gathering all the information that it presents?

Because it's more fun to judge people harshly without dealing in facts. Especially if they're poor-because as we all know, if you're poor you've committed some sin that is causing your poverty. You are deserving of only enough food to sustain you while you engage in hard labor.

I'm way more upset about the myriad instances of corporate fraud against the taxpayers that are actually illegal-yet those people get by with a slap on the wrist. (if that) Or worse yet, a pat on the back for being smart enough to "work the system" and grow rich.

What she was doing was NOT illegal. Now that it is known that this loophole exists, let's fix it so it doesn't happen again. And after we're done with that, let's get to work closing some of those other loopholes that allow millions of dollars in what should be taxable income from corporations and individuals to be hidden away.

 

[NikitaZee]

Because it's more fun to judge people harshly without dealing in facts. Especially if they're poor-because as we all know, if you're poor you've committed some sin that is causing your poverty. You are deserving of only enough food to sustain you while you engage in hard labor.

I'm way more upset about the myriad instances of corporate fraud against the taxpayers that are actually illegal-yet those people get by with a slap on the wrist. (if that) Or worse yet, a pat on the back for being smart enough to "work the system" and grow rich.

What she was doing was NOT illegal. Now that it is known that this loophole exists, let's fix it so it doesn't happen again. And after we're done with that, let's get to work closing some of those other loopholes that allow millions of dollars in what should be taxable income from corporations and individuals to be hidden away.

Agree!

 

[lillygator]

Where's she getting money for lottery tickets?

exactly....probably the "cash" side of the food stamp card.

I can only assume that you don't realize that lottery tickets only cost one dollar. I'll not get fired up because someone on assistance spends one unnecessary dollar.

really? She only bought one in her lifetime and WOW it won!

I don't remember exactly. I do remember I had to go every 3 months to redo the paperwork, so I would say yes, I had to redo everything. Papers asked for make and model of your car, do you own a home, do you have a retirement benefit, do you have assests in the bank, farm equipment etc. It was very detailed as I recall.

I only requalifed once, after 6 months the kids and I were in a better place and cs was finally coming in. I hate to give any more specifics since I am old and its been a loooong time ago. I do know that I was specifically told if circumstances change at any time during that time frame of 3 months, oh say I sold my house and profited from it, I had to let them know within 3 working days or something like that. If winning 1mil in Michigan is not enough to change your circumstances, I don't know what it. How can it not be consdered 'income' whether she is working or not. She has to file taxes since she PAID taxes correct? Sounds like anyone in MI who is making a mil or less in income deserves a food stamp card at this point. I can't imagine this whole thing is the correct and honest way it is done.

Kelly

did they actually CHECK or did you fill out and they assumed it was all correct? I wonder if the state goes through and checks everything.....

Those of you who are saying you hope she is charged with fraud, did you even watch the video? It clearly states that what she is doing is not illegal. How can she be charged with something if she isn't committing it?

Why would you comment on a thread without first gathering all the information that it presents?

I watched the video ...it may not be ILLEGAL but ETHICAL? come on...she knows...

 

[lillygator]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/0...fits-141935620/#ixzz1oW1eiqjJ?test=latestnews

good!!
hope they do find criminally....since she was required to notify them within 10 days of asset or income changes....

 

[Free4Life11]

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/d...oklet_and_Assistance_Application_242170_7.pdf

Page 9 of the booklet clearly states that a change in assets must be reported within 10 days of the change.

 

[lillygator]

"I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn't, I thought, maybe, it was OK because I'm not working," Clayton said. "It's hard. I am struggling."



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/0...tamps-loses-benefits-141935620/#ixzz1oXKTFutx

really? struggling with $500k? I think if you are recieving benefits, you should have to reapply every 6 months and the state should be fully checking out the assets, etc.....she needs to get off the couch and get a job.

 

[Colleen27]

exactly....probably the "cash" side of the food stamp card.

Probably not. There are 16 million American households receiving food assistance, while only 1.7 million receive cash assistance*. Most food stamp recipients have other income, whether from work, disability, pension/social security, or child support; it just isn't enough to be above the qualification threshold (which is 130% of the poverty level).

* In the interest of total honesty, these are 2009 numbers because those are the most recent I have on hand. 2010 stats are probably available online somewhere by now but I'm not going looking for them.

 

[janey99]

I can only assume that you don't realize that lottery tickets only cost one dollar. I'll not get fired up because someone on assistance spends one unnecessary dollar.

Ha ha, except they're probably not spending only a dollar. In my grocery,the return counter is the same as the lottery counter, and I was returning wrong sized pullups and got behind two guys who were orderlies at the local hospital. It was a Friday (paycheck AND lottery day!). One of them bought **$78** worth of lottery tickets. I don't think it was a one time thing either, since all the different tickets had different codes or something, and he was there for 10 minutes telling the cashier to "double it" "box it" "circle it" "flip it" AND he also bought about 25 scratch offs which he knew by name.

The woman behind me said "if he SAVED $78 every week, it would be LIKE winning the lottery at the end of the year!

 

[dzorn]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120308/METRO/203080386/1409/rss36

FYI she has been cut off.

Denise in MI

 

[lillygator]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120308/METRO/203080386/1409/rss36

FYI she has been cut off.

Denise in MI

yes, and being investigated.

 

[sbell111]

One of them bought **$78** worth of lottery tickets. I don't think it was a one time thing either, since all the different tickets had different codes or something,

In my last job, a number of us pooled our money and played the lottery sometimes. Often times, I would volunteer to be the one running the pool. As the grand prize grew, more and more people would join the pool and people would tend to gamble more (although few people put in more than $5). There were weeks when I bought over 100 tickets. I suppose that an outsider who saw me make the purchase would think that I was being super wasteful.

 

[Geoff_M]

This woman is the poster child of our growing "entitlement culture".

 

[momto2girls]

This woman is the poster child of our growing "entitlement culture".

 

[hereyago]

Glad it's being investigated. SHE knew she was no longer "legally" supposed to get the food stamps any longer, then she wants to play the "i didn't know card" right sure.