You are clearly much better versed on this topic than I am. I don't claim to know the exact criteria used by my own state, much less other states. I do know that at any given point in time, I am working with 50-80 families, with many of them being generational users of public assistance. Most of these mothers are no longer receiving monetary benefits for themselves, but they are receiving from $96 to $160 per child per month. Each child gets their own check, with the mother usually as the payee. Although that amount is influenced by the number of children they have, they are still showing an overall increase per month when they have additional children.
Regarding the food stamps (fs), families of 4 in my caseload are typically receiving approx. $600 per month if their only "income" is public assistance, ie; AFDC and public housing (either in a public housing apt. complex or Section 8 housing). When the court grants custody of a child to a relative, we always give a certified copy of the court order to the new custodian so that they can enroll the child in school, get medical treatment, etc. The one place where they never need that certified copy is at the food stamp office. Our local fs office has stated that they are not concerned with whether the person receiving the fs has legal custody, they are only concerned with the number of people who are reported to live in the household. They do sometimes (rarely!) do their own investigation into reported cases of welfare fraud and if they find fraud, the household can be restricted from receiving fs at all for an extended period of time.
In my experience, most people who are cheating the system are only too happy to share their "skills", if they do not believe that you are a direct threat to their benefits. There are small mom and pop type stores all over my city where they can use their fs debit card to acquire cigarettes, alcohol, and even cash. A carton of cigarettes typically cost them $50-$55 dollars in fs. However, since they are not strictly required to show proof of household composition, they can be receiving enough fs to easily allow them to use enough of their fs for these type of purchases on a weekly basis.
Welfare fraud is happening every day in my state, as I suspect it is in all states. Our current system is not even curbing the problem. I don't know the answers, but I know we must find a way to stop the theft without allowing children to go hungry. Because child welfare is my field, I can never advocate for allowing a child to go hungry.
As I said, I don't know where we begin to stop welfare fraud, but I know that it won't be with me if it must be done at the expense of the children in my caseload.
OK. If they don't go on BC (him or her), then abstain from "the deed". I'm sorry I wasn't more "PC" for your sensitivities, but that's the cold hard facts. We know what causes a woman to get pregnant. It's very easy to prevent. I just love all the excuses people make for a woman getting pregnant that apparently isn't her fault and someone else needs to pick up the tab for their irresponsible actions.
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) then it's likely foster care in which there would be separate checks for each child (and depending on weather there is a degree of difficulty status for the child then the check amounts could vary).
