WIC or Food Stamps bank statement?

[rparmfamily]

WIC is not considered a welfare program, and does not require bank statements nor do they care about your assets. Proof of income only, such as paystubs. You will need ID and birth certificates for the babies, and proof of residency. I think shot records too.

You'll get formula for the babies, if you are partially breastfeeding you'll also get checks for food.

The income limits for WIC and FS are totally different.

I had a friend who was struggling and got denied FS because they had a paid off (older) car, plus a little bit in savings from their tax refund.

 

[barkley]

Thanks for the info everyone

Funny how the guidelines vary from state to state. I would never have imagined they would!

Dh was supporting all of us. DD18 was finally able to get a job in June, and she makes about $600 a month. I'm sure they will count that and she's so sweet she's already offered to give up her paychecks to help with bills. DS16 has been applying for jobs ever since he turned 16. Nobody has called him. The job search is hard even on the teens right now.

After figuring what we will get in unemployment, we'll be short around $1500 a month after we pay bills. We do have savings that will help for awhile. Guess when we run out we'll start to qualify for help. Hopefully he (or I!) will find something quickly.

please go ahead and apply for both programs. in some cases the income of your kids may be excluded (there are exclusion rules when it's income of a student esp. if the student is still in highschool).

the worst that happens is a denial-but you will know EXACTLY what the denial is based on so that if something changes in that area you can immediatly reapply. the other advantage is that it could tap you into other programs or resources your family could benefit from.

you can also look into programs that might help lower your existing expenses. this is the time of year that allot of utility companies take applications wherein if your income is at or below a certain level for your household size, you get a reduced rate for your usage. the school lunch programs are taking apps. now as well (and if it can create eligibility to free or reduced cost breakfasts/lunches at school that can be a good savings).

 

[Lily111]

Hi! I also have a question regarding food stamps. I understand I have to provide savings/checking account statements. For how many months/years back? I can't find that info anywhere... Thanks!

please go ahead and apply for both programs. in some cases the income of your kids may be excluded (there are exclusion rules when it's income of a student esp. if the student is still in highschool).

the worst that happens is a denial-but you will know EXACTLY what the denial is based on so that if something changes in that area you can immediatly reapply. the other advantage is that it could tap you into other programs or resources your family could benefit from.

you can also look into programs that might help lower your existing expenses. this is the time of year that allot of utility companies take applications wherein if your income is at or below a certain level for your household size, you get a reduced rate for your usage. the school lunch programs are taking apps. now as well (and if it can create eligibility to free or reduced cost breakfasts/lunches at school that can be a good savings).

 

[CPT Tripss]

This site is helpful in getting state by state info . . . http://cfed.org/assets/scorecard/2013/rg_AssetLimits_2013.pdf

Even though eligibility requires for government assistance programs are public information, some states do not publish it on their web sites.

 

[laurafergie]

We were living in Virginia at the time.

My DH was laid off in 2009, we were fortunate that he became employed again quickly, but I did apply for food stamps in the 2 months he was unemployed. A few things have not been mentioned.

During the bank statement look back, they wanted to know what EVERY deposit was. I had been selling extra household things on ebay/amazon and DH had done a few odd jobs for my parents. They wanted a statement from every person that had paid us money for the deposits. We were able to get one from my parents, but obviously the amazon/ebay/paypal payments were a problem. This bigged down the application.

Both of my older girls were seniors in high school. They were working, but the requirement was all adults over 18 years had to be working at least 20 hours a week or be mother to a child under 5, be disabled, or on unemployment. My DDs were not averaging 20 hrs and this bogged things down. Youngest DD was 4.5 years at the time, so the fact that I wasn't working just squeaked by.

Luckily, DH found a job, and so did I and we dropped the application.

 

[bellebud]

OP, I have no advice, just wanted to say I'm so sorry your dh was laid off, and I hope things work out for your family.

 

[SirDuff]

OP, I have no advice, just wanted to say I'm so sorry your dh was laid off, and I hope things work out for your family.

Her husband was laid off four years ago - this is a zombie thread from 2010! Bumped by a first time poster. I wonder if the OP is even still around...

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

It varies by state. Some states count assets while others do not. Connecticut does not count assets or ask for bank statements. they only require paycheck stub, unemployment stub, or child support verification. You can have money in your bank account, a 401k, and own property and still qualify. TANF is totally different.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

i'm retired now but administered food stamps for over 15 years. food stamps are ABSOLUTLY NOT just income based, in fact the majority of applications to this day are denied based on resources (and there's allot of talk at the federal level about this currently).

a food stamp application requires reporting and documentation of a person's income and "resources". resources are all cash on hand, bank acounts, cd's, pension plans, vehicles, and a variety of other properties.

some of the items are exempted from consideration but still have to be reported.

the current federal limit on resources for food stamps is $2000, BUT some states have their own programs in addition to the federal program which might have different criteria (i know idaho was talking a year or so ago about trying to get the feds to let them pilot a program that would raise the resource cap because the number of applicants that were eligible income wise but ended up getting denied because of these resource caps that date back decades was huge-i dont know if they were successful).

if a person does not have current statements then there's a form they can fill out that the worker can send to the bank to get information, but it can delay processing an application.



go to your own state's dss or dhhs website. it will detail out what your state's program is. get the information from the source to ensure you are not disadvantaging yourself and your family from other programs you might be eligible to.


p.s.-be aware, that unemployment earnings are also taken into consideration as well as certain resources owned by your minor children.

Most states have these guide lines. I think MA is the easiest to get WIC, Food stamps, unemployment .... I have friends that went to MA just to claim unemployment because they have one of the highest amounts they can get a month.

 

[barkley]

Hi! I also have a question regarding food stamps. I understand I have to provide savings/checking account statements. For how many months/years back? I can't find that info anywhere... Thanks!

see if your state (or if your state does programs by county-your county) has a website for public assistance-many these days do. rules have changed ALLOT since this thread was originally posted.

generally speaking-most public assistance programs (with the exception of medical based programs-like Medicaid) only need a few months of statements, AND if you don't have them/easy access to them you can sign a form a worker can send to your bank(s) to get the needed information. the real purpose of bank statements is to (1) see what the applicant's assets were on the date of application and ongoing, and (2) track what they've reported as income/expenses (it's pretty telling when someone claims they have x amount of income, but their deposit record shows xxx, and they claim they pay y amount of rent but they have neither bank records or receipts from the purported landlord or mortgage holder).

some states/counties do entirely on-line initial applications these days, and when you do them (as was the case back in the day when I did them face to face) you are immediately advised what verifications are needed and the timeline you have to provide them.