Since the Great Depression, the United States has offered several different public assistance programs aimed at different groups of people who have different problems or needs. These programs include the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (“TANF”) program, unemployment benefits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP” – more commonly known by its former name: Food Stamps) and Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), which is offered through the Social Security Administration. The purpose, general qualifications and potential pitfalls of these types of public assistance programs will be discussed in more detail below.
The overall purpose of each of these types of general welfare or public welfare programs is to help different categories of individuals achieve a certain standard of living which the United States Congress has deemed is necessary for people living in the country. For many of these programs, that standard is met by providing cash payments (such as the Supplemental Security Income program). Others provide payments but restrict the use of the funds to certain purchases and activities (such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
General Qualifications
To ensure that the proper individuals receive benefits under these different public assistance programs certain requirements and restrictions are put in place to ensure that only qualified individuals’ applications are approved. Although the specific qualifications will vary somewhat, all of the federally-based programs look at two primary things: the household income earned each month and the level and type of assets owned.
For almost all public assistance programs, “income” is broadly defined and will include (to many people’s surprise) any funds you receive through Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”), unemployment insurance, gifts and retirement payments from the Social Security Administration. Most individuals usually assume that SSDI and retirement payments from Social Sec would be somehow exempt. This will not normally be the case.
In regards to assets, some programs will exclude some assets as being “countable” against you. For example, SSI normally does not count one car and the value of your personal residence as assets that make up the limit of what you are entitled to receive. Other programs will consider anything you own as a countable asset towards whatever the asset limit is.
Pitfalls To Avoid
A key pitfall to avoid is assuming that these public assistance programs are “one size fits all” throughout the United States. In many instances, the requirements and standards are all variable based on what state you are in. Yes, these are federally-based programs, but most of them are managed on a day-to-day basis by each individual state’s department of welfare. The state’s hand in the program allows them some flexibility with regards to asset and income requirements.
Another huge problem for applicants comes when they either don’t completely answer a question on the program application or make an answer to a question without fully understanding what is being asked. Incomplete or incorrect answers on the application can result in outright denial at best or, at worst, charges of welfare fraud. Be cautious as you proceed through the application process. The more educated you are about things the better off you’ll be in the long run.
Source: cfda.gov/
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