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Public
Employee Press Food Stamp eligibility
expands
Amid all the bad economic news, one piece
of good news stands out: changes to the Food Stamp Program will help more low-income
families put food on the table.
Food Stamp eligibility for families with
expenses has expanded. Under changes made by Congress and state regulators, higher
income guidelines mean that more families with child care or elder care expenses
are now eligible for food stamps.
Families including some union
families may qualify, even if they were denied in the past.
The
income eligibility for food stamps for families with dependent care expenses has
increased to 200 percent of the federal poverty level from 130 percent.
For
example, a family of three with earned income of $31,680 (180 percent of the poverty
level) and paying over $446 a month for shelter and $400 a month for child care
would not be eligible for Food Stamps without this change. Now this family can
receive $126 a month in Food Stamp benefits, which is equivalent to the cash value
of a 4.7 percent pay raise for someone at that income level.
This
is federal money that will be left on the table if people dont apply,
said Moira Dolan, assistant director of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations Dept.
Families
of four earning up to $44,100 may now be eligible, but because rent and other
variable factors figure in determining eligibility, people who think they may
be eligible should apply, she said.
For more information about the new
income guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions, visit the special
programs child-care page at www.dc37.net.
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