Newspaper Page Text
ST
W " 2
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Houston Department of Family and Childrens Services (DFCS) food stamp
eligibility caseworkers Lynn Shelton (L) and Pauline Honeycutt persue a food
stamp application filed by HHJ News Editor Joe Hiett last week. Lynn is
stationed at the Perry office, Pauline in Warner Robins. Each food stamp ap
plication is carefully checked out before authority to receive stamps is issued.
Applications Explained
Food Stamps Here
Help Perry Poor
(EDITOR'S NOTE: HHJ
News Editor Joe Hiett
"applied” tor food stamps
last week, in order to gam
material for this article.
The following is an account
of how persons can apply
for the stamps, and the
procedures which are
followed.)
Usually people in
terested in obtaining food
stamps tirst telephone the
Department of Family and
Children's Services at its
Perry office, which in
reality accomplishes
nothing other than gaining
(he information that an
application must be made
in person So the applicant
walks into the offices at
1210 Washington Street,
where he (or she) is
greeted by a receptionist
Then the applicant walks
into one of several small
offices, where a food
stamp eligibility
caseworker elucidates
necessary information
In Perry, Supervisor ot
the food stamp Eligibility
section is Agnes Hardy In
Warner Robins the
Supervisor is Emory
Fullinglon They supervise
the caseworkers who take
applications.
After all preliminary
information (such as
name, age, and residence)
is obtained, the applicant
must furnish ALL financial
information on him and his
family The entire
household's income (man,
wife children, and anyone
else residing in the home)
is totaled to determine
income, and establish
eligibility
ALL sources of income
must be included, and tor
the elderly, this does in
elude any form of
governmental or
retirement income Stock
dividends, savings in
terest and ANY other
income MUST be included
After (he applicant
reports the income, the
D F C.S requires sub
stantiating information,
such as check stubs, or
other data. All income
must be verified
Once the income is
determined, the
V
Medlocks Winners
In HLCC Bridge
Winners of the Thursday
night Duplicate Bridge at
Houston Lake Country
Club were Lois and Milo
caseworkers begin to
explain allowable
deductions from the gross
income (not take home
pay), and it is the net in
come that finally deter
mines whether or not a
household is eligible tor
food stamp assistance
The first deduction is:
ten percent ot earned in
come or training
allowance, but not to ex
ceed S3O per household per
month (In essence, it
monthly income is more
than S3OO, the deduction is
still only S3O 00 )
The second type of
deduction is: all MAN
DATORY deductions trom
income, which include 1)
local, state and federal
income taxes, 2) social
security taxes; 3)
retirement payments; 4)
union dues; and 5) some
types ot garnishments
Also deducted are.
medical costs, exclusive of
special diets, it more than
SIO.OO a month ($lO.Ol or
higher), tuition and
required tees for
education, not including
books, school supplies,
meals at school, and
transportation (This
deduction includes tuition
at private schools.)
Any applicant cannot
have more than $1,500 in
reserve, that could be
diverted into cash in
emergencies This $1,500
limit does not include one
vehicle and the house It
does include second or
more vehicles, stocks,
bonds, cash, and savings.
Another a I lowable
deduction is payments ot
either child or invalid care,
IF the payments are made
to allow a person in the
home to accept or continue
employment.
Court ordered child
support or alimony
payments can be deducted
(Conversely, any people
receiving such payments
must count them as In
come.)
One deduction that is
seldom used is expenses
♦or unusual losses such as
funerals, vandalism,
natural disasters, or theft
The final allowable
Medlock, first place; Polly
and Adna Mohr, second
place; Watson and Stewart
deduction is tor shelter
costs that are MORE than
30 percent of household
income as calculated
AFTER all other deduc
♦ ions Shelter costs in
elude: rent or mortgage
payments, utilities in
eluding one telephone,
electricity, gas, water,
sewerage and heating or
cooking fuel, and all real
estate taxes.
Once the net income is
determined, and verified,
the caseworkers go to a
chart which shows
amounts of food stamps for
number of households, (in
other words, the amount
♦or a one person household,
f*vr person, etc.) A
"sliding scale" is used to
show how much a food
stamp recipient pays tor
his stamps.
One fallacy that needs
correcting is the thought ot
many people that tood
stamps are tree. Almost no
stamps at all are com
pletely free, although in
very, very extreme cases,
they could be without cost.
But the vast majority of
recipients get "x" dollars
worth of food stamps for
"x" dollars payment.
The amount paid tor the
stamps is determined by
the number of persons in
the household. This is why
one family with an income
of, for instance, $7,000,
could be eligible, and
another family with the
same income be ineligible
Assuming an applicant
goes through the entire
process and passes all
qualifying tests, the family
is eligible tor food stamps.
Then the DECS, notifies
by mail, and sends the
applicant a tood stamp
authorization card and an
identification card Both
cards then must be taken
♦o the local Post Office at
the first ot the month,
along with necessary
CASH, where the tood
stamps can be purchased
(This has been part one
ot a two part series ex
ploring tood stamps what
they are and how they are
obtained. Part two will tell
how the program is set up,
and philosophy ot it.)
Richardson, third place;
Frances Manship and
Duane Inskeep, fourth
place; Susan Dunkleberg
and Harriett Story, fifth
place
The Wednesday morning
winners were first, Mary
Ethel Smith and Doris
Hulbert; second, Winnie
Wade and Lois Medlock;
third, Catherine Willis and
Jean Bennett; fourth,
Polly Mohr and Jewell
Smith
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