What do you think about SNAP?

MCIL Focus Group: SNAP Benefits and the work requirement

On September 29, MCIL held a focus group to gage the Memphis disability communities reaction to the scheduled change to the Food Stamp Program. There were six participants in the focus group with various disabilities. The focus group started with a brief overview of the news about the addition of the work requirement and who it will cover.

The first question also helped to provide the group with basic information about the new work requirement.

What do you know about the SNAP work requirement?

The group responded with various bits of information about the change. They noted that it did not cover people with dependants and people in school. There was more discussion about what volunteer programs and work programs would exempt people from the requirement. The group knew details about the change, stating that people would not be instantly denied and that the beginning will be delayed.   

The bulk of the discussion was on the “able-bodied” requirement. The group felt that the distinction was aimed at people with disabilities, and that it was not clear. Everyone thought that it cast the disability community as not productive and not included.

How do you feel about the exemption of people with disabilities?

One respondent thought it depended on a person’s level of disability. They thought that if you have an obvious physical disability, you were also tagged with the stigma of the exemption. Another participant felt that all people should be held to the same standard, but the community should be ready to make accommodations that are needed just like in the ADA.

One participant thought that they should take out the term “able-bodied” and make other, more clear qualifications for who would be required to work and who would be exempt.

The group seemed to have a consensus that the exemption also limited the opportunities that people with disabilities would have. One respondent said that it means that “people with disabilities don’t have to try.”

Another participant said that more jobs means more opportunities, but if people with disabilities are left-out here, they will not find opportunities and not find jobs. Someone else pointed out that more jobs for people with disabilities also would mean more accessibility and more information in the community about work and accommodations.

How do you feel about an incentive program: people with disabilities that volunteer, work or are in a work program would get more benefits?

This hypothetical was positively received. One respondent said that volunteering means that person has more needs that are not covered by the job. The volunteer has more needs in transportation, laundry and general expenses. Another person in the focus group said that volunteers also have less time to do housekeeping and shopping. They all thought the incentive was a good idea and that a 100% increase was too much. The group felt that 50% was reasonable. For example, a $50 SNAP benefit would increase to $75 for a person with a disability in this hypothetical program.

What is the biggest employment issue for the community al large in Memphis?

Some things were suggested. The lack of a living wage, the dominance of temporary jobs without benefits and the lack of reliable public transportation. Because there was no clear biggest issue, the group added some other problems they felt the city faces. Getting businesses to come to Memphis was seen as a problem and that can be from education, economy or even transportation.

The focus group stated some specific problems when the question was applied to just people with disabilities. One respondent said that job-placement at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation was a significant barrier for our community. There was however general consensus on this question for people with disabilities. Everyone, at this point, agreed that transportation was the biggest barrier for our community.

To solve this problem the group suggested more job-training and more job readiness. They felt that employers need more info and more options to hire people with disabilities. One participant said that poor education in our community from segregated schools and low expectations of students with disabilities was a barrier for our community. Some of the focus group rethought their feeling that transportation was the biggest barrier and felt that discrimination may be larger of a barrier than transportation.

Food Stamps to begin a work requirement

MCIL’s Timothy Redd is a national panelist

By Timothy Redd
On Feb 21, 2018 the Food Stamp work requirements will be reinstated for most of Tennessee.  Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday that Tennessee will re-establish federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits work requirements in 70 counties for able-bodied adults without dependents.  The work requirement was waived in 2008 during the recession and will continue to be waived for sixteen economically distressed counties.
 
Haslam states it's now difficult to justify the waiver amid record-low unemployment rates and substantial job growth. The governor's office also points out that other states have similarly restored work requirements. The change affects 58,000 of about 1 million Tennesseans on food stamps. The administration says Haslam also will propose legislative changes to reduce welfare fraud, waste and abuse.
 
"According to the most recent census data,” said US Rep. Steve Cohen, “the Memphis metro area has the highest poverty rate of metro areas with at least one million people. We need to be making nutrition assistance more available, not less.”
 
Yesterday my coworkers and I had a discussion about the work requirement with various viewpoints. I would agree with Cohen that we need to make food assistance more available but I also don’t think there is anything wrong with a work requirement. I did notice that people with disabilities are exempt from this requirement.
 
Historically people with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed and that is where the issue is for me. According to the Department of Labor, in 2016, the unemployment rate for the general population was 4.6 percent, but for people with disabilities it was stuck around 10.5 percent. Finding employment for people with disabilities is extremely challenging and if our community could truly take advantage of skill training and employers were more accommodating I think people with disabilities could make our workforce stronger. What do you think?
 
This past Tuesday, September 12, I took part in The American Public Human Services Association Conference’s, Improving Access to SNAP for People with Disabilities panel discussion at the Hilton Hotel.  I shared the panel with Oregon’s Belit Burke, Self Sufficiency Design Administrator Oregon Department of Human Services and Massachusetts Brittany Manini, Acting SNAP Director Department of Transitional Assistance. 
 
My contribution to the discussion was about barriers. It’s hard to schedule transportation for SNAP benefits because waits are so long at the office, kiosk are not accessible, emergency responses for replacement benefits have not been very accommodating to folks with disabilities; these are some of the areas I addressed.
 
Belit Burke shared that for a long time Oregon system had not been the friendliest for people with disabilities. Advocates are a big reason why things have improved. Today Oregon offers same day benefits, program evaluations, feedback on websites, and even focus groups to improve service.

Much has changed in Massachusetts on the heels of a now settled lawsuit. Harper vs Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance was a class action lawsuit brought by disabled clients alleging that the Department violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide clients with disabilities with equal access to Department benefits.
 
The plaintiffs alleged that the Department fails to provide clients with disabilities the special assistance needed to ensure that they can maintain their benefits. Today there are system enhancements, screen prompts and scripts for employees, built in tracking to maintain customer documentation, mobile alerts, and employees assist in filling out paperwork and reading notices through home visits for people with disabilities. The offices now have at least one director of Disability Access in each office whose goal is to keep disability access in the discussions as well as collaborate with community liaisons and other agencies.
 
Massachusetts currently partners with the aging commission and other agencies. There is also an Elder Unit being developed that will cater to seniors 60 and older and also provide a direct line for them to call with no automation.
 
At the end of the discussion I met Lisa Cowell, Tennessee SNAP Director. She informed that she submitted a ticket to have the kiosk lowered which will make them more accessible and she forwarded my information to Shelby County’s Field Management Director Yolanda Shegog-Wright.  Ms. Cowell also advised that Tennesseans can now send emails for a 48 hour response, apply for SNAP benefits online and also take advantage of live chat by accessing the website at https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/article/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap.  

After hearing some of what is happening in other places I am convinced that a better system for accessing SNAP benefits is possible if we as a community continue to speak and make demands when we see barriers.

Food stamps and people with disabilities

Information on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program often called food stamps)

By Timothy Redd

Do you receive SNAP benefits?
If you answered "yes" there are many people in this country that are just like you. In 2013, 49.1 million Americans lived in households struggling with hunger, a stark number which includes 15.8 million children and 4.8 million seniors. Food insecurity is a daily reality for about one in seven households.

What is SNAP?
SNAP is a federal aid program administered by the US Department of Agriculture that provides food assistance to low- or no-income Americans. Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, it now uses a debit card system to distribute benefits, so recipients pay for their purchases with an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card. The amount that households receive depends on several factors, including location, but often averages to about $4 per person per day.

Food and Research Action Center, a hunger advocacy group, has been a prime promoter of the SNAP Challenge. Ellen Vollinger, FRAC’s legal director, said that because the congressional debate often centers around the program’s nearly $80 billion budget, the $4.50 figure is intended to “put in concrete terms” what the SNAP assistance means to ordinary Americans. While the Snap Program tackles food insecurity there are challenges for most recipients and for those with disabilities the challenges are often even greater. 

How many of you have gone to the local Department of Human Services to apply for benefits or re-certify? 
If you’ve had the experience you already know you are in for a long day. Often we as people with disabilities rely on public transit to get around and dealing with the massive crowd of people that frequent the local office. The crowd can be overwhelming and frustrating for many because there is no way in knowing how long the wait may be. People because of their disabilities may have less flexibility in their schedule. Medications, transportation, oxygen and other necessary programs can prevent some people with disabilities from fitting into the open scheduling that the department requires.

Here at MCIL we work with individuals who need assistance in applying for SNAP benefits. As mentioned earlier it’s not always easy and we have found that you must be a good self-advocate and know about the SNAP program to successfully navigate the bureaucracy.
For example, over the past three month a young single mother was in the process of re-certification. She made several trips to DHS to submit requested documentation. To her dismay, after checking on the status of her case she was informed that the information had not been received. Fortunately, each time she went in to submit her documents she had a submission receipt signed to serve as verification that she in fact did turn in the requested paperwork.  

A phone call to a supervisor did eventually re-certify her and she was retroactively paid. However, this is not a story of success, but of near total failure. The re-certification ordeal created an extreme financial hardship for this woman. It turns out, the woman was told, that multiple cases had been submitted by different case workers but none of them knew because the information is not shared.

There are many other challenges people with disabilities face when applying for SNAP benefits, such as: accessing the application in alternate formats and getting assistance needed for those with visual impairments, hearing, and speaking dis-fluency. Also, accessing the service windows are a challenge for many wheelchair users. If you are experiencing challenges with accessing benefits here are some tips that may be beneficial to you.

• When you submit documentation always ask for a receipt and have copies for yourself.
• Let someone know what type of assistance you need in order to apply or re-certify.
• Follow up within a week after submitting documentation to verify it has been received.
• If you miss an appointment or a phone interview be sure to call as soon as possible to reschedule.
• If you don’t receive a call for a scheduled interview contact you case worker immediately.