One in Five Americans Participates in Government Assistance Programs Each Month

One in five Americans participates in government assistance programs each month, according to the most recent data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Approximately 52.2 million (or 21.3 percent) people in the U.S. participated in major means-tested government assistance programs each month in 2012,” according to the Census Bureau’s report.

Means-tested programs include Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and General Assistance (GA).

The number of beneficiaries of these means-tested programs has increased significantly over the last decade. According to the Census, in 2004 there were nearly 42 million monthly recipients of these programs. Between that year and 2012, monthly participation increased by 24.9 percent.

In order to qualify for benefits from a means-tested program, an individual or family’s income must fall below a specified threshold.

“Participation rates were highest for Medicaid (15.3 percent) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program (13.4 percent),” the report said. Participation rates were lowest for housing assistance (4.2 percent), Supplemental Security Income (3.0 percent) and TANF, which includes general assistance (1.0 percent).

The Census collects this data by observing the number of months when individuals received benefits from one or more programs and measuring their entry and exit activity.

“Participation in government programs is dynamic,” said Shelley Irving, an analyst with the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division. “The Survey of Income and Program Participation shows how individuals move in and out of government programs and how long they participate in them.”

Most beneficiaries of these programs are dependent on them for up to four years. “The largest share of participants (43.0 percent) in any of the public assistance programs stayed in the programs between 37 and 48 months,” according to the Census. “Additionally 31.2 percent of people participated between one and 12 months between January 2009 and December 2012.”

Via: WFB

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Kansas could lose millions for limiting welfare recipients to $25 at ATMs BY LINDSAY WISE AND DION LEFLER

WASHINGTON — A first-of-its-kind provision that prevents welfare recipients in Kansas from withdrawing more than $25 a day from an ATM might violate federal law, and could jeopardize the state’s federal funding if not amended.

The Social Security Act requires states to ensure that recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, “have adequate access to their cash assistance” and can withdraw money “with minimal fees or charges.”

At stake is about $102 million in TANF block grant funds that Kansas receives every year from the federal government.

The state’s controversial ATM limit was added as an amendment to a welfare overhaul bill signed in April by Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican. The new law also bars welfare recipients from spending their benefit money at certain places, including movie theaters, massage parlors, cruise ships and swimming pools. It also sets stricter eligibility requirements and shortened the amount of time people can receive assistance.

Brownback said in an interview on Friday that he is aware of the possible conflict with federal statutes and that the affected state agencies in his administration are working to fix it.

The governor said he’s open to raising the limit if necessary to comply with federal policies.

“We’ll work with them; it’s a joint program,” Brownback said. “We’ll do what we have to do to work with the federal partnership.”

Via: McClatchey

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Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/05/17/266888/kansas-could-lose-millions-for.html#storylink=cpy