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Oakland, CA 94612
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| Nutrition Action Alert | July 7, 2009 |
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Fairy Tales, Fraud, and Food Stamps
For those of you who have been following our updates on budget developments, you'll remember that a few weeks ago we reported on one positive development from the current horrible budget mess: the budget conference committee voted to eliminate finger imaging for food stamps and CalWORKs.
But, even though the Legislature passed this budget, the Governor has yet to agree to this deal. In fact, recent statements from the Governor suggest that he not only wants to keep finger imagining for cash assistance and food stamps, but EXPAND it to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS provides help to low-income elderly, blind, and disabled). See this recent article from the Sac Bee's Capitol Alert and a webcast with the Governor on this issue.
As readers of this alert and long-time food stamp advocates know, the Golden State's experience has shown that finger imaging for food stamps is unnecessary, costly, and harmful to low-income Californians' ability to participate in the program. Expanding this flawed history to IHSS is sheer folly.
ACTION ITEM!
We've put together this lighthearted one-pager that effectively captures the serious downfalls of this finger-imaging strategy.
Share this with your colleagues and listserves and urge them to:
Call the Governor (916.445.2841) and urge him to accept the Legislature’s plan to save millions to by ending finger imaging for food stamps and to abandon his efforts to fingerprint blind, elderly, and disabled Californians receiving IHSS.
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In this issue:
Oppose the Governor's Cuts to CalWORKs
Our friends at the Western Center on Law & Poverty (WCLP) have circulated their letter opposing the Governor's latest CalWORKs proposals. While the Governor has backed away from his outrageous proposal to completely eliminate cash assistance to low-income families with children, his latest set of proposals would effectively eviscerate the program.
In addition to pointing out the flaws of the Governor's latest proposals, WCLP's letter also debunks many of the myths and falsehoods of the Governor's recent statements at a press conference and his recent op-ed in the LA Times.
ACTION ITEM!
The action steps for this are similar to the action for the food stamps alert item on the left. Call the Governor (916.445.2841) and urge him to drop his latest CalWORKs proposals and accept the budget conference committee's proposal.
Coming Soon to a County Near You: No Asset Test for Food Stamp Applicants with Children!
The implementation period for AB 433 has begun! As readers of our alert may recall, AB 433, which passed last year, allows California counties to use categorical eligibility to process food stamp applications thereby eliminating the asset test. (The asset test limits eligibility to those households with less than $2000 in savings.)
CA Department of Social Services has recently issued this All-County Letter regarding “modified categorical eligibility.” Unfortunately, for now, the policy change is limited to households with children even though AB 433 allowed the asset test to be removed for ALL applicants.
This means that households with children will be eligible for food stamps even if they have resources greater than $2,000. The asset test will not be used for eligibility in those households, but all other rules apply. This policy change will allow households with children that have recently lost jobs to get the food assistance they need without having to first deplete their savings. Research demonstrates that building savings is a key strategy to getting out of poverty.
The effective date of modified categorical eligibility will be different in every county, but all counties must implement by January 1, 2010. Call your local county office to find out when they will have their systems ready to implement this policy change. Spread the word by distributing this flier!
New Food Stamp Application Process for Foster Youth
CA Dept of Social Services (DSS) has recently issued this All-County Letter (ACL) providing guidance on a new process to enable a more streamlined application for foster youth aging out of foster care. John Wagner, Director of DSS, describes it by saying, “the new process does not change eligibility requirements or use new forms, but encourages a single point of contact for processing foster youth food stamp applications.” For more information, refer to the ACL.
Be sure to check out School's Out... Who Ate? 2009, CFPA's annual report on summer nutrition in California. This year's report focuses on the decline of summer school in California this summer and the impact it will have on low-income children's nutritional and academic needs.
CFPA's report on summer food comes at the same time that State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has been pushing the importance of summer food programs for low-income youth, particularly during this economic downturn.
Click here to find a summer food location in your community.
Our friends at the Food Research and Action Center in DC will be releasing their annual summer food report tomorrow. Look for it tomorrow on their website.
In addition to CFPA's report, summer nutrition has been in the news, both here in California and across the country.
"School’s Out, but Many Will Get Free Meals", NY Times"Providing Nourishment", San Diego Union-Tribune "Valley Free Lunch Program Seeks More Visibility", Fresno Bee "Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Break", Washington Post
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Copyright © CFPA |
Contact: kumar@cfpa.net
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