The Snap needs to be used for food only and anyone who is getting benefits needs to be spending it properly. To cut out fraud and abuse, these cards need to have a photo ID on them so no one can be trading food benefits for drugs of any kind/any form. If your not the benefit holder, you can’t use the card. There also needs to be a credit line, and whatever your amount alloted is monthly you can’t ever go over that amount in any given month. If a person is alloted $500 a month, then that’s all your limit will ever be. In order to get the full $500 monthly, you have to spend the full amount in any given month. (Example) If you spend $300 in January, then in February you will only get $300 because you have $200 that you didn’t spent in January and if you only spend $100 in March, then in April you will only get $100 because you have $400 that you didn’t spend in March. This all equals out to the same $500 monthly benefit allotment. If anyone doesn’t use his or her card in 90 days, they need to be dropped from the benefits program. When dropped they can re-apply but will have a 6 or 9 month waiting period. Anyone who is dropped twice needs to be completely removed from the program. These individuals either need food or they don’t. A $25 fee needs to also be charged for people who lose his or her benefit cards, in order to get a replacement card.
SNAP benefits should be limited to food, not snacks, candy, and gifts. I have witnessed people purchasing hundreds of dollars worth of candy, deserts, and Christmas gift boxes that contain candy, with their SNAP benefits There should be guidelines on what the SNAP benefit card could be used for. This would reduce waste and improve health. I have also witnessed people spending $80+ dollars on one piece of expensive meat , that most people wouldnt spend on one piece of meat, because they cannot afford it . I have seen people purchase $800 in one shopping visit on just meat. Clearly, the system is being abused. I believe thebenefits are necessary for struggling families, but there should be limitations on its use. The system rules say that you cannot use the money for certain things, but a lot of items are not flagged when checking out at register.
I 100% agree. There should be a list of food items and or catagories outlined just as there is for the Wick Program for children. With Snap, it should just list the catagories of food types and cookies, cakes, candy, soda pop, chips ect… in junk food should be off the list. It should also list a dollar amount per each catagory, so someone can’t purchase huge amounts of expensive meats. These are our tax dollars and even though these food benefits are free to them, it’s not free. There’s no such thing as free. Everyone in one way or another pays for free. You either pay for it, make it, bake it, someone buys it, builds it, manufatures ect…to get your free items. The main priority for Snap Benefits is supposed to be healthy foods and or food supplements to those who don’t get enough.
Ah yes, because of the ID thing my caretaker would no longer be able to buy groceries for me because I am too disabled to go to the store myself. This would just harm those of us who are too disabled to shop ourselves. No thank you.
So people who can’t eat various foods for medical reasons can just go without food? What is wrong with you people. So many people on palliative or hospice care are just told to eat whatever they want for caloric intake or comfort feeds. My stomach is too paralyzed to eat a lot of fresh fruits / vegetables due to the fiber. I also can’t eat meat due to it being hard for the stomach to break down as well. This has lead to literal nutritionists telling me to eat what you would consider “junk food” like ice cream, candy, soda, etc just so I can get calories. I’m too disabled to work so I am on EBT to buy my groceries. It should be the persons choice on what they choose to put in their bodies. You don’t know what people can or can’t eat.
This reform could include an “authorized buyer” option whereby you can assign your benefits to a second party due to a hardship, like physical disability.
If you limit budgets to what has been used last month… that’s an incentive to max out the budget every month, in order not to get a cut!
that’s no good idea.
Yes, there should be a second authorized user. You are exactly right about that.
It’s a incentive for people to buy groceries like they are supposed to be doing, instead of allowing people to stack months and months of benefits that are not being used. No one outside of the government is going to give someone $500, (the example I used) in February if they didn’t spend a dime in January. Yes, this is exactly what we are doing as tax payers because the government allows it. The fraud and waste needs to be cut out. These programs are meant for people who need food supplemental assistance and not for stock piling the benefits for a rainy day or supporting people’s drug habits. To many people taking advantage. There should also be a second authorzied user for those who are disabled and or seniors, the ones who physically can’t get to the stores.
Yes, there should be a second authorized user. This would be helpful for those who cannot get to the store physically due to elderly, disability or other reasons.
You are right, I don’t know what people eat or don’t eat except for myself. What I do know is, that it’s not right for the government to allow tax payers to spend funds on people who stack SNAP benefits and then don’t use them for months on ends, and then those who trade the benefits to support his or her drug habits. This type of abuse should be cut out. This money that is unspent, could be sitting in a bank somewhere drawing interest or given to other areas of need in our country. We have legitimate user in the SNAP program and then we have the people who abuse the system.
so lets say, someone has a generous family and there were a lot of food gifts for christmas, which sustain a person usually using snap for the whole month of january.
but in february, these gifts are eaten up and the person needs assistance again.
with your system, people will just take every month as much as possible, even if they don’t need it occasionnally. you’ll create more waste, not less waste
If the cards are set up with identification, then no one can trade food benefits for drugs or marijuana. You buy what you need. This just keeps people out of the program that dont need the assistance. If anyone can go months without using the snap prgram, then this proves they really dont need help as they asked for.
in your proposal you would cut immediately, not waiting for several months, not allowing for fluctuations which might happen.
yes there needs to be some sort of checks, of course - but rather err on the generous side. rather give more time than less time.
I doubt it very much that many millionaires use Snap programs in order to save a penny here or there.
if someone occasionnally manages to trade snap benefits for a smoke or a drink - so be it. at least these people show some spirit of enterprise and commerce, which could eventually get canalized for better uses.
if you’re angry about government wasting money, go for the big chunks first. rather ask where all the billions go for the army… you could probably feed all Snap people steak, champagne and caviar for years for the amounts that got squandered there. that would be a good place to be rightfully angry!
I appreciate your feedback but there is no anger on my part. It would be an effect plan to reduce waste and fraud in Snap. I have no doubt that your right, there is fraud and waste all through our government.
then reduce problems from top to bottom. don’t go and make the life if miserable poor people even worse.