“You can’t make it harder for us to get harder for the situation.”
“They have to make it easier for people who really do want to work and are trying real hard to get out of their situation,” she said. If she were subject to an asset test, she said the value of her Jeep would put her about $300 over the line, cutting off her food assistance. This necessarily requires a car in Sterling, Ohio, an unincorporated town with an unofficial population around 400 (it doesn’t have its own U.S. She said she and her adult son are unemployed and looking for work. Jami Turley, a SNAP recipient from a rural pocket of Wayne County, appeared with AOF. In a press event Friday, Kelsey Bergfeld and others with Advocates for Ohio’s Future said asset tests can be counterproductive.įor one, they said asset tests warp financial incentives - why save up if you could be financially penalized for it? Secondly, they steer poor people toward purchasing beaten down or used cars to stay below the asset test ceiling but are poor long run investments when accounting for maintenance needed on tired vehicles. The federal government funds all SNAP benefits, and the state and federal government split the administrative costs.Īnti-hunger advocates blasted the proposal. The net worth includes all savings accounts, “regardless of whether there is a penalty for early withdrawal.” Federal law essentially defines “assets,” as people’s net worth minus their home, retirement accounts, burial plots for household members, and any value of their car beyond $4,650. The Senate’s proposal would require ODJFS to analyze the assets of current beneficiaries and new applicants.
The SNAP changes, some of which appeared in Senate legislation earlier this year, arrived on page 2,019 of a 3,300-page budget bill.Ĭurrently, SNAP eligibility in Ohio is determined by income - those who earn below 130% of the federal poverty line can receive benefits (about $214 per month on average). They also criticized bundling the policy idea into the state budget and unveiling the change on the tail end of the budget process. Senate Republicans said they added the provisions to ensure the food aid only goes to the truly needy.Īdvocates warned that asset-testing poor people disincentivizes savings and will only knock hungry people off program rolls. This entails probing bank accounts and cross-checks against various property databases. The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services would be required to conduct an asset test for every SNAP recipient, according to analysis from the Legislative Budget Office. It also imposes a requirement known as “change reporting.” This forces Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program clients to report every fluctuation in income - things like extra shifts at work or picking up odd jobs - worth $500 or more within 30 days. The Ohio Senate added to its budget proposal a provision requiring the state to cut off food stamp assistance for poor Ohioans if their households save up $2,250 or more.
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