My state's website wants me to fill out a form that lists all the members of my household and disclose what the household income is. Problem is if I include my dad I most likely will not be able to qualify. And I can't like write on the form anywhere "yes I live at home with my dad and he makes well over $30k a year, but he won't help me financially unless he feels like it." I really don't know what to do. I keep running out of money and food, I need EBT and cash assistance but if I lie and don't include my dad or lie about the household income, that's fraud and I could get in a lot of trouble I can't handle.

The fuck am I supposed to do? Has any other comrades ran into anything like this before? I know every state is different but maybe someone else on here lives at home with a wealthy parent and still qualified for EBT.

Help!!

  • panopticon [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Generally I think it's a bad idea to lie on those applications. Doesn't seem like it's worth it since there are consequences and you still have to provide paystubs, receipts, etc. to prove everything... But I acknowledge that every situation is different, and the ability to stock up at the grocery store for free is definitely a game changer.

    If your dad is planning/threatening to cut off support then maybe you could wait to apply until the month after the last time he gives you money for food. That way you can apply without having to name him as part of your household report the money you get from him, or his income. You can apply without mentioning housemates, etc as long as you are not sharing most of your food or pooling your money for food. If you're paying rent to your dad, then that would also be an expense that you would report.

    So yeah, you can bend the truth a little bit while applying for benefits but i wouldn't do anything that feels like it's pushing it.

    Edit: for clarity and correctness

    • GorbinOutOverHere [comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      . Doesn’t seem like it’s worth it since there are consequences and you still have to provide paystubs, receipts, etc. to prove everythi

      I don't want anyone to follow my example and get in trouble but I didn't have to prove shit, like, I just filled out my app, got a phone call asking some basic questions and when I said my gf is paying rent "but with the expectation I pay her back" they just took my rent portion off my application (because it was somehow reducing my benefits, I guess by making it look like I had more income) and then a few days later I got my card with my government food monopoly money on it

      • panopticon [comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Yeah you know, I almost mentioned that just about every time I've interacted with a real live human as a case worker on my applications, they did everything they could to at least get me some of the benefits. Go figure. California, btw, not sure if that makes a difference.

        I'm just saying that if their dad could arguably fit into any of those categories of "not being a housemate" then they should leave him off the application, but if none of these exceptions apply and they can't present some kind of evidence for whichever story they do tell, then it doesn't seem worth the risk, but that's just because I don't want a comrade to have to face any of the penalties that they threaten you with.

    • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      my understanding is that it's very state dependent. in FL, for example, they are dicks and will investigate and come after you to squeeze blood from a stone to reclaim benefits paid "in error". they will do this even if you answered everything truthfully and the state made a mistake entirely on their end in awarding you benefits.

      other states are less worried about giving somebody $40 worth of food a week or whatever.

      • panopticon [comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I've ended up having to pay back a couple hundred in food assistance benefits because I made "too much" money during consecutive reporting months, and I'm something of an obsessive rule-follower and hoop -jumper when it comes to these kinds of things.

        It's all about the story you tell on the forms, and whether your supporting documents exhaustively agree with that story.

        My state used to make me fill out and submit a ridiculous amount of forms and supporting documents, affidavits, and so on every few months. Now they've streamlined the process and since the pandemic started actually, they haven't really required me to submit an annual report, either.

        Edit: someone like OP who's trying to enroll in food benefits for the first time still has to jump through all the hoops, though