Mississippi is rejecting nearly all of the poor people who apply for welfare

[babylonsister]

Federal funds being denied? Is this even legal??

https://thinkprogress.org/mississippi-reject-welfare-applicants-57701ca3fb13

Apr 13
Mississippi is rejecting nearly all of the poor people who apply for welfare
And the state won’t explain why.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R). CREDIT: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

By Bryce Covert and Josh Israel


Last year, 11,717 low-income residents of Mississippi applied to get a meager government benefit to help them make ends meet. The state’s welfare program, part of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), gives a maximum of just $170 a month to a family of three. These applicants had applied hoping to get at least that crumb of cash assistance.

But out of the pool—more than 11 thousand—only 167 people were actually approved and enrolled in the program, according to state data obtained by ThinkProgress. Every other applicant was denied or withdrew, resulting in an acceptance rate of just 1.42 percent. Statistically speaking, it’s more like a rounding error.

The numbers follow a disturbing trend in the state over the past several years. Between 2003 and 2010, according to a report by the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative (MLICCI), roughly half of the applicants to the state’s TANF program were rejected, already a large share of poor people denied assistance. But then in 2011, the rejection rate catapulted to 89 percent. It has gradually increased every year since.

snip//

Unexplained jump in denials

No one seems able to explain what’s behind the enormous rejection rate.

“We’ve been trying to figure it out. The big question is why,” Williams said.

The state did not respond to repeated requests from ThinkProgress for an explanation of what changed, but it did send a statement saying, “Upon review of our caseload, there are a significant number of TANF applications being denied; however, there are many reasons the denials are taking place.” Those include failing to meet eligibility criteria, unresolved noncompliance issues, an ongoing mandatory work sanction period, unverified compliance with upfront requirements, failing to provide necessary data, voluntarily quitting or being fired from a job for one’s own behavior, failing to cooperate with child support enforcement, failing to show up for appointments, or voluntarily withdrawing an application.

Officials have also not responded to state lawmakers who are asking the same questions. “It’s been tough… just to get information from the Department of Human Services on what’s actually going on to explain… why people aren’t getting qualified,” said state Rep. Jarvis Dortch (D), who’s on the committee that overseas the department. “We haven’t been able to get any answers from them.” He hopes to hold a hearing this summer to get better answers.

more...

https://thinkprogress.org/mississippi-reject-welfare-applicants-57701ca3fb13

[greymattermom]

1. So where will the refugees from Mississippi go?

Mar A Lago?

[Equinox Moon]

3. Yes!

[RKP5637]

5. We really do have refugees in the US. MSM tries to keep it under the rug, but we do

have refugees that need to be rescued.

[volstork]

12. Not there. They have rotten sushi

in broken coolers. Just like you would expect in Potemkin City!

[mountain grammy]

2. But.. god bless you and you have a good day now sweetie..

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... jesus will provide.. trust in the lord..the meek shall inherit.... blah, blah, blah.. Hope the church has a food bank.

[Fla Dem]

9. That's exactly what's happening. States depending on charitable agencies to provide.

I volunteer at food pantry and see it all the time. People obviously in need cannot get state assistance. Yes there are grifters, always has been , always will be. But there are so many others who should be receiving assistance and they have just been denied, or their application never processed.

[mountain grammy]

10. I see it here in Colorado too where state assistance is much better,

but not nearly enough. We struggle to keep our food banks stocked, especially this time of year, which is between seasons in our resort area. Work disappears for a month or two.. how well people survive depends on how well they did during the season. Yes, we always see a few grifters too, but most are working several menial jobs just to cover rent, nothing left for food.

[NurseJackie]

4. Thought and prayers ...

[Orrex]

8. I saw a meme on FB

The anonymous person has named their cats "Positive Thoughts" and "Prayers" because they don't do shit.

[DanTex]

6. I'd be interested in a breakdown by race.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. The poorest counties would be heavily black, just as it is here in ala.

And if you plotted availability of all sorts of necessary survives, it will always skew away from the poorest counties.

Unless everything drastically changed, applicants for SSI and etc. are supposed to get a denial letter, which forms the basis of any appeals, just as applicants for Soc Sec. do.
since everyone is saying they do not know why the rejections, I am assuming there are no denial letters being sent out.

Going to have to be a lawsuit to get anywhere.

[BeyondGeography]

7. This is how the terrorists win

[riversedge]

11. so many hurdles to jump to qualify. Trump should go after these gov 'regulations"!!

I dream, I know!

[Cryptoad]

13. GOP is not against Welfare,,,,

it is just that they are against Welfare for Poor People.

Corporate Socialism is here!

[Nwgirl503]

14. Thankfully they're "hoping" to hold hearings this summer to figure it out

I'm sure the people applying can wait. Probably not immediate needs or anything.

[moondust]

15. May see a GOP war on the poor.

Someone sent me a propaganda email a couple days ago with a picture of "wounded female veteran" amputees, adding this bullshit:

Study this picture again. Let the story it tells sink in. These women and many others, as well as their male comrades, paid this price for our freedoms.

And, they did it for less than what welfare recipients are paid!!!

DID YOU GET THAT?!?

And a Heck of a lot more than those over-paid athletes who choose to “take a knee” when the National Anthem is played!!!

They risked these injuries (or death) FOR AMERICA!

MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF THEM!!!

At the link Snopes says it's "a group of Brazilian women who gathered together for a calendar photo shoot in order to raise money for amputees who cannot afford prosthetic limbs."

[roamer65]

17. Sounds like embezzlement to me.

[Squinch]

18. Meanwhile, Trump spends $30 million a week on a golf game. And Mississippi voted for him.

[Vinca]

19. This sort of thing usually happens in the serious Bible-thumping states.

I'm betting they don't want to spend money on anything because it's just a big waste of time to them. In their feeble minds, the rapture is imminent so poor people don't need food, sick people don't need medical care and truck drivers don't need safe bridges. About half the country is Bible batshit crazy. It would be great if there was a rapture to get them out of here once and for all.