Associated Press
COLUMBUS
Ohio is asking federal regulators to reduce or waive millions of dollars in penalties it faces because not enough residents collecting welfare meet federal requirements to be working or pursuing employment.
The Columbus Dispatch reports less than a quarter of Ohio adults collecting welfare meet the requirements. The work-participation rate is 23 percent. The newspaper says that’s the lowest since 1997, when strict work guidelines for welfare recipients were imposed.
Ohio has been hit with $136 million in penalties because it did not meet the work-participation benchmark of 42 percent in the past four years. The penalty for 2010 has not been assessed.
More than half the state’s welfare recipients met work requirements from 1999 to 2006. But job and welfare officials say the recession has limited employment opportunities.
Comments
Well, the recession should not stop these people from at least volunteering to pick up trash etc. Oh, that is right, doing something to earn the free money would be demeaning!
How silly of me. Sure would like to see drug tests for all on welfare, that would certainly save some money!!!
I think it is time, that anyone on welfare,has mandatory drug testing.This should reduce some of the free public assistance.
Ohio should be penalized, especiallly Mahoning County where there are so many people collecting welfare benefits that are just lazy asses and made collecting benefits a way of life just because they would rather not work, not because they are unable to.
Also get rid of the people working in the welfare offices that don't bother to verify if someone really should be getting all the benefits. These people working in these offices don't care, they are just there to collect a paycheck
Oh how we are so quick to demonize those on welfare, we never think that something tragic might happen to us. I certainly never thought my career would be ended over a car accident, or that for almost a year Id be dependent on $85 every 2 weeks and $150 of foodstamps while my lawsuit was pending.
You think people on welfare are living high off the hog, not having to work, well its absolute crap. YOU try living on $85 bi-weekly payments when you can't work because you can barely get out of bed after surgery. Its a completely idiotic system. You either don't work at all and find some way to subsist on a tiny payment every 2 weeks and get medical assistance (Medicaid) OR you go get try and find a job (good luck on that) that has medical insurance. There is no in between. I've come to know many, MANY times more good people who are forced to stay on it because of medical conditions and are forced to live below poverty to get proper healthcare than I've ever met anyone that actually wanted to scam the system for a meager payment and some foodstamps. Which on top of that all but the most disabled don't even get while they are waiting years for SSI/SSDI in which case they get $700 a month, you realize that's slightly over $8,000 a year, that's well below poverty!
And before anyone says anything about $85 bi weekly at the time I was receiving it that was the maximum for an adult with out children, of course mothers with children get more, unless you want to adopt their children and care for them, I suggest you don't complain about a whole $100 extra a month for children.
Exactly, Many people I know have no choice. If they don't stay on welfare and perpetual poverty their children can't get medical care.
People have this misconception that you go to the Welfare office and within minutes you walk out with all of your cares taken care of. Well its not that way at all. You can expect several hours wait to most likely be told you don't meet Ohio's draconian set of benefit requirements, if by some miracle you manage to sneak through the system designed to reject all applicants, you can expect a meager some, and constant demands that if you don't comply with you'll be booted off. Training seminars, some stupid 3 hour online video, my friend who recently was laid off who got on unemployment received a letter saying and I quote "Congratulations! you have been selected to attend a Job Skills Reinvestment and Education Seminar. This will take approximately 5 hours in person or 3 hours online. Attendance is mandatory" wtf Congratulations??
If we had a national healthcare system, judging from my experience with people receiving benefits up to 50% of the welfare rolls would be eliminated because they are only on it, living on a below poverty existence to receive medical care.
I don't have a problem with someone getting assistance if they really need it, but shouldn't something be done about the ones that take advantage of the system. How can we justify single mothers that keep having babies and the fathers don't take any responsibility for the children?
Tell me, what would possibly motivate some one to continually deceiving welfare in order to receive peanuts?
You really should give the O.J.F.S. much more credit. Their efficiency at denying people in need is to be admired.
@LtMacGowan,no one is talking about someone who truly needs it,thats what it is for.In your case for example,it was deserved.I think people should be drug tested,clear and simple,put a period on it.
"not enough residents collecting welfare meet federal requirements to be working or pursuing employment"
Industry has been driven out due to high taxation to pay the welfare benefits . This is a no win situation . There are no jobs for them . Perhaps if we taxed crack cocaine sales some money could be generated . . ..
It isn't about the ones that really need it, it's about the ones that abuse it. And more then you think abuse it. How in the world can these people afford there nice cars, nice rims, stereos, big screen tv's, driving around wastefully, etc, without working a day in there life except collecting welfare/food stamps or selling drugs? They eat and live better then I do and I work.
Just like a job, give them a drug test, you fail you lose. Real simple.
so make shoplifting a capital offense? now i've heard it all from you guys.
If you can define a way to tell real cases from fraud, without false positives and that will stand up to legal scrutiny, a lot of people will be impressed.
I feel the ones who truly need assistance absolutely deserve it and yet there are ones that abuse the system with dishonesty...therefore it'll catch up to the crooks taking advantage of the "checks" and hurt themselves in the long run. Their conscience will get the best of them.
Forcing people to under go random drug testing is an invasion of their privacy. its just another cheap way to knock people off the roles. you don't think drug addicts get sick? oddly enough they tend to get sick MORE OFTEN.
ltmac
"Forcing people to under go random drug testing is an invasion of their privacy. its just another cheap way to knock people off the roles."
So it wouldn't bother you if the airline pilot, bus driver, 18 wheeler driver, Doctor, Dentist, Day Care person, School teacher, police officer, EMT tech, mechanic working on your car, etc were doing drugs and not getting tested because it's a invasion of their privacy? The next one that effects your daily life or your loved ones hopefully are not on drugs.
I bet you a large portion of them are. Either using illegal or legally prescribed drugs.