Rant; commentary and suggestions welcome.

ETA:I realize the title of the post is stupid- of course they are welcome, Im just.. stupid and irritated and ARGH haha.

But yeah, any ideas, please share!

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So, like... when things go wrong, sometimes you end up qualifying for extra help here and there. Because the application processes and the systems that govern that help are exceedingly complex, you get these people who are supposed to help you qualify for that help, and then help you when the system that provides the help inevitably screws up with no warning so you cant try to plan or budget for this circumstance. And the probalem with having unreliable assistance- which is a frequent situation- is that it can even do more harm than good. Many people dont plan for, say, their food assistance to be cut in half with no warning whatso ever- like happened to me. I got a letter on the second of this month saying, basically `Hi, screw you! We are now giving you 65$ for the month because of some reason that we are going to be horribly vague about, but we feel there has been a change in your circumstances [which we obviously won`t talk about here because that might actually give you information to work with].`
Did I mention I received that in my mailbox on the 2nd? yeah I think so. My food stamps reset on the THIRD.

Lucky for me I just assume I will never have any money and always work toward having a back up food supply and building up my pantry, but it is a slow process and I have about 2.5 weeks of food stocked. But a lot of people arent able to do this, even bit by bit.

There are so many problems with this: First, no warning. If you do this it can almost do more harm than good to provide assistance, giving an unreliable source of support sets people up for failure if they dont understand it is unreliable or if they are unable to adjust their budget to cushion for the possibility of having the rug pulled out- they might as well not have it, really in some circumstances.

Nothing has changed with my situation. Seriously. Even with the COLA for SSDI? Those are actually the numbers we put in when I applied for SNAP because I applied in November and the COLA was kicking in in the first of the year. Even with the COLA, my tested income is so ridiculously low it is not even worth mentioning.

Also: Ive done the math on my eligibility for benefits. I clearly make the cut by actually a bit more than I was getting. I did the math before I even applied and Ive done it several more times pretty much every which way [using the most up to date version]. I used to assist people with applying for food stamps and ssdi and ssi, so... I think this is actually some sort of error, not just me throwing a tantrum.

Another thing that makes me think it is an error is that when I look at my .gov account online, where everything is documented- all the letters that go in and out regarding any programs, etc... the letter regarding reduced assistance is not there. At all. But my benefits have clearly been cut, and it indicates in the payments that they are recouping them. FROM WHAT?

Meanwhile, Im on a special diet [results of not being on said diet are pretty awful], have 16 dollars and 25 cents a week to spend on food and my case worker cant bother to call me back. I have literally called her five times at this point over two weeks; the last time I couldnt leave a message because her voicemail is FULL. I left a message with her supervisor but I dont have any real high hopes for that either, considering she doesnt seem to be a particularly effective supervisor in the first place. Its difficult to go down there because it is an hour on public transit each way, and I would rather not because it is a pretty sketchy area.

Anyone notice that?
The public assistance places have a tendency to be in more dangerous and inaccessible areas? Around here, they are less likely to be close to public transportation or have fewer bus routes go by them.
Im really not sure that makes sense.

I also spent over an hour on the phone just waiting for someone at the department of transitional assistance to answer me in the order that my phone call was recieved.

That was a good time.

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble. It sounds like the hoops I've had to go through to get health insurance. I've been working on it since Nov, but my coverage didn't start until 2/1. Of course, have I gotten any cards I use. No. Today is the 18th and still basically they say they will pay me back what I spend. Yeah! Right.

I hope you get you situation worked out soon, since yours has to do with putting food in your mouth. Much more urgent than my issue. It's just that government agencies suck in efficiency.

Wow...that is very frustrating. I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

The government is all kinds of screwed up. Before my (soon to be ex) husband got kicked out of the military, he transferred his GI bill to me. That was in 2011. Apparently when doing so you commit to 4 more years of service. in 2012 he was involuntarily discharged (though it was honorably). Then six months later he gets a 100% disability rating from the Veteran's Administration.

Fast forward TWO YEARS...and last week I get a letter saying that I owe them $14,000 for all the money they have paid out with the GI Bill because of "changes in my information" - nice vagueness of government letters. It also meant they were not going to pay my tuition and fees for this semester and my $900/month living expenses would not be paid. Yeah...totally sucks. So who knows what I am going to do at this point. Like they don't even care.

Thankfully I had just paid for a full year of my rent (with my student loans) and I get food stamps (which hopefully won't change since I have two kids). It's really crazy and frustrating.

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this, but I'm glad you have some food stocked up. And it really is not acceptable that no one is calling you back. the government is a MESS!!

I am on SSD and after I pay the bills, and pay for anything extra in the month, like food for my animals and such, depending on what month it is or if it is winter or not, it is very hard sometimes to pay for all the food that I need for the month. I used to get help from the FoodShare, but that was only $16 a month. The past year or more I haven't gotten any help from them. Alot of times right now I have to eat the main meal at my mother and brother's house and there are many days where I can't stand them. We used to live together and I would be the one who would have to take care of my mother 24/7, though she could handle some things by herself, she wouldn't. Then I would also have to do things for my brother, his laundry, mowing the lawn, cooking for the both of them, etc. etc. etc. I was the adult one in the family and those two acted like children, though they treated me as if I was the child in the family. Anyway, I felt used because I wasn't able to find a place on the outside that I could pay the rent on and have with my animals. So finally I had enough, told them who's who and what for. I am living in my brother's old mobile home while they live in a newer mobile home 2 houses down. That is too close for my liking. And they know I am so tight on money, sometimes they buy me things other than some food. I know them, and worry that eventually they are going to have me back in the same position of taking care of the both of them when they can make it on there own. My mother does nothing but hoard stuffed animals and play with them when she is not LIVING in the bathroom. She has OCD and is legally blind. She refuses to try or even make any decisions for herself, including what stuffed animal to hold. She used to drag me down with that question all the time. She favoritizes my brother, and yet I was the one who took constant care of her and she had been controlling every aspect of my life and made sure I did everything imaginable for her. It is too stressful to deal with an OCD, child in an adult's body, getting yelled at, and I yelled back. I'm in my 30's. I didn't need to be treated like that. I have had to deal with too many things because I was broke and family will use that against you. The government doesn't help us enough to be able to live comfortably enough with what we have. Yet, my mother wants and gets waited on hand and foot and sits there and plays with stuffed animals and has no responsibility and has no credit. I mean, who has no credit when they are in there 60's. Now I have been making my brother care to her needs since 2011. And I has had to make some threats to get them to leave me alone and take care of themselves. The only thing different there is, she doesn't yell at him and does whatever he tells her to do. He also works, so then he has to come home and tend to her every need. Now maybe he'll realize just how hard it was when I was working to come home and take care of a woman who acts like she is paralyzed. Yeah, it is very hard to live broke in the world of today. Family uses you, and the government hardly gives us enough to survive.

Dealing with government agencies is always horrible. Whether it be the DMV, SSDI, Child Support, IRS, whatever. A terribly managed slow moving machine that makes a lot of mistakes and is slow to correct them when you point them out.

I have no advice for you, because all of my attempts to deal with agencies in the past have been as aggravating as yours. I can only say my thoughts are with you as you go through the motions to set things straight. It's always a long process with many long phone calls that go nowhere.

Well I guess the only advice for you is if you have the means physically go to the office. They are a little more responsive when you're in their face. I hear you about the poorly placed offices though, usually in sketch parts of town and are hard to get to. Annoying.

Good luck

I got my food stamps cut down to $58 a month for THREE PEOPLE!

I get $11 a month in food stamps. So yes, I feel your pain. It's ridiculous how awful it is to have to deal with these agencies. I also deal with a local county agency for the disabled - they are supposed to help, but they are just another useless bunch of idiots. I can't work because of my disabilities, but I'd be better than the horrible people who actually do work at these places.

I was at social services a month or two ago when someone came in with knives and stuff and started acting crazy. Of course we people waiting were all thrown out. Still haven't been able to contact them in any way.

What a sad world we live in sometimes.

shorthandcute, bad purse, et al,

My food stamps benefits were also cut, to $15!?
Just astounding isn't it?
I feel your pain.

I just want to let everyone know that you can buy fruit and vegetable plants on ebt to make more food.

This is true.
People need to be able to take care of the plants, have a place to plant them, know what they are doing. In theory cucumbers and tomatos, for example, are pretty easy to take care of. They can also easily get sick and attract pests, they both need ample room to grow, and need a decent amount of water.

Depending on the actual plant and your location, it may cost more to buy a plant and try to grow it successfully than to just buy the actual vegetable.

In theory, it's a great idea. For a lot of people, it logistically isn't feasible.