Veterans face losing food stamp benefits! What are your thoughts?

2015-05-05T09:29:35-04:00

When the waiver expires at the end of 2015, an estimated 1 million people — able-bodied adults without dependents, or ABAWDS — will once again be limited to three months of assistance. The rollback could mean a savings of hundreds of millions of dollars in a program that has long been a target of conservatives.

But 60,000 of those people are believed to be military veterans, many of whom struggle to find work even in a tighter job market, and that concerns veterans advocates and some members of Congress.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/veterans-face-losing-snap-benefits-117553.html#ixzz3ZFZzD6KE

Veterans face losing food stamp benefits

An estimated 1 million people will once again be limited to three months of assistance.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2015 9:36 AM

2015-05-05T09:36:53-04:00

The word that discourage me are able body adults. Although it says they cannot find a job what are they really doing to find one is my question. Is it that they cant find a job they want or really cant find one. I know there are many of places hiring but people just say they dont want to work there. Dont get me wrong I would hate to see all these people lose there benefits but this country needs to get better at providing benefits like this without ensuring they are doing there part to get off.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made May 5 at 2015 12:28 PM

2015-05-05T12:28:51-04:00

I think we need more information on who those 60k vets are. How old are they? When did they serve? Do they suffer from PTSD or service related injuries? It's easy to say "there are jobs!" but there may be reasons many of those 60k vets can't get a job that pays enough to get them off of assistance or access to training programs. "Veteran" is a big category.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2015 12:51 PM

2015-05-05T12:51:18-04:00

Here's a mere perspective for the unskilled (uneducated) category of veterans: actually being a veteran is actually of little help in this category. All of the old problems still very much exist: employers not understanding or all-out ignoring qualifications and experience earned in service; lack of tangible civilian experience. Not to mention the big problem EVERYONE faces, namely flooded job markets. Per job opening there seem to be hundreds of applicants. I learned this from speaking with employers and managers in my small (relatively) community. And I am talking about very-low wage service industry type jobs. Not to mention the ebbs in service industry as a whole has a real effect on available payroll for these worker, some of whom have there hours reduced drastically (4 hours per week to avoid laying me off, as a personal example).

Just a perspective from someone who's fought (and still fights) that low-income battle for survival.

Time to go to school (ha, right).

As a side not, I myself have never received government assistance, though I have visited a food bank or two. And no, I'm not living above my means. I had no means at the time.

Response by AN Eric Miller made May 5 at 2015 4:30 PM

2015-05-05T16:30:37-04:00

Yes, many places may have "Help Wanted" signs or online postings, even with government incentives to hire Veterans, many places do not "hire the Veteran" because of certain biases placed on their service (that may or may not apply: i.e. PTSD). Some Government 'incentives' only apply to the "under 12 month discharges" recent veterans. I personally have found that for every position I have applied for, there are at minimum 50 other applicants and in some cases over 200.

I have also seen in 'smaller' communities that they only place the Help Wanted sign out to avoid being sued, yet only hire a relative/close friend of an existing employee.

The definition of ABAWD is also very loosely followed by 'Welfare', there are many people whom get misclassified as ABAWD, just because of their race/veteran status(as the agency deliberately changes the paperwork submitted to them). I have seen ABAWD used on 'veteran families with children'.

Also the 'unemployment' numbers are not accurate as they don't count those whose 'unemployment benefits' have run out. as the system doesn't allow you to at least claim your existence.

Response by CW4 Larry Curtis made Nov 28 at 2015 10:01 AM

2015-11-28T10:01:42-05:00

My initial knee-jerk reaction here is that our veterans deserve the best which we can possibly bestow upon them...PERIOD. I'm biased, of course, but that is really how I feel. I also agree that there are probably certain tiers of consideration we must evaluate. The God's honest truth of the matter is that NOBODY really likes having to be on assistance regardless of their station in life. There are also many elements which have been introduced into the military community over the past decade or so, PTSD being probably the most prominent of all. People who have been diagnosed with PTSD, in my most humble opinion, have been emasculated, or demoralized as now being a lesser person and we've entered a time where attitudes are such that potential employers don't want to have to deal with this and are more than likely to overlook them for gainful employment. I remember a time when there was a preference for hiring veterans...even Vietnam era folks who would probably have come away with a case of PTSD as bad as anyone coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan. This presents a massive problem in a society which, in my humble opinion, chooses to be so easily butthurt over some of the most inane things imaginable. Oh, so my calling you a butthead has hurt your feelings and you feel persecuted? Go to Afghanistan and get your leg blown off by an IED or just have shots fired at you in anger before you give me your butthead sob story. Ok, I threw that one in for illustrative purposes.

The bottom line for me is that if it takes anything at all away from our troops, or those who have so selflessly served our nation, I am going to be totally against it. Yea, that's pretty much knee-jerk, but that's just how I feel. Our vets deserve the best we can bestow upon them...PERIOD. Can you tell that I love the troops? I hope it is obvious. ;)

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 17 at 2022 5:24 PM

2022-12-17T17:24:59-05:00

It shouldn't be taken away for those who qualify & need it... period.