March 27, 2008

Michigan Department of Human Services clients will have input on state legislation that may affect them.

The department completed a survey of Food Assistance Program clients and will forward the surveys to a national firm that will tabulate the results and return findings to the department in April. The department will then forward the results to Michigan House of Representatives in the first full week of April. Surveys were conducted at the DHS network of 120 county and local offices around Michigan during March 19-25.

There are 586,000 Food Assistance Program cases in Michigan with more than 1.2 million persons receiving benefits. The survey will help determine whether changing the distribution of food benefits will help DHS clients. The Michigan Legislature has drafted legislation that will, if passed and signed into law, change distribution of benefits from once to twice monthly for families receiving more than $100 a month in benefits. That would prospectively affect about 457,000 cases or 78 percent of the current caseload.

Today, food assistance clients receive their benefits electronically on a debit-type card in one of the first nine days of the month, depending on their case number. The new legislation would change distribution to twice monthly, once each in the beginning and middle of the month.

"We want to know what the families that depend on these benefits think about this," said DHS Director Ismael Ahmed. "The benefits of twice monthly distribution have been debated by grocery retailers, in the Legislature, and in the court of public opinion, but no one has asked the people that use the benefits.

"We think what they say has important bearing on this decision. We may have a different opinion of the legislation after we hear from them."

Michigan's Food Assistance Program - called the Food Stamp Program by the federal government - supplements the food purchasing power of low-income individuals and families. The average Food Assistance benefit per person is greater than $99 per month and is about $230 per month per family receiving benefits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture pays for 100 percent of program benefits. The state and federal governments share administrative costs. Department of Human Services' staff persons statewide determine eligibility for applicants and perform case management.

For more information go to www.michigan.gov/dhs