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Family Vehicle Benefit Eligibility

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When considering family resources, the family vehicle should not be a factor in establishing benefit eligibility. A reliable mode of transportation is a necessity to access resources to ensure our basic needs, employment and (in general) life. Granted, public transportation could be a means to assess resources and substitute the place of a vehicle. However where I reside, public transportation is not reliable and it’s underdeveloped; thereby eliminating the argument that public transportation is a viable resource in our county. “The procedures for handling vehicles are determined at the state level. States have the option of substituting the vehicle rules used in their TANF assistance programs for SNAP vehicle rules when it results in a lower attribution of household assets. A number of States exclude the entire value of the household’s primary vehicle as an asset. In States that count the value of vehicles, the fair market value of each licensed vehicle that is not excluded is evaluated. Currently 39 States exclude the value of all vehicles entirely. 11 States totally exclude the value of at least one vehicle per household” (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). …show more content…

When these trust funds are established, the protected asset is excluded in the resource formula calculation determining eligibility for benefits such as housing vouchers, food stamps and Medicaid. This legal loophole is mind boggling and causes me fits of insanity when I come across these situations. Purposefully being vague, I am aware of a hand full of individual whom have established protected trust funds, including two individuals who are considered multi- millionaires; yet these individuals are able to access many of the benefits discussed in this week’s readings and it’s done legitimately based on the current laws in

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