THE DANDELION CONNECTION
Volume 4 Issue 4 (716) 847-0655 ext. 216 May, 1996
FOCUS ON: The Public
Assistance
Budget: Part II
Copyright 1996, Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. John Adams receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The family pays $190 for rent and heats the house by gas. They are responsible for the gas bill. Below is a copy of their budget. In the upper left hand column, the letters HH stand for household (number of people living together). The letters CA stand for case count (number of people receiving assistance). The two are usually the same number, but can differ. For example, if someone in the household receives SSI, they would not be included in the case count. The Adams, have three in the household and three receiving assistance.
On the left side of the table, below the first row of numbers, is the column ECDSS uses to figure your expenses. The letter R indicates the items that ECDSS pays directly on behalf of the family. There are two headings. One says "actual" and the other is "allow". The amounts in the actual column will be what you really pay for the expense. The amounts under the allow column will be what ECDSS will allow for that expense. If your actual cost is less than the allowance, the agency will use the actual cost.
Basic needs is the amount DSS allows for basic living expenses (toiletries, cleaning agents etc.) This amount is based upon the number of people in the household.
Energy and Spmnt are allowances provided to recipients to increase the basic needs grant without reducing the food stamps. These allowances do not need to be used toward your utility costs.
Shelt is your shelter allowance based upon your family size, county of residence, and if heat is included in rent. In our example, the Adams' pay less for rent than the county would have provided as an allowance from ECDSS ($190 cost $190 allowed).
Water is an allowance provided to recipients who provide proof that they are responsible for the water bill.
Fuel is an allowance provided to recipients who provide proof that they are responsible for the heating bill. The Adams' receive $54.00 because they pay for their own heat.
Other is a space provided for special needs allowances. This is where a visitor's allowance, pregnancy allowance, transportation allowance, restaurant allowance, and any additional childcare costs will appear.
The computer adds the figures in the "allow" column to determine what the total needs are for the family. This is the amount ECDSS has determined the family needs to live.
Next month, the series will review the Adam's income as provided on the public assistance budget.
El Presupuesto de Asistencia
Publica: Parte 2
El SeZor y la SeZora John Adams reciben Ayuda a Familias con NiZos Dependientes. La familia paga $190 por renta y calientan la casa con gas. Ellos son responsables por la factura. M<s abajo hay una copia de su presupuesto. En la columna de la mano izquierda alta, las letras HH representan familia (ndmero de personas viviento juntos.) Las letras CA representan cuenta del caso (ndmero de personas recibiendo asistencia) Los dos son usualmente el mismo ndmero, pero pueden diferir. Por ejemplo, si alguien en la familia recibe SSI, no lo incluirRan en la cuenta del caso. Los Adams, tienen tres en la familia y tres recibiendo asistencia.
En la mano izquierda de la tabla, debajo de la primera lRnea de ndmeros, esta la columna que ECDSS usa para calcular sus gastos. La letra R indica los artRculos que ECDSS paga directamente en su nombre. Hay dos tRtulos. Uno dice "actual" y el otro "allow". Las cantidades en la columna actual ser< lo quJ usted realmente paga por el gasto. Las cantidades debajo del columna allow ser< lo quJ ECDSS va permitir por ese gasto. Si sus gastos actuales son menos de la concesi\n, la agencia usar< los gastos actuales.
Basic Needs es la cantidad que DSS va permitir por gastos de vivientes b<sicos (artRculos de aseo, agentes de limpieza etc.) Esta cantidad se basa en el ndmero de personas en la familia.
Energy and Spmnt son concesiones proveRdo a receptores para aumentar la concesi\n de las necesidades b<sica sin reducir los Cupones para Alimentos. Estas concesiones no tienen que ser usadas hacia sus gastos de utilidad.
Shelt es su concesi\n de resguardo basada sobre su tamaZo de familia, condado de residencia, y si se incluye calefacci\n en la renta. En nuestro ejemplo, Adams' paga menos por renta que el condado habrRa proveRdo como una concesi\n de ECDSS ($190 gastos $190 permitido)
Water es una concesi\n proveRdo a receptores quien proveen prueba que son responsables por la factura del agua.
Fuel es una concesi\n proveRdo a receptores quien proveen prueba que son responsables por la factura de calefacci\n. Los Adams' reciben $54.00 porque pagan por su propia calefacci\n.
Other es un espacio proveRdo para concesiones de necesidades especiales. Isto es donde la concesi\n de un visitante, concesi\n de embarazo, concesi\n de transportaci\n, concesi\n de restaurante, y cualquier gastos de cuidado de niZo adicional aparecer<n. La computadora suma las figuras en la columna "allow" para determinar cuales son las necesidades total para la familia. Ista es la cantidad que ECDSS ha determinado que la familia necesita para vivir.
El mes que viene, la serie repasar< el ingreso de Adam segun proveRdo en el presupuesto de asistencia pdblico.
Health Watch
Attention Deficit:
Hyperactivity Disorder
By Dr. Cheryl Nohejl
News of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] seems to be everywhere. It's on the cover of Newsweek, on television, in parent's magazines and in medical journals. It's the most frequently diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder. Experts tell us that between two and eight percent of American children may have ADHD. Over a million children take a drug called Ritalin to manage its symptoms. Ritalin helps the child to focus and to control his behavior. Critics worry that too many children may be on the drug.
Doctors are more aware of the symptoms of ADHD and do diagnose it more often. Sometimes a teacher is the first person to notice behavior or learning problems that look like ADHD. The teacher may recommend that the child see a doctor for medication. The trouble is that not everything that looks like ADHD is ADHD. Children with learning disabilities, with certain seizure disorders, with depression, with stress, and with other emotional problems may look the same. Before we subject a child to long-term treatment with a drug, we need to be sure that he has ADHD and that using a drug will help him. Missing the other diagnoses could endanger a child.
Children with ADHD can be impulsive and hyperactive or inattentive or all three. There are a wide range of symptoms but a child must show a fair number of them for at least six months, both at home and at school, to have an ADHD diagnosis. Usually boys outnumber girls but only because boys tend to the impulsive and hyperactive type. They stand out to teachers and parents. Girls with ADHD often are quiet and shy and unable to focus. Symptoms of ADHD do continue into adulthood. Doctors and psychologists frequently use checklists to determine how many symptoms a child has and where he has them. The checklists help both to make the diagnosis and to choose how to manage a child.
Generally, a child should have a complete evaluation before arriving at the ADHD diagnosis. He should have a full medical history and exam. The person treating him should know how well he is learning at school. Sometimes that will require IQ testing, achievement tests or specialized educational testing. The doctor should have input both from the child's parent and teacher, both at time of diagnosis and throughout the child's treatment course.
Most children with true ADHD will respond to drug treatment but not all are so severely affected as to need drugs. For that reason, some doctors like to compare the child's behavior on and off medicine before choosing to use the drug long-term. While on medicine the child should be checked frequently.
Treatment does not simply mean taking a pill. Children may have ADHD symptoms for years before they are severe enough to be picked up. In that time, the child has difficult interactions with parents, teachers and peers. They often use poor behavior or other techniques to cover their problems and to avoid discipline. These behaviors do not go away completely with the pills. Many experts feel that children with ADHD need behavior counseling as much as they need the drugs to learn to function and deal with their ADHD. Outcome studies of adults who had ADHD symptoms as children indicate they're probably correct.
The following is a list of the more common symptoms of ADHD. If you believe that your child or you show a significant number of the symptoms, it would be wise to discuss it with your family doctor or with your child's school.
INATTENTION HYPERACTIVITY/IMPULSIVITY
- a short attention
span
- fidgets and squirms in seat
- not listening when spoken to directly
- leaves seat in class when
expected to
- paying little attention to detail/
stay seated
making careless errors
- running or climbing excessively
- trouble organizing work
at inappropriate times
- not following directions
- difficulty in playing quietly
- losing things
- talks excessively
- easily distracted
- blurts out answers before
questions
- forgetful in daily activities
are completed
Sources:
American Psychiatric Association.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV. Washington
American Psychiatric Association,
1994.
Hancock, LynNell. Mother's Little
Helper. Newsweek. March 18, 1996.
Dandelion of the Month
Dolores McNamara
Dolores McNamara is 58 Years old. Dolores works as a school bus driver with the West Seneca Schools. She drives for about eight hours a day. She is a proud mother and grandmother. She has raised four children who love and adore her. She lives in her own home, surrounded by things that she has worked for and bought. In her neighborhood, all the children recognize and love her. Life has not always been so blessed, but Dolores is a survivor.
As a young child, she was raised in a home where her father beat the females. Her mother was not always able to care for her family in the way that she wanted to, so Dolores took the role of parent for her three brothers. When she was 16 years old, her father threw her out of the home. That set the standard for her.
Dolores states that if you don't fight for yourself, you won't get anything. Life will knock you down. It's up to you what you do. She chose to pick herself up.
Dolores married and had four children, two boys, and two girls. Her husband worked for the railroad and operated a heating/air conditioning business. He was an abusive, alcoholic, cheating husband. He was rarely home and did not share his earnings with his family. Dolores was the only parent who attended the school, or scouting events of the children.
Dolores recalled a time when she was beaten in the middle of the night. When the police arrived, they took the family to a neighbor's home rather than removing the sleeping drunk. Dolores lost her hearing because of the beating she received by this man. At this time, she suffers only a mild hearing lost as a result of multiple surgeries to restore the hearing.
She left her husband in 1974. She had two sons and two daughters between the ages of 7-10 years old. Divorces were not as common then. Dolores had legal assistance from a low income attorney. She had to specify the abuses which happened to her.
Prior to the divorce, her husband threatened that he would see her living in a house with nothing, not even the children. During the course of the divorce, her husband had two of her children testify against her that she was abusive to them. They lived with her husband for several years. After the divorce, he broke in her home several times while she was away and removed all of her belongings, he stole her car and a travel trailer.
Dolores was on public assistance for several months following the divorce. She heard about a job as a West Seneca school bus driver. She went to the school and was interviewed. She told the man all that she had been through and explained that she really needed this job. He hired her on the spot. She did not have her license or training at the time. She worked through the classes and the training with two of her children by her side. In September, she bid on a full time run (3-4 hours a day) and received it. She was able to put her children through Catholic School. She has been reunited with both her son and daughter that were taken from her. Her son came back to her in 1984 or son when his fiance demanded to know his "real mother." He no longer maintains a connection with his father because his father stole his possessions when he became an adult. Her daughter returned to her about two years ago, when she found herself in an abusive situation. She now provides care and support to her daughter ad grandson as they need it.
Dolores said that she was inspired to survive because of her children. Her only complaint is that now her home is empty. Her advice to Dandelions is that you must have faith and pray. What is right for her is not right for everyone else. You must do what is best for yourself. Get on the phone and call someone, anyone, everyone. There are people there to help you make it through.
Welfare Realities
Did You Know...
The Federal Government=s cost for operating the Food Stamp Program is $25..7 billion. State and local governments pay half of the program's administrative costs.
The food stamp program presumes that 30% of a family's income is available for food needs. It is intended to supplement a family's income for food only.
A food stamp recipient receives approximately 79 cents per meal (on average).
Over half of food stamp recipients are children aged 17 and under.
Over 80% of food stamp benefits go to households with children.
The average size of a food stamp household is 3.4 persons.
Nearly two million seniors receive food stamps.
Forty-two percent of food stamp households have incomes below half of the federal poverty line.
The food stamp program reports losses of $1.7 billion per year due to improperly issued benefits. 77% of this loss is due to inadvertent agency and client errors, not fraud. Less than one percent of total benefits issued are lost because of intentional program violations or fraud.
Adapted from Food Research and Action Center, February 16, 1996.
ADVOCACY TIP
When you submit paperwork to an agency keep a copy for yourself. Note the date that it was mailed or delivered on your copy. If you find that many documents are not received, you should consider sending it by registered or certified mail so that you have proof that you did send it and that it was received by the agency.
THANKS TO YOU:
Several years ago, Dandelions wrote letters of testimony explaining why the childcare disregard did not work for public assistance recipients who wanted to begin employment. These letters have been circulated by the Greater Upstate Law Project. In early March, Senator Holland requested that they draft language for a bill to eliminate the disregard mechanism. The bill was introduced in March. It provides for a direct payment for child care for people on public assistance.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
The first ever federally funded domestic violence hotline began taking calls on 2/21/96. The hotline is the result of a long-term bipartisan commitment to domestic violence issues. It is funded for the next five years. The hotline has the ability to patch callers immediately through to local police departments. Mostly, it is expected to be used to provide referrals for counseling, shelters and other services associated with domestic violence. Please pass this number along to those in need: 1-800-799-SAFE.
Money $aving tip:
Warm weather is approaching. Keep the drapes closed during the day to darken the room and maintain cool. Open the windows on the shaded side of the home to allow the cool breezes from the shade into your home. Crack the upper windows on the sunny side of the home one to two inches to remove the hot air from the ceilings.
Regarding electrical fans:
Put them near the open windows on the shaded side of the home.
Do not run fans with safety problems (i.e. broken cords, open venting.)
Examine the motor to make sure it is clean and oiled. This will reduce fire hazard.
Clean the fins of the fan to reduce dust motion in your home.
POETRY
Carlton Hill
Not the book, but a guide
Like Gus Gerspacher
A superior look
At Carlton Hill.
High on the scarp,
Purple asters massed
With golden rod,
Orange and yellow
Touch the jewel week,
Yellow hawk weed
Mark white snakeroot.
Shaded masts of trees
Hide red berries,
In the pulpit, Jack.
Will we see Spring flowers
After the snow thaws?
by: Peter T. Ruszczyk
YOUR DREAM
MY CHILD
When
you're feeling lonely
If your down and blue
I will be beside you
To help you make it through,
Fill
your world with gladness
Lighten up the way
I will always be the one
To brighten up your day
Just
look over your shoulder
Cause I will be around
To pick up all the pieces
When your world is tumbling down
Chorus:
YOUR
DREAM MY CHILD
IS MY DREAM FOR YOU
ALL I EVER HOPED FOR
IS THE BEST OF LIFE FOR YOU
YOUR
DREAM MY CHILD
IS MY DREAM FOR YOU
IF WE DREAM TOGETHER
THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN'T DO
When
you sit and pray at night
Believe in what you ask
Be as strong as you can be
Though it's not an easy task
If
you start to feel afraid
I will understand
Keep the courage and the hope
And reach out for my hand
Try
and reach up to the sky
Pull down your shooting star
Make a wish of happiness
That star is not too far
Repeat Chorus
If
your heart is weary
You need to be assured
Use my love as your support
A love that's strong and pure
I
believe in miracles
In people who do care
Trust your friends to help you through
This trial you must bear
Repeat Chorus
If we
dream, we dream together,
oh there's nothing that we can't do.
by: Judy A. Dolce Copyright 1994
Project Dandelion
Neighborhood Legal Services
295 Main Street
Ellicott Square Bldg. Rm. 495
Buffalo NY 14203