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Saturday, July 10, 2010
Ind. Courts - "Autistic Indiana man sues social services agency"
From the AP, this story by Charles Wilson of another suit by the Indiana ACLU against FSSA. Some quotes:
Indiana's social services agency illegally counts food stamps as income, resulting in a reduction of state benefits paid to developmentally disabled people in a Medicaid waiver program, a lawsuit filed for an autistic Indianapolis man said Friday.The suit is the latest in a wave of criticism bombarding the state's handling of benefits for its neediest residents, which has drawn national scrutiny.
The federal government levied a $1.2 million penalty last month against the Family and Social Services Administration for miscalculating food stamp benefits; the state has revamped its welfare intake system after firing IBM from a $1.3 billion privatization contract in October; and the state has drawn fire from the federal government for not processing food stamps in a timely manner.
In the latest development, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana says the FSSA cut 26-year-old Michael Dick's monthly grocery benefit dollar-for-dollar under the Developmental Disabilities Waiver Program to offset increases in his food stamp benefits.
Federal law states that food stamps "shall not be considered income or resources for any purpose under any Federal, State or local laws, including ... public assistance programs," and prohibits states from reducing any other public benefits because of the receipt of food stamps, according to the lawsuit, filed by the ACLU in Marion County Superior Court.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 10, 2010 01:21 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts