General Assistance Cash Grants to End Next Month
This will be the last month of state-issued checks for more than 60,000 needy and disabled residents who’ve been beneficiaries of General Assistance cash grants from the Department of Public Welfare.
The roughly $150-million dollar program has been on the chopping block since Governor Tom Corbett’s initial budget plan was unveiled in February. Late in the budget process a deal was reached to allow for one additional month of checks to be issued, so as to ease the transition, but the program will soon be eliminated.
“Some of them will end up on the streets, some of them will end up in emergency rooms, some of them will end up in jail,” says Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania Executive Director Liz Hersh, who fears many of these vulnerable citizens will be left with nothing.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes
Senate Minority Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes (D-Phila.) has a district office right around the corner from a welfare office. “Everyone’s in a panic,” he says of the knowledge that their lifeline is being cut.
But Governor Tom Corbett says his administration is working to connect people losing these state-funded cash benefits to other programs. “From discussions with staff, we believe that some people probably are not exercising access to some areas that they might have access to,” Corbett explained to reporters during recent budget negotiations.
From discussions with staff, we believe that some people probably are not exercising access to some areas that they might have access to,” Corbett explained to reporters during recent budget negotiations.
What staff? What information do they have? Has this information been shared with the County Assistance Office caseworkers? Are the caseworkers being instructed to assist these recipients? Has this information been shared with MATP and Medical Assistance plans who manage the care and benefits? How is this information going to get to the most needy? IT ISN’T!!! As a healthcare professional working with this population, I can tell you that for those waiting for disability and this being their only income, starting in August, there will be chronically ill people who have no gas to get to the appointment, no copay when they get to the PCP office and there is no use getting a prescription for medication because the pharmacy will not give it to you without your co-pay.
A percentage of those affected will end up in hospitals or shelters. Another percentage will end up in jail. There will be a percentage of those who are admitted to mental health facilities. Adding those costs together may add up to greater than the savings from eliminating the benefit.
Also, is that projected savings before or after new qualified disability claims are settled and the DPW gets reimbursed for the cash assistance provided for that individual during the time a decision was being made.
This will end up costing taxpayers more money and extreme hardship for thousands of Pennsylvanians. But we can all be happy that today Gov. Corbet signed a bill that lowers the cost of registering a vintage snowmobile!