There are a number of more restrictive programs that the government has to aid people in need. Those include unemployment, state disability, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Social Security, SSI, Section 8, MediCal, and MediCare. I want to briefly summarize these programs for the sake of completeness, and so we can see where government has attempted to fill in the gaps.
Unemployment
"Unemployment" is temporary aid given to those who worked in the last year, but are now out of work though no fault of their own. "No fault of their own" is defined as being laid off, fired for reasons other than misconduct, or having quit for a good reason. You have to have earned at least $1300 in one quarter of the previous year to qualify, and you must be able to work and actively looking for work.
Unemployment aid varies from $40 to $370 a week, depending on how much you were earning before. It lasts up to 26 weeks after you apply. There are also training benefits available, and special benefits for those whose work status has been injured by government trade programs.
Earned Income Tax Credit
The Earned Income Tax Credit is a tax relief for low income families, but since it is available for even those who pay very little in taxes, it can lead to families getting a net benefit from the government for the year. Families with one child who have a total income under $30,000 can receive a credit of up to $2,600, and families with two or more children and a total income under $35,000 can receive a credit of up to $4,300. Even those with no children can receive a small credit, although it only applies to people with incomes under $11,500.
There is also a Childcare Tax Credit for low- and middle-income families that provides additional aid to offset childcare costs.
Foster Care
The government provides $400 to $600 a month per child for every family that is taking care of foster children. The amount of aid depends on the age of the child.
Social Security
Social Security benefits are available in full to people over 65 years of age, although that will increase to 67 years by 2022. The amount you receive is a percentage based on how much you earned as a worker and how much you've contributed to Social Security.
State Disability
State Disability is a temporary aid program for those who cannot work due to injury, illness, or pregnancy. You must have lost your job due to your disability (or have been actively looking for work), be under the care of a doctor, and have earned wages in the previous quarter. You receive $50 to $600 a week in aid, depending on how much you were earning before the injury. It lasts up to one year. You cannot get State Disability if you are already receiving unemployment or worker's comp.
SSI
SSI is a federal program for low-income people who are elderly, blind, or have permanent disabilities. You cannot get SSI if your disability was based on drug or alcohol dependence. SSI offers the following amounts of maximum aid:
- over 65 - $812
- Disabled - $812
- Disabled minor - $698
- Blind - $877
SSI is a permanent program and the benefits continue until death. CAPI is an SSI program for immigrants. CAPI is virtually identical to SSI except that the beneficiaries receive $10 less each month.
Section 8
Section 8 is a voucher system that reduces people's rent payments to only 30% of their income. It is available to low-income families and is in high demand. Unfortunately, there is a long waiting list for Section 8 and families usually do not receive aid until many years after they apply. Section 8 vouchers can only be used with landlords who accept them.
Medical Aid
There are a number of health care programs for persons with low incomes. MediCal covers persons who are in SSI, CalWorks, foster care, adoption assistance, IHSS, a refugee program, pregnant, a child under 21, or an adult over 65. If you are over certain income limits, you have to pay a share of the cost of the insurance. Undocumented immigrants can receive a restricted MediCal program that covers emergencies, pregnancy, and long-term care. Healthy Families is an additional program that provides free health care for families with children that are over the free MediCal limits. Medicare is a health care program for Social Security recipients.
I hope that gives everyone an idea of what kind of aid is out there. So where are the gaps? Are some of these programs unnecessary, or even contributing to the problem? What do our elected officials need to be doing to better serve the poor in this country? And what can we do to better insure that people get the help they need?
I'd also be interested to know - are other states significantly different from California? From the research I did, it seemed that most of California's aid comes from government funding. It would be interesting to see if any other states offer significantly more or less aid for the poor.
