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| Inmates Illegally Collecting Food-Stamp Benefits |
| By desmoinesregister.com |
| Published: 02/08/2010 |
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Thirty percent of the inmates in the Polk County Jail last spring were illegally collecting food-stamp benefits, a state investigation shows. Federal regulations prohibit people who have been jailed for 30 days or more from collecting food-stamp benefits while incarcerated. But Iowa's food-stamp program, which is administered by the state's Department of Human Services, doesn't routinely check on recipients' compliance with that restriction. As a result, thousands of food-stamp beneficiaries are believed to be fraudulently collecting assistance while in jail. The benefits can only be accessed by using an electronic benefits transfer card - better known as an EBT card - which is similar to a bank debit card. Some inmates have given their EBT cards to others, while some have sold their cards in return for cash they can spend while in jail. Iowa's investigation was conducted last March, when officials with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals checked the names of each of the 519 inmates who passed though the Polk County Jail that month. They found that 30 percent of the inmates - a total of 157 individuals - were illegally collecting food-stamp benefits while in jail for 30 days or more. Read More. |
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