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Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare review: Fraud and policy 5

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8:33 pm EDT
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My husband and I have had custody of his four children for over three years now, but just had it legally revamped in March of 2009. The ex owes at least 14 months in back due child support and has zero intentions of paying. We are having a difficult time supporting our kids so we finally applied for food stamps. Because the ex has the children for 4 days a month and applied for benefits before us she is entitled to full benefits and we get nothing. This is ridiculous that the government feels it is more important that the kids eat for 4 days out of the month rather than the remaining 27. It is also appalling that she can be delinquent on her child support, but still get government benefits. The country is in a huge financial crisis and we are giving aid to those parties that do not deserve. In addition to giving them aid we are refusing it to the people that really need it. Not only is the policy completely messed up, the representatives of the Health and Welfare office in Bingham County were disrespectful and rude to me. I now have to explain to my kids why we don't have enough food to eat. Not an easy task.

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5 comments
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Jake1984
, DE
Oct 23, 2013 8:03 pm EDT
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This is insane, the grandparents have guardianship of my son, the grandfather owns a business worth over 1 million dollars, and lives in a house worth $600, 000.00. I've been living outside of the US abroad since being stationed here back in 2002. I'm fairly current on my child support payments, but was deep in arrears. The Government revoked my passport while I was trying to get it renewed. I tried to work out a payment plan with Health and Welfare, but was denied. I was told that if I didn't pay the arrears in full they would issue me a 2 week temporary passport to go back to the states. This would have been totally retroactive, as I have a job in my country of residence. I would have had to leave my wife and two children (one is an infant) in the host country. So I did what I had to do and took out a loan to pay it in full. Since July of 2013, I have been harassed by the State Health and Welfare cronies. They call me at the close of business in Idaho which is between 1-2am in the host country. I treated rudely, they claim things that make no sense. Such as I'm unemployed, and this is the reason they call me at 1-2am. It's absurd, to hear these things. I'm scraping by to make ends meat, and feed my children, while the grandparents get cash assistance, Medicade, CHIP, and his home schooling paid for by the state. They also receive my court ordered tax deduction. I'm really sick and tired of feeling targeted, and discriminated against. Although the grandparents have a life of luxury, I'm told by Child Support Enforcement that my son has nothing to eat, or a roof over his head because I'm in arrears, based on them not working with me. It really saddens me that I can go fight an unjust war at the age of 19, and still be treated like the last piece of crap on the planet, by a public servant...

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tazboy557
Chubbuck, US
Nov 10, 2011 7:08 pm EST

Hi I'm Jeff. I have lived in Blackfoot Idaho back in 2006. My kids were taken away from me back in 2007, thanks to the Blackfoot Department of Health and welfare. In the dept of child services. They held everything against me, my disability, and my family history. They have lied saying that I would get my kids back if I did what they said. I did, and I didn't get my kids back. A lady named Nicole over at Blackfoot Health and Welfare, was in charge of my kids case. They have lied about everything they've said to me, and my rights was violated. The prosecuter and lawyer did not do their job, and they've lied. Just because someone has a learning disability, no one has the right to judge you. People want you to be the perfect parent, and there's no way. No one's perfect. If this ever happens to you, do not go to health and welfare. Take your kids and leave! Find somewhere safe to take your kids. Then go to health and welfare and report the abusive parent. Don't make the same mistake I did.

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lsidaho
Nampa, US
Jun 26, 2011 7:45 pm EDT

I recently applied for assistance and got denied because my husbands gross income was $50 over the limit. They don't take into account that $300 of that goes to child support for a child from a previous relationship and $600 goes to required insurance for that child. We have 2 of our own children under 5 years of age, daycare is expensive even if I were to go back to work all I made would go to paying that. When I asked the lady at health and welfare what they could help me with she said to go to a food pantry or get a job because they havbe child care assistance. Child care assistance has a lower income eligibilty requirement than food stamps! I couldn't believe she told me that. I was completely offended. I hung up on her. They only take child support into consideration after you meet the gross requirement. Its not like we are bringing that money home. Yet when standing in line to apply, the guy in front of me pulls his wallet out to get his ID and he has a stack of $100 bills and gets into a brand new truck when ge leaves. My car is about to blow up, I eat spoonfulls of peanut butter so I don't eat anything my children might eat. Something needs to be done.

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Jmae03
Bonners Ferry, US
Feb 07, 2011 6:23 pm EST
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My husband and I are going through the EXACT same thing right now. It makes me sick that my exhusband, who is $20, 000 behind in child support can get food stamps for kids that he might see 5 days a month, some months he doesn't see them at all. When I call H&W they told me that it's a first come first serve basis and it is not thier policy to make people prove that the people on their application actually live with them. Is that not ridiculous? It is not their policy to make sure people that they are claiming they are supporting actually live with them, so can I just pick some random kids and put them on my applicationa dn get assistance for them? No, that would be fraud, and so is what is happening to us. When is H&W going to wake up and become the agency that our tax dollars pay it to be? Who regulates this department anyway because who ever it is needs to do their job and start regulating.

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Moojuis
, US
May 04, 2010 10:05 pm EDT

I agree. I think the system should be re-vamped to follow the children and not the individual parents. Whoever has primary custody should receive the help and not first come first served. I also think that it is ridiculous that any person can receive any form of government aid if they are delinquent on child support. I will be contacting my state legislation. Thanks for the info. I'm appalled that this is taking place.