<p>I found the info on the federal website.
If you are over 60 or disabled, the limit is $3,000.
If you recieve TANF or SSI your assets arent included.</p>
<p>That is interesting that in NY state your assets are not examined unless you have been oreviously sanctioned or disqualified, in those cases, assets can not exceed $2,000.</p>
<p>As I said, the rules do vary among the states. I know that some features of my friend’s food stamp requirements were state specific too. I guess NY throws in the extra money to cover those who have assets though some estimate of how many more are so included. NY does not look at assets for Medicaid either, as I said above, unless it’s for disabled care purposes. </p>
<p>The money is federal, I thought, but I guess if states are using their own money, it makes sense that they can develop their own guidelines.</p>
<p>All I know is that they do for a lot of the federal money they get. Each state gets so much in funds as calculated as their due. States can give more benefits and fund the excess themselves. The same works for Medicaid in that some states, NY included, expanded it with ACA and some did not. </p>
<p>Food stamps are an income based program. Assets are not considered.</p>
<p>However, why play all these games? This and 2 other threads by this OP are about how he can get all the grants he can, earn a certain amount but not too much. If you can earn more, that is what you are supposed to do. There are new guidelines limiting the number of months of food stamps to childless people who CAN work. That is what you might be asked about – if you CAN work, why aren’t you working to your full capacity. If the answer is that you don’t want to lose your pell grant, the case worker might cut off the food stamps.</p>
<p>The reason is I have classes and homework and want to get good grades. </p>
<p>However, there is the side issue of me not being able to afford a car, and my bad knee only being able to handle so many bike rides per week. There are only so many jobs that will let me sit down all day. I would not work full time even if I were not a student, unless I could get a apartment near my job.</p>
<p>Assets are considered in my state as you cant own anything besides a junker car.</p>
<p>There is absolutely nothing wrong with making sure you don’t work a couple of hours more,earn a few dollars more only to lose out on food stamps, medicaid or other such thing. It’s smart planning. I applaud the OP for thinking about these things. With some state grants if earnings are over a cut point, you can lose a lot of money. It’s not gradated where the benefits are phased out so that by the time you get near the cut line, it’s not a huge loss. I know people who work part time and they also get Soc Security retirement and they do watch every dollar and hour because if they earn over a certain amount, their soc sec gets cut. It would be foolish not to take these things into consideration. </p>
<p>Also, I don’t see any problems with considering taking a loan with a lower interest rate to pay off a current loan with a higher one. None at all. I’ve done it as I’ve stated before and saved about a hundred bucks. My brother took a larger than needed car loan recently when he was offered 1%, and for a longer time period, as he has some things at a higher interest rate that he can eliminate with the savings. He was going to put money down on the car, but at that interest rate, not worth it. He’s jubilant at this outcome. </p>
<p>Food stamps were intended to help in an emergency until one can get back to the place where he can support himself. This OP doesn’t want to do that, doesn’t want to work all the hours he can because he’d rather go to school. I’d rather do other things too, and when I was a poor student, I would have rather worked less too. Life doesn’t work that way.</p>
<p>I think planning is a good thing. If all students should get food stamps because they make less than the max for the program, then make the rules that way. The rules say those on public assistance are supposed to be working to get off it. There are programs in some states that do recognize that going to school is a fix for unemployment, but there are requirements for those programs too (work some hours, make progress, income limits, time limits). </p>
<p>I don’t feel food stamps were intended to allow a student to work less than he can so that he can also qualify for other government programs. JMO.</p>
<p>Food Stamps have their qualifying rules. As long as ANYONE qualifies for them, it’s fine by me. It’s up to the programs to make the standards. Though anyone can opinions about the how the programs work, and who should and shouldn’t qualify for them, OPINIONS are all they are. </p>
<p>I have a friend who has been on food stamps for a long time. She qualifies, she’s entitled to them. She has no intentions of ever getting off the food stamps. She never did. The rules are such that she can get them, so she does. Simple as that. Life works that way. If the rules change, or her situation changes, so she no longer qualifies, she’ll go off them. No, she does not need the food stamps to make ends meet or to get the food she needs, but she meets the critieria for them. My MIL does not need her social security check either, nor does she need the tax break that the government gives her for that income which my mother does not get for more meager government pension she gets instead of social security. My MIL does not need the senior citizen discounts she gets for all sorts of things either. Nor do alot of people need the mortgage deduction from their taxes. A lot of folks I know do not need Medicaid either, but to go on COBRA or buy insurance on the exchange costs more, and they qualify for the program. </p>
<p>So, “need” does not always come into play for qualification. It may have been the original intent and still the purpose of the program, but many of these programs do not so much go by true “need” as by meeting certain qualifications. My aunt was a woman who was in dire straits with 5 children and a disabled husband, but never considered herself, her family as needy, not one bit, and but, yes, they qualified for assistance due to low income and some tough circumstances. </p>