I am writing as a follow-up to Mario Ratzki’s comments on page 14 of the September Beacon about getting help when you need it. There is a lot of misinformation out there on welfare programs.

Most of what you see in the media is someone trying to game the system and, yes, some people do that, but the percentage is very small. That, plus the fact that there is a very active quality control and fraud detection effort, keeps errors – overpayments and underpayments – below the 3% and 4% limits.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

The program most people refer to as “welfare” is the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program. In New Hampshire, since 1997, this program is divided into two main parts:

•  The New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP), where an able-bodied adult receives assistance with the children. There is a 30-hour per week work activity requirement and a five-year time limit.
• The Family Assistance program (FAP), where there is no able-bodied adult receiving assistance. There is no work requirement and no five-year time limit. 

FAP is the program Mario referred to when he mentioned the help available for grandparents who are taking care of their grandchildren as a result of the opioid crisis. It allows grandparents or other relatives to afford the additional costs of taking care of the children and keeps the children out of the foster care system. Both a cash grant and Medicaid can be provided.

As of July 31, there were 870 NHEP cases and 1,421 FAP cases. The term “case” means the family unit of adult and children who are receiving assistance.

An easy way to see if you are eligible for the many types of public assistance available for seniors, families, disabled individuals, children, and other low-income individuals is via computer. Visit NHeasy.NH.gov, then click “Do I qualify?” After you enter information, the system will let you know if you are potentially eligible for all of the programs you might qualify for and will tell you what to do next.