Child Care/Support/Welfare Not a Priority in the US

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States With Y2K Problems The Associated Press

States not certified as Y2K compliant in the Office of Management and Budget's final readiness report.

Programs examined were food stamps; child nutrition, including school breakfast and lunch programs; Women, Infants and Children (WIC); Medicaid; Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), or cash welfare; child support; Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; child care; child welfare and unemployment insurance.

-Alabama: TANF, child support, child care.

-California: Child support.

-Connecticut: Child welfare.

-District of Columbia: Unemployment.

-Illinois: Child support.

-Kentucky: Child care.

-Minnesota: Child welfare.

-North Dakota: Child support.

-Oklahoma: Food stamps, WIC.

U.S. Territories:

-American Samoa: Medicaid, including both systems that pay bills and determine eligibility; child care.

-Guam: Food stamps, WIC, both Medicaid systems, TANF, child support, child care, child welfare.

-Puerto Rico: Medicaid, bill paying

-Virgin Islands: Both Medicaid systems, TANF, child support, child care.

-- Llama man (llama@cool.net), December 16, 1999

Answers

Not a priority ?? Llama man, you are connected, tell us how many hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on these programs ?

The problems stem from gross incompetence, zero accountability, non-existant management, and corruption. It just takes a Y2K type problem to expose the actual state of these agencies.

Y2K is one of those things that just doing nothing will not make it go away.

Please don't tell us that these programs just need more money !!

-- Ken G. (None@this.time), December 16, 1999.


It makes sense to me that these programs are not a priority for y2k. The people who are affected by these programs are probably the least likely to be able to speak out about problems or demand change. Unfortunately, these are also the people who may have the fewest resources with which to prepare for disruptions. There are problems in the administration of these programs, admittedly, but that doesn't really change the situations of those who may truly need them. We'll all be facing tough times if TSHTF, but it looks like some will face a tougher time than others, even if they did "get it."

-- nance (nancyw@mailcity.com), December 16, 1999.

1) My observation is that automated child support systems haven't worked well in the past... The one that I am familiar with couldn't handle unusual situations, and the staffing was woefully inadequate (checks were not cashed for 5-6 weeks after receipt, sometimes!).

2) Only some states were not making these systems a priority.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), December 16, 1999.


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