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Friday, Jul. 10, 2009
San Jose Mercury News: Stop fingerprinting for food stamps
The California Legislature wants to eliminate the burden that food-stamp recipients be finger- printed in order to get assistance.
Lawmakers were guided by a state auditor's report that found the policy has no benefit in combating abuse and deters participation, based on experience in other states.
California has the nation's lowest food-stamp enrollment rate.
As the Legislative Analyst's Office concluded, "If we had to do it all over again, we wouldn't have finger imaging." But in budget negotiations, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to expand, not end, fingerprinting.
It's part of his overstated claims that clamping down on waste, fraud and abuse in Medi-Cal, welfare and programs for the elderly and disabled would save the state $2 billion this year -- and more after that.
Some of the governor's ideas -- more thorough background checks of providers, face-to-face interviews, unannounced home visits and better timecard verification -- would deter fraud.
But fingerprinting recipients of aid requires another, unnecessary trip to a state office -- for every member of the household in the case of food stamps. Call it for what it is: a deliberate effort to discourage those who need help from seeking it, not an effort to combat fraud.
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