Evaluating_Eligibility_Rules

Evaluating Eligibility Rules Lisa Swearingen Axia College of University of Phoenix HHS 245 Public Policy Development in Health and Human Services Courtney Hunt Evaluating Eligibility Rules Almost any type of health or human service agency or program has some kind of eligibility rules, whether they are a government program or faith-based. Without these rules, the potential for abuse and chaos is very high. Some programs have more rules than others, hoping to make it more difficult for people who do not really need help to obtain benefits from a program. When anyone receives benefits when they do not really need them, it takes those benefits away from someone who truly does need those benefits. Angel Food Ministries has a very relaxed approach to eligibility rules. While this may increase chances of program abuse, it does enable those individuals or families who fall through the cracks of other programs to get the help they need and deserve. Angel Food Ministries has no real eligibility rules to speak of. There are no applications and no qualifications to be able to participate in the program. There is no means test where income and assets are counted, no source of entitlement from professional or administrative discretion, and no private contracts (Chambers & Wedel, 2005). People only have to pay a small fee ($30) for a box of food when they place their order. Angel Food Ministries keeps track of names, addresses, and phone numbers, and if they notice someone continuously coming back, they will try to counsel the individual or family, to see if there is any additional help available. However, these people are not turned away, they are still allowed to participate as long as they pay for the food they receive. Having actually been a participant in the Angel Food program, I have never noticed any stigmatization, and have thought (having also participated in the food stamp program), what a contrast the Angel Food program is to the food stamp program. The workers go out of their way to make all participants feel comfortable, and no one outside of the participants and workers has to know that someone is a participant in Angel Food. Since people receive their food at host sites, they do not have to show any kind of benefits card or feel as if others were frowning upon them. There are also no off-targeted benefits because the participants pay for food and that is exactly what they are given on delivery day. The only possible trade-off may be that because more people are finding out about, and participating in, the Angel Food program, it takes money away from grocery stores and other stores that sell food items. It makes those stores have lower sales, even though the consumer is able to buy good food for about half of what it would have cost. Costs are kept to a minimum because there is very little overhead, since host sites provide the distribution points for the food. There is no need for a place for Angel Food to have to pay rent or a lease in order to operate, except for their warehouse in Georgia. The weak part of Angel Food Ministries' rules could be the lack of actual eligibility rules. One could argue with either point of view, either that Angel Food needs more rules, or that they are fine the way they are; both points would have strong arguments. There is a strong argument to have some kind of rules in place, to keep any abuse of the program at bay. On the other hand, programs like the food stamp program are sometimes too strict with rules, and people sometimes do not receive badly needed help. One scenario is a person who is on their elderly parent's bank account, only for the purpose of paying the parent's bills if the parent become ill. The worker may count this bank account as part of the client's income and assets. For this reason, the client may be turned down for aid that he or she really needs. In my judgment, and having been a participant in both Angel Food and food stamp programs, I think that Angel Food Ministries could use a few rules of some type. Perhaps a type of means test could be set up, though not as strict as the one that the government food stamp program has. Perhaps there should be some sort of limit as to how often someone can participate, such as once every other month or so. At the same time, with the economy failing so badly, there are many people struggling. These people may need to purchase food through Angel Food every month, and may not be eligible for the food stamp program. Eligibility rules are created for good reasons, to keep order within a program and the abuse of benefits down. Even with eligibility rules, there are still cases of programs suffering from benefits abuse or mismanagement. Angel Food Ministries seems to have very little trouble with abuse or disorganization, even though they have no eligibility rules to speak of. Sometimes rules can get in the way of helping people, creating unbreakable boundaries that may lock someone out of receiving any benefits. At other times, rules can be a very good thing, so that people know how to do their job, how to help people, and in general, keep order within the program. References Chambers, D. E. & Wedel, K. R. (2005). Social policy and social programs: A method for the practical public policy analyst. (4th ed.). Allyn and Bacon. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.