People have lied so much to the System...

veevee

They have messed it up for the people who really need it.

I was talking to my cousin, she works for DHS as a caseworker at the office I go to. She told me about this.

Because people have lied and falsified so many things. You now can NOT get LINK or WIC until after your baby is born. You have to have all of the baby information from the hospital to get it. Such as the hospital tag (both yours & babys), the baby's footprints, and etc. Basically they need proof that the child was born, still alive and that it is actually YOUR child to get LINK and WIC.

SMDH.

perly

Really? That sucks. Where do you live again?

jules

Oh no im sorry thats sucks I mean they r obviously doing their job but people like that make me sick so selfish bc they don't think how it may effect others they r just thinking about themselves. How unfortunate.

veevee

@perly: Chicago, IL. I asked her if this was happening in all states and she said she don't know but their office started it about a few months ago.

In a way its a good thing to stop people who don't need it from getting it. But for those who need that LINK advance... SMH.

veevee

@jules Exactly. That's why I haven't heard from WIC.

I hate that I can even say I have a few friends and family members that have done this with Link, WIC and Section 8.

jules

Thats really sad I hope they can get it through their head one of these days.

perly

Im so sorry. That's definitely not happening in Texas, yet.
I currently have WIC and SNAP(food stamps) but its because im not working and my husband's job has cut hours drastically to the point that we can only afford to pay our bills and put gas in our tanks. After that, our bank account is literally in $0. I have a few job offers that im looking into so that i can start helping bring money in and so i can get off these benefits. I see this as a temporary help, not something that i plan to be on my whole life. I actually hope to never have to apply for these benefits again, not because there's anything wrong with having them but because there are people out there that will need them more than i will and i wouldn't feel good taking advantage of the system like that.

Frantastic

That definitely sucks. I'm in CA and got Wic while I was pregnant with my son. I was a full time student and even though my hubby worked we still struggled. If I hadn't had Wic while pregnant we would have really been starving students. It would have been nice to get food stamps but I didn't qualify because I was in school and could have been working. Total BS but whatever, Wic was our lifesaver.

ExcitedForOctober

Not true, I am from Chicago and you CAN get WIC while pregnant but yes, once baby is born you need those things for baby to be added.

veevee

@ExcitedForOctober: This is supposedly for mothers who are just NOW applying for WIC for the first time.

If you already have WIC you are good. But to the first time mothers who are applying for the first time they will have to wait until baby is born to get it.

I asked why. She said because you really don't need WIC until the baby is born anyway.

This is what their supervisors are telling them.

I am going to call my caseworker tomorrow just to make sure, but I see no reason why she would lie.

I may have exaggerate a little bit in my OP, but pretty much she is telling me. If this is your FIRST time applying for WIC, you will need proof that baby was born and is yours before you get it.

I'm not sure if it started already or this is something they are going to start soon. Even though she said it started aleady. She could've misunderstood that too.

I'm not 100% sure about LINK/SNAP though. She was mainly talking about WIC.

Reason why all of this is because people have falsified so much information to get WIC, LINK/SNAP and other forms of government assistance.

I'm actually shocked they are doing something about it. It's about time, but it also sucks for the people who really need it.

perly

Well what exactly does WIC provide you with in Chicago?
Because here in Houston, it provides you with things like milk, eggs, cereal, beans, rice, bread and $10 worth of vegetables/fruit (well this is what my package is, but they basically are all the same just different package provide more of one thing, less of the other and so on)...but anyway, a side from the formula, these are all things the baby can't have so it actually does help me. If you receive the same stuff, i don't see why you wouldn't need WIC before having the baby. Im so sorry, they are all dumbasses

veevee

@perly: I have never been on WIC so I don't know. I guess it provides the same as every other state. But Chicago is a dumbass city. Ever since Daley left office.

My mom said they used to practically give stuff like this away to any woman who was pregnant. To people who were pregnant or not.

I'm calling ny caseworker just to make sure though. I pray my cousin is pulling my leg.

veevee

@Frantastic well so far from what I do know in Chicago you can get stamps while in college. I don't know if you have to be a full-time student or not, but I know plenty of people who are going to school or back to school and getting stamps.

ExcitedForOctober

I really don't think WIC would not provide food to pregnant women, that's what they are there for, to provide nutrition to children even before then are born, hence the healthy food to pregnant women.

Frantastic

That makes me so irritated if that's true @veevee because I was in hygiene school full time 4 days a week 8 hours a day, I worked the 2 days a week that I could 8 hours a day and was told that in CA you can't get food stamps as a student because I could be working full time if I wanted to. It was like I was being punished for going to school and trying to better myself. The only reason I applied for Wic and food stamps is because I was pregnant and couldn't live off of top ramen anymore.

Starlilly

That doesn't make any sense wic stands for women, infants,and children. I would call clearly they can see you're pregnant or ask for documention stating that you are pregnant and your estimated due date. I hope you check for yourself!! Good luck

veevee

@Starlilly & @ExcitedForOctober: My caseworker was busy with interviews and clients each time I called. I'm going to call back tomorrow and make an appointment.

@Fantastic: That really sucks. You can get stamps when you're full time student in Chicago.

ExcitedForOctober

You should just call WIC

starrxoxo9

That's total bull. I used WIC less AFTER my baby was born because I breastfed!! Like some others have said, have you tried going directly to WIC? Maybe it really has changed but I'd wanna see for myself. When my daughter was born they didn't ask for the birth certificate or anything. I just brought her in there for my appts.

perly

I agree with @starrxoxo9. If i were you i would just find a WIC office and go in there and see what they tell you. Something similar just happened to me with the food stamps.

perly

So i applied for food stamps online on June 11 and i didn't hear anything for a month. So i logged back into my account and it just said it was pending. So then on July 12, when i got tired of waiting i called and logged into my account again and it finally said that i had qualified and it told me the pro rated amount i would get for June and then the regular amount i would receive monthly beginning July. I still stayed on the line to talk to a case worker just to know what to expect. So the case worker told me that the card would arrive in the mail anywhere from 5-7 business days. I asked if i could just pick it up at my local health and human services office cause i really needed it and i really could wait that long. He said that the offices had stopped giving the cards at beginning of this year and that since they are government issued, they were only mailed. I was like, fine, i'll wait week. So a week passed by and nothing. I called let them know i didn't receive a card and they resend it. I waited another week and nothing. I called again and they send it again. This went on for another month. On August 10 i walked into the office and i told them what had been going on and i took my bank statements and my credit card statement so they could see that i literally had no money and i needed that card. They gave me a number, i waited an hour and i left the office with the card on hand.

If you keep waiting on the case worker, you're never going to get anything. Go up to the office and see what they tell you there. It doesn't hurt to try and the worse that can happen is that they send you home.

starrxoxo9

I agree^^. What your caseworker is telling you could all be hearsay just to discourage you. I got so much food when I was pregnant that I couldn't even eat it all!

veevee

@starxoxo9: My caseworker hasn't told me anything this is from my cousin who is a caseworker at my Aid Office.

I am at work right now and I'm calling the WIC office tomorrow. I still have to make an appointment to see my caseworker though, so I can re-apply, I was denied earlier, for stamps.

My caseworker has really been helpful with me. Some do their job and others give you the run around.

Honestly I would not be surprised if this happens to be true, because Chicago is the worst when it comes to any type of government assistance.

starrxoxo9

Well hopefully wic will have more answers for you!

jules

I'm sorry they are been so complicated I would walk into the office directly and just tell them what's going on and you would like some info. I hope things get move on soon for ya.