98 Percent of Welfare Applicants In FLORIDA Pass Drug Test
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soul rattler
Members Posts: 18,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
smh @ Florida aka America's ? ... 178 Millions dollars latter...
Thanks to Florida Gov. Rick Scott's insistence that people on welfare use drugs at a higher rate than the general population, the state's Legislature implemented a policy earlier this year requiring all applicants for temporary cash assistance to pass a drug test before getting any help.
The results: Ninety-eight percent passed. And the process will cost the state $178 million.
The Tampa Tribune reports that the Department of Children and Families says about 2 percent of applicants are failing the test and another 2 percent are not completing the application process for unspecified reasons.
Here's the Tribune's assessment of how much the state will pay:
Cost of the tests averages about $30. Assuming that 1,000 to 1,500 applicants take the test every month, the state will owe about $28,800-$43,200 monthly in reimbursements to those who test drug-free.
That compares with roughly $32,200-$48,200 the state may save on one month’s worth of rejected applicants.
Net savings to the state: $3,400 to $5,000 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800 to $60,000 for a program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year.
Maybe Florida politicians are the ones who need to be tested to see if they're under the influence of something (prejudice, perhaps?) that's making them think this wasteful program is good public policy.
http://www.theroot.com/buzz/98-welfare-applicants-pass-drug-test
Thanks to Florida Gov. Rick Scott's insistence that people on welfare use drugs at a higher rate than the general population, the state's Legislature implemented a policy earlier this year requiring all applicants for temporary cash assistance to pass a drug test before getting any help.
The results: Ninety-eight percent passed. And the process will cost the state $178 million.
The Tampa Tribune reports that the Department of Children and Families says about 2 percent of applicants are failing the test and another 2 percent are not completing the application process for unspecified reasons.
Here's the Tribune's assessment of how much the state will pay:
Cost of the tests averages about $30. Assuming that 1,000 to 1,500 applicants take the test every month, the state will owe about $28,800-$43,200 monthly in reimbursements to those who test drug-free.
That compares with roughly $32,200-$48,200 the state may save on one month’s worth of rejected applicants.
Net savings to the state: $3,400 to $5,000 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800 to $60,000 for a program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year.
Maybe Florida politicians are the ones who need to be tested to see if they're under the influence of something (prejudice, perhaps?) that's making them think this wasteful program is good public policy.
http://www.theroot.com/buzz/98-welfare-applicants-pass-drug-test
Comments
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I find it funny that ppl who support drug testing welfare recipiants think that it will save the govt money, they somehow think that most ppl on welfare are drug abusers, they also seem to think that all drug users are drug abusers, they also seem to think that poor drug users are really dumb enough to show up for a drug testing to get welfare with drugs in their system.
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Florida Gov't LAuce
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Mindstarter wrote: »they also seem to think that poor drug users are really dumb enough to show up for a drug testing to get welfare with drugs in their system.
quoted for emphasis, if nothing else -
They use there kids ? lets be real ..................
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Mindstarter wrote: »I find it funny that ppl who support drug testing welfare recipiants think that it will save the govt money, they somehow think that most ppl on welfare are drug abusers, they also seem to think that all drug users are drug abusers, they also seem to think that poor drug users are really dumb enough to show up for a drug testing to get welfare with drugs in their system.
bolded for emphasis lol.. didnt read the link but damn 98% seems a bit IMO but props if its true -
Rick Scott is an idiot.
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I wonder how many didn't apply because they knew they'd fail the test.
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This doesn't affect me one way or the other...but let's not act like 100% of people in welfare don't know how to pass a drug test even if they've been using drugs.
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SMH @ my state
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them folks LOST
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I wonder how much false ? was used....
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well its not surprising to kno that most people on welfare dont do drugs
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For everyone STILL skeptical about the many loopholes in this situation (ex. "fake ? " this, "fake ? " that, "to show up for the drug test or not to show etc., lol), even if those loopholes exist, 98% passing is still one big ? YOU to conservative governing policies of FL.....
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Intellectual_Liberal wrote: »For everyone STILL skeptical about the many loopholes in this situation (ex. "fake ? " this, "fake ? " that, "to show up for the drug test or not to show etc., lol), even if those loopholes exist, 98% passing is still one big ? YOU to conservative governing policies of FL.....
this. even if you said 20% of that 98 faked it that's still an overwhelming majority. -
i think the key word is applicants tho LOL ... not recipients LOLether-i-am wrote: »Drug test can be beat. Especially if you know when your going to take it. Randoms is what get people. -
I honestly don't think eliminating welfare fraud would affect my paycheck so ? it.
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Mindstarter wrote: »I find it funny that ppl who support drug testing welfare recipiants think that it will save the govt money, they somehow think that most ppl on welfare are drug abusers, they also seem to think that all drug users are drug abusers, they also seem to think that poor drug users are really dumb enough to show up for a drug testing to get welfare with drugs in their system.
how did the number of applicants change after it was announced they will get tested? I think the number of people that use drugs in the general population minus kids might even be higher so no way this result is the real deal -
Yall ? is crazy..
Even the lady on Fox News last night was like testing them was stupid, expensive and (apparently) unnecessary...
It's funny how some hip-hop fans dont understand the hood at all... -
they need to do this everywhere
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what?
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They were talking about this on Fox News...if Fox News is backing ? on welfare that's saying something... -
well, in all fairness, we need the rest of the data. How many welfare applicants applied since the law went into affect vs the rate applications received before the law went into affect? For instance, if 25k applied and were approved before and 5k applied and were approved now at $500 a pop, thats 12.5 mill vs 2 mil in benefits that's being kept. So they're up 10.5 mil, minis $30 for the test which comes out to $150k. Fl. would still be up 10 and a quarter mil. You gotta spend money to make money, i think the saying goes.
but anybody can be clean for a month, one way to make this work is random test after approval. -
powerman 5000 wrote: »well, in all fairness, we need the rest of the data. How many welfare applicants applied since the law went into affect vs the rate applications received before the law went into affect? For instance, if 25k applied and were approved before and 5k applied and were approved now at $500 a pop, thats 12.5 mill vs 2 mil in benefits that's being kept. So they're up 10.5 mil, minis $30 for the test which comes out to $150k. Fl. would still be up 10 and a quarter mil. You gotta spend money to make money, i think the saying goes.
but anybody can be clean for a month, one way to make this work is random test after approval.
Exactly, it would have to be random testing for it to be more effective. But then that would violate people's right to privacy. I am a tax paying citizen, and if I fall on hard times I expect the same govt that I help surrpot to help me w/o having to take random drug test.....which goes back to what I said b4 in that all drug users are not drug abusers. -
Florida is out here losing
