Food stamps, also known by their formal name, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, are designed to help a low-income household pay for groceries. These benefits are intended as a form of voucher that a person can redeem at participating retailers. However, if a person abuses the program, he may end up owing the state money. If this debt goes unpaid, the state may attempt to collect it through garnishment.
Garnishment
Garnishment occurs when a person has an income stream diverted by a creditor. If a creditor serves a garnishment order on a party that provides a person with regular payments, such as an employer, the party is legally required to set aside some of this money for the creditor. Both governments and private creditors can attempt to garnish a person's wages if she owes them money.
Food Stamps
A person does not generally have to pay for food stamps. Food stamps are a form of government assistance that is provided to people at no cost to them. A person can receive food stamps for as long as is legally permitted without having to pay a dime. However, if the person violates the rules of the program or incurs stamps fraudulently, he may be required to repay the state program that provided him with stamps.
Tax Refunds
When a person files taxes with the federal Internal Revenue Service, she will receive a tax refund -- a check from the government -- if she overpaid. In some cases, this return can be garnished if the taxpayer owes a creditor money. While garnishment of IRS refunds is generally unavailable to private creditors, a state government -- such as a food stamp agency -- can collect unpaid debts through garnishment of the tax refund.
Considerations
When a person abuses the food stamp program, he is sometimes only required to pay back the money he misappropriated. This is because the people receiving foods stamps are often low income, meaning they do not have the resources to pay back debts. More often, the individual will simply be kicked out of the program. However, a person could also face criminal charges of food stamp fraud.
0 comments:
Post a Comment