07-02-2011, 04:41 PM
from Orlando Sentinel:
About 4,000 Floridians each month may be affected by the new law, which applies only to parents with minor children who request temporary cash assistance. The average benefit check per family is $240 a month with a lifetime limit of 48 months.
The 93,000 state residents already receiving such benefits would not be affected unless they reapply. Applicants for food stamps, Medicaid and other programs also would not be affected.
Some details of the drug-testing law have shifted since the first drafts were made public. Initially, DCF spokesmen said a positive drug test, while disqualifying the applicant from receiving the cash benefits for a year, would not necessarily trigger an investigation by child-welfare workers.
Since then, the department has confirmed that all parents who test positive for drugs — including legal drugs not prescribed for the parent — will be reported automatically to the state's abuse hotline.
Department spokesman Joe Follick said that does not necessarily mean there would be a child-abuse or neglect investigation.
"We're talking about individual families with individual sets of circumstances and often facing life difficulties that most of us can't imagine," Follick said. "You can't make a generalization that, if they're using a particular drug, those kids shouldn't be there. You have to go meet the family, talk with the family and find out what services they need."
Only if there is further evidence that the children are in danger would state workers pursue a case against the parents.
Applicants will have to pay for the drug tests themselves, though those who test negative will be reimbursed in the first benefit check they receive. Those who test positive also would have the chance to get a second, more-sophisticated screening — at their own expense of up to $100 — and have an official medical review of the testing. Follick said it is still unclear whether those expenses would be reimbursed if the applicant is ultimately cleared.
"Our rule-making probably will not be done until mid- to late July," he said. "We'll probably have at least one more public meeting until they're finalized."
It's also uncertain how much help will be available for parents with little or no money to get drug treatment.
Though DCF does contract with treatment centers for a limited amount of services for the indigent, those programs have few or no openings.
"We are constantly full," said Todd Dixon, director of community affairs at the Orlando-based Center for Drug-Free Living, which handles the bulk of Central Florida cases. The nonprofit organization also has to give priority to court-ordered clients and those whose cases are most urgent, such as pregnant women.
"That's the biggest problem with this law in general," Dixon said. "If you're going to implement a policy like this, you also have an obligation to serve the people who need it. And that was not included in the legislation … . There was no additional funding to cover these [welfare] applicants."
In two-parent households, both adults would have to pass drug tests. If they fail, they could ask a third party, such as an adult relative, to apply for benefits that would be used solely for the children. But that applicant, too, would be required to pass the drug screening.
GOOD, that addresses my question.
About 4,000 Floridians each month may be affected by the new law, which applies only to parents with minor children who request temporary cash assistance. The average benefit check per family is $240 a month with a lifetime limit of 48 months.
The 93,000 state residents already receiving such benefits would not be affected unless they reapply. Applicants for food stamps, Medicaid and other programs also would not be affected.
Some details of the drug-testing law have shifted since the first drafts were made public. Initially, DCF spokesmen said a positive drug test, while disqualifying the applicant from receiving the cash benefits for a year, would not necessarily trigger an investigation by child-welfare workers.
Since then, the department has confirmed that all parents who test positive for drugs — including legal drugs not prescribed for the parent — will be reported automatically to the state's abuse hotline.
Department spokesman Joe Follick said that does not necessarily mean there would be a child-abuse or neglect investigation.
"We're talking about individual families with individual sets of circumstances and often facing life difficulties that most of us can't imagine," Follick said. "You can't make a generalization that, if they're using a particular drug, those kids shouldn't be there. You have to go meet the family, talk with the family and find out what services they need."
Only if there is further evidence that the children are in danger would state workers pursue a case against the parents.
Applicants will have to pay for the drug tests themselves, though those who test negative will be reimbursed in the first benefit check they receive. Those who test positive also would have the chance to get a second, more-sophisticated screening — at their own expense of up to $100 — and have an official medical review of the testing. Follick said it is still unclear whether those expenses would be reimbursed if the applicant is ultimately cleared.
"Our rule-making probably will not be done until mid- to late July," he said. "We'll probably have at least one more public meeting until they're finalized."
It's also uncertain how much help will be available for parents with little or no money to get drug treatment.
Though DCF does contract with treatment centers for a limited amount of services for the indigent, those programs have few or no openings.
"We are constantly full," said Todd Dixon, director of community affairs at the Orlando-based Center for Drug-Free Living, which handles the bulk of Central Florida cases. The nonprofit organization also has to give priority to court-ordered clients and those whose cases are most urgent, such as pregnant women.
"That's the biggest problem with this law in general," Dixon said. "If you're going to implement a policy like this, you also have an obligation to serve the people who need it. And that was not included in the legislation … . There was no additional funding to cover these [welfare] applicants."
In two-parent households, both adults would have to pass drug tests. If they fail, they could ask a third party, such as an adult relative, to apply for benefits that would be used solely for the children. But that applicant, too, would be required to pass the drug screening.
GOOD, that addresses my question.