How one man collects $2,600 a month by doing nothing

In 2012 a confession was published a confession on the social news network Reddit about how he worked the system to his benefit. In the article, this societal leech described how he was laid off from a well paying job and decided to apply for government help. Due to his lack of income, he was quickly approved for food stamps. This monthly allowance of $900 was enough for him to feed his family and even eat steak and lobster a few times a month. 

Next he applied for TANF which paid him $600 a month. He was given an ATM card that allowed him to get cash from any ATM machine for 60 months - that’s five years!. This man had five children so he applied for Medicaid which covered all of the children’s medical, dental, AND vision expenses. In addition to those expenses, he was able to get utility assistance that covered 80% of his electric and gas bills. 

Next came rent which was $800 a month. He had to get creative in order to cover this expense. The Federal Homelessness Prevention Act covered his entire rent for three months, and after that he toured the different charities and churches that provided emergency rent assistance. 

He considered working but realized he would lose his benefits so he milked the system for an entire year. This cost American tax-payers over $30k a year. Unfortunately this is a common strategy for many Americans who are able to work. This person didn’t even mention other benefits such as school supplies, clothing, transportation, or free phones.