Why are “Ready-to-Eat HOT FOODS” ineligible using Food Stamps (EBT Card)? What’s the REAL reason & origin?

With the present record unemployment and the BAD economy many long time, steady working folks and college educated people are finding themselves unemployed or underemployed and needing some additional assistance just to survive and keep their home and utilities on.

As a result many hard working, educated, “non-lazy” people who are really trying but simply can NOT find any job or enough work are applying for “Food Stamps” only to find there are many insane restrictions such as, you can NOT buy “Hot Prepared Ready-to-Eat Foods” at a supermarket such as a “Hot” Rotisserie Chicken or “Hot” ready to eat Macaroni and Cheese even though the super market will later refrigerate these SAME previously hot food items, relabel them as “Cold” and sell them at the “same price”… yet now they become “Food Stamp Eligible”. In fact at my supermarket today (6/16/09) the “Uncooked” whole raw chicken cost $6.39 — MORE than the “Cooked” “HOT” Whole Rotisserie Chicken which is ($5.99) and the “Cold” Cooked Whole Rotisserie Chicken was on sale for ($4.99).

When you consider it’s THE POOR (a.k.a. Minimum Wage Employed, Underemployed, Unemployed, Disabled, Social Security fixed income Elderly and Children) WHO NEED FOOD STAMPS and because they are “POOR” they may NOT have money to buy a working stove/oven or even a microwave or NOT have enough money to pay for electricity/gas to use a stove/oven. And MANY on food stamps are HOMELESS in cars, tents, parks or shelters WITHOUT a kitchen. In addition many on food stamps are the ELDERLY who because of poor eyesight or forgetfulness may create a cooking fire hazard.

Consider the insanity that (the poor) Food Stamp users are forced to “WASTE” extra electricity or gas to “RE-HEAT” once heated cooked foods on stoves/ovens which only creates HIGHER UTILITY BILLS and POLLUTION and the need for MORE tax payer subsidies for UTILITY BILL ASSISTANCE which food stamp recipients are typically always eligible and encouraged to apply for.

With these REAL LIFE factors – why do we even have these insane restriction against buying “Hot Foods”?

What kinds of hobbies are good for seniors…?

Who can no longer do what they once enjoyed?

I know this woman who is elderly, she can’t see very well and refuses to wear her glasses & hearing aid so she’s almost deaf as well. She never learned how to knit, crochet or do crafts. When she was younger she was in the workforce and spent her spare time bowling, golfing, cleaning and generally staying active. Problem is, now, she can hardly walk without assistance.

She’s in a nursing home and is bored. We fear she’ll get depressed if we can’t find something that interests her. Any ideas?

Summer will be easier to find something for her to do, because we can take her out, but right now it’s winter and all the ice, snow and cold make things very difficult.

Senior pending NY Medicaid: Can I give a room in my house to an unemployed friend and not count her assets?

If my friend, who is unemployed needs a place to stay and temporarily lives in my house for free (she’ll pay for her food) do I need to add her to my Medicaid application? Does Medicaid even have to be made aware of her? I am only looking for Community medicaid, home health care services. She is not changing her address to mine, although it will be for a number of months.

What qualifications do i need to become management in a residential care home??

I have NVQ3 in health and social care and i and a senior carer there but i want to look in to management what do i need to obtain for this Thanx xx