The requirement could also be eliminated at the federal level. In January, U.S. Rep. Anthony Wiener introduced a bill that would prohibit finger-imaging, though according to his staff, the timeline for the bill is uncertain.
Advocates hope the upcoming mayoral election will help spur change. “Some people forget there are two viable candidates for office, and one supports overturn of finger-imaging” said Berg. Mayoral candidate Comptroller Bill Thompson joined NYCCAH at a July18 City Hall rally to protest the finger imaging requirement. “This is yet another disturbing example of how the administration is making it difficult for families to get food when they need it most,” Thompson said.
On another point about food stamp access, advocates recently met with success. They won a legal challenge to the state’s method of computing group home residents’ SNAP allocations – which used income source, not amount, to determine benefits. In July 2008, Gov. Paterson announced a new formula that would bring in an added $150 million in federal SNAP benefits annually.
According to Peter Vollmer, co-counsel for the plaintiffs in Graves v. Doar, the Group Home Standardized Benefit Program (GHSBP) – ostensibly intended to simplify SNAP benefit allocation – had resulted in a total differential of $2,304 worth of benefits between group home residents on SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and those on public assistance. The GHSBP was in use between Jan. 2005 and Sept. 2008.
Though group home residents receive free meals, some have dietary needs not met by typical institutional food. “Diabetics need fresh fruits and vegetables,” explained John Castellano, attorney-in-charge at Mercy Haven, a Long Island-based advocacy group. As a result of the increased SNAP benefits, residents “can now plan and shop for what they need. [It’s also an] incentive to…learn about nutrition.”
The legal fight is not over. Now, advocates are hoping to secure retroactive benefits for their clients. If they prevail on their equal protection claims, an additional $54 million in retroactive SNAP benefits could be funneled to New York State. “Broken down to its simplest terms, [OTDA], at a time of financial downturn and limited resources, is fighting to prevent its own receipt of approximately $54 million in additional federal benefits for distribution to 18,000 disabled group home residents,” attorney Vollmer wrote in an e-mail. Farmer from OTDA declined comment.
With local unemployment and home foreclosure rates expected to keep getting worse, more and more New Yorkers likely will continue to engage with the food stamp application process. Pham of FPWA hopes questions about the process will remain on the political radar.
“I’d hope the election will help flesh out where candidates stand,” she said. This “should be one of the top issues.”
