In a major victory for union members, many state employees who were fired in a high-profile food stamp fraud controversy will be getting their jobs back, officials said Wednesday.
The workers had been fired soon after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced in December that state employees had falsified their income and improperly received emergency food stamp benefits following a major storm that knocked out power across the state.
The arbitrator, Susan R. Meredith, ruled in many of the cases that the state employee “made a mistake and did not commit fraud.”
Meredith wrote, “The discipline imposed was too severe. The dismissal is hereby reduced to a thirty (30) working day suspension without back pay.”
Most of the workers will return to their jobs on June 29 – and they will not lose their benefits or seniority.
One of the state’s top union officials, Council 4 Executive Director Sal Luciano, announced the settlements Wednesday afternoon.
Rich Rochlin, an attorney for many of the fired workers, said that at least 56 out of his 60 clients “will get their jobs back or are in the process of getting their jobs back.”
“I’ve been saying since December that there were flaws in the system and these workers were being railroaded,” Rochlin said in an interview. “The arbitrator’s decision is a complete vindication of everything I’ve been saying and contradicts everything Malloy and his staff have been saying since December.”
A Malloy administration official had said that Rochlin, who graduated from the University of Connecticut law school and is a former partner at the Shipman & Goodwin law firm, was not “playing with a full deck.”
The Malloy administration has repeatedly refused to release the number of state employees who were fired. After the statements by AFSCME and Rochlin on Wednesday, the administration said that 103 state employees had been fired, resigned or retired because of the food stamp controversy. Of those, 40 have been reinstated, and 63 cases are still pending, according to the administration.
When asked Wednesday night by FOX CT’s political reporter, Laurie Perez, about any regrets, Malloy responded, “I’m sure folks regret the way they filled out the applications, and I’m sure that those who are guilty of fraud regret that they committed fraud.”
When asked specifically if there were any regrets on the part of his office, Malloy responded, “We said from the start we would follow an appropriate process. To allow somebody to continue in employment who had committed a fraud or was accused of committing a fraud makes no sense at all, and I think there’s recognition of that in the hearing officer’s decision.”
Luciano said that an independent arbitrator had made the findings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Council 4 AFSCME and The State of Connecticut agreed to a process of expedited arbitration for a number of AFSCME members who had been dismissed from state service for receiving benefits under the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP),” Luciano said in a statement. “Many AFSCME grievances were presented over the last two days before an independent neutral arbitrator who issued a decision in each case.”
Luciano continued, “Most of the cases resulted in a finding by the arbitrator that the individual made mistakes in the application and did not commit intentional fraud. Those individuals have made, or have committed to make, full restitution to the State for the amount they received from the program. The arbitrator imposed disciplinary suspensions ranging from 15 to 60 working days.
“While some state employees may have engaged in fraud regarding the DSNAP program and have been dismissed or resigned from state service, these employees were found to have made errors that the arbitrator found warranted discipline, but not dismissal. They exercised their due process rights, paid back the money received, were adequately disciplined and will be reinstated to their state positions. ”
Luciano continued, “We made it clear from the time the allegations broke that any individuals who knowingly deceived taxpayers to receive a D-SNAP benefit must be held accountable. We also made it clear that people are innocent until proven guilty and that everyone is entitled to due process and union representation.
“The arbitrator’s awards in these cases are an appropriate solution for the individual Council 4 union members and the State.”
Malloy’s spokesman, Andrew Doba, said, “The governor made it clear from the beginning that anyone involved in the D-SNAP investigation would be entitled to due process. Today’s announcement is proof of that.
“We continue to believe that there is no room in state government for anyone who would look to defraud taxpayers. As a result of the D-SNAP investigation, those that committed some of the most egregious violations have not had their cases heard yet, and are still not employed by the state. The Governor’s message was clear – public service is a privilege and any abuse of the privilege will not be tolerated.
“The governor has instructed the Office of Labor Relations to review each of the arbitration decisions recently issued, and to explore with the Office of the Attorney General whether there are sufficient legal grounds on which to appeal these decisions to the Superior Court. That process will be undertaken in the coming weeks.”
The employees were fired because the Malloy administration says they falsified their financial information when applying for emergency benefits under the federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is known as D-SNAP. The program began following Tropical Storm Irene, which ravaged the state and knocked out electrical power to thousands in late August. The emergency money was designed not only to replace lost food, but could also to cover storm-related expenses like property repairs and temporary housing costs such as hotels. Actual food stamps are no longer issued, and recipients instead received debit cards with a specified amount of money allocated to the account.
After saying for months that about 800 state employees had applied for benefits, Malloy also announced in early April that an additional 250 state employees had filled out applications for benefits. As such, an overall total of 1,053 state employees actually sought to receive emergency benefits.
Overall, 128 state employees had been referred to their supervisors as of two months ago for potential disciplinary hearings. Of the more than 1,000 state employees, 685 had been cleared of any wrongdoing, according to a previous count by the Malloy administration.
The vast majority of state employees who applied “were honest” about their incomes and liquid assets in bank accounts, according to Malloy.
The Malloy administration has repeatedly declined to release the names of any state employees who have been fired, citing a three-page memorandum by the attorney general’s office regarding confidentiality of recipients of food stamps.
Rochlin has accused the state Department of Social Services, which administers the food stamp program, of muzzling its employees “to keep us from uncovering the truth” by an “unconstitutional gag order.” He filed a lawsuit on behalf of state employee Lisa Prout to overturn the administration’s action. He cited a memo that was sent by an attorney for the department to DSS employees that ordered them not to speak to Rochlin about his investigation into suspected fraud in the food stamp benefits program.
Prout, a 45-year-old single mother who works at Connecticut Valley Hospital for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, applied for the benefits at the DSS office in Middletown following Tropical Storm Irene and received $524. She was investigated by the state “for allegedly understating income and allegedly committing fraud to obtain such benefit,” according to the lawsuit. State records show that, with overtime, Prout was paid about $82,000 in fiscal 2011.
Rochlin is seeking a ruling by a state Superior Court judge in Hartford that would rescind the memo, end the gag order and allow Rochlin to speak freely to state employees so that he could prepare a defense in Prout’s case.
“I would never risk everything that I have – my career, my dignity and my name – for $524,” Prout said at the time.
It still remains unclear whether any state employees will face criminal prosecution or might lose their pensions. The law allows specific circumstances to revoke a pension, which can be done only by a Superior Court judge upon the recommendation of the state attorney general.
Rochlin, a complete newcomer to politics, has been tangling with those who have been involved in the game for decades. Without mentioning Rochlin by name, Malloy in December called him a $250-per-hour lawyer who would say whatever was necessary to help his clients.
“I’m taking on the head of the state government, and I’m just one guy with an iPhone and an office from very, very modest roots,” Rochlin said in an interview in December. ”To me, that’s the beauty of living in this country. I don’t seek out the spotlight. This was thrust upon me, and I felt the need to help.”
While Rochlin has been criticized by Malloy and his staff, public records show that Rochlin once served briefly as the personal attorney for one of Malloy’s most trusted aides, Roy Occhiogrosso. Rochlin handled the start of a civil lawsuit filed by Occhiogrosso in 2010 involving a dispute with a home contractor. Rochlin has repeatedly declined to comment on his dealings with Occhiogrosso, citing attorney-client privilege and saying his work is a matter of public record.
Occhiogrosso said in December that he was referred to Rochlin by another lawyer, and he eventually received money from a special fund that is set up to compensate homeowners in disputes with contractors. But Occhiogrosso said that he handled the filings with the compensation fund, and Rochlin was out of the case at that point.
“The guy is everybody’s worst impression of a lawyer,” Occhiogrosso said in December. ”He’s like a cartoon character. Hopefully, this guy’s 15 minutes of fame are up soon. … There are several pieces of silverware missing from the drawer.”
Regarding the future of the food-stamp controversy, Occhiogrosso said, “As to what happens to Rich Rochlin, hopefully he just goes away. … This has been a fairly unusual and odd marketing campaign. We’re done dealing with him.”
Rochlin responded: “Roy is on my marketing team. He keeps extending my 15 minutes by 10 minutes every night. I thought he was a pro, but he’s getting schooled by a novice, so I feel for him. I thought this guy was a pro. This is amateur hour. It’s like he just came out of an online school for communications.”
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54 Responses to D-SNAP: Many State Employees To Get Jobs Back As No Fraud Found
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This outrageous ability for the Unions to run our government unimpeded must end now, and the only way to get there is to empty out the legislature of Democrat Union supporters. Then throw out the governor too.
I don’t always agree with the unions but in this case they WERE needed. An injustice occurred and it was their job to protect their dues paying clients. If anything I think they were rather late in stepping up to the plate here.
ALL of these people made a mistake? Maybe we need to hire smarter state employees. Or maybe the Malloy administration just got tired of fighting the all powerful unions.
YES that is exactly the point! ALL those people DID make mistakes. If there were only a handful it meant the system works. If that many people are being investigated or fired there is something wrong with the system.
you got that right. they are all guilty as sin. Malloy knows it an we all know it. Its an insult that they think we believe this nonsense
You must be guilty of something because when you are pointing your finger accusing someone of being guilty… there are four fingers pointing back ..right at you. You must be guilty of something. VERY guilty… to get on here and accuse people of something you know nothing about.
Pay your taxes CT for all those Public Sector thieves!
Yeah like these are all rich people…give me a break. Who not only pays the taxes? State employees do they but also pay into all the social service programs in the state. How do they do that you ask? with the yearly fund raising drive that take money from the state employees checks to support their charities of choice. Who do you think supports United Way, the soup kitchens, the deadbeat dads that won’t support their kids, the kid that needs chemotherapy etc etc. State Employees. So before you start running your mouth and judging folks…get the facts.
That’s B.S they knew what the deal was and did it anyway.
So… in fact… you don’t give people the benefit of the doubt because YOU must be dishonest? When there is one finger pointing there are four pointing back. Think about that one.
Amazing how things come full circle … Innocent UNTIL proven guilty, not the other way around… Good for them !!
Right on!
you must work for DSS because they are the most ignorant- rude- scamming- group of people I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with but dont worry. I too earned 70 grand a year and owwned a home and new cars and same job for 16 years. Lost everything in hurricane Irene….laid off not long after and I have had my assistance medical and food assistance taken because I make too much? LOL I make 209 a week and I have to pay rent utilities and feed my children and I earn too much for medical and food assistance? I worked for 34 years. I deserve it until my home is fixed and until I get employment. Im not a career food stamp recipient. They are all GUILTY- guilty as sin and you know it too. Regardless of what malloy says or anyone says. It was eaier to lie and say they did nothing than have racial inequality BS law suites hitting the state of CT.
These folks were not CAREER FOOD STAMP recipients! And please… there were white folks too but this is not the point. The media just happened to film JUST the folks of color while reporting this. The media just loves to keep the racial drama going. It keeps life interesting in the media’s eyes.:)
This was FEMA money for losses/damages incurred by Hurricane Irene. And yes you should have applied for it if you had losses and/or damages. But if you are a state employee you would have been in big trouble because state employees are too rich on their “aide” salaries..and when I say “aide” I mean…nurses aides, mental health aides, prison guards…lousy hard jobs. And just because… they shouldn’t have applied. Unfortunately nobody said they couldn’t apply so now they are part of a Whoa “scandal”.
OMG…AGAIN… it was NOT Food Stamp Fraud…it was FEMA money distributed for losses and damages incurred by Hurricane Irene. Wow you guys…again BIASED reporting.I DO hope NONE of you teach at the local colleges. What would you say to your students when they called you on this one? How would you be able to teach integrity in reporting? And let me ask you? What HIGH PROFILE? These were the mental health WORKERS, the social service WORKERS, the AIDES…the worker bees…not corporate executives or Malloy’s minions. Come on people…and you KNOW this…why would you report it this way? High Profile?????And what WAS the controversy? People applied to a faulty system…long lines, no PRE qualifying, dangerous potential riot situation? Entrapment would be a better word if you want to push the limits on biased reporting. I would rather swing on the side of the people that were falsely accused.
Scot X Esdaile stated that the unions were the pimps…I beg to differ…guess who I think the real pimps are…
So what? What is the difference? Do you know how many people are homeless out there? They get food stamps and cant do a thing with them because they have no place to cook. Once again…Why are State Employees receiving food stamps for any reason?
Wasn’t food stamps…Disaster Relief for folks with HOMES. C’mon people..read the posts! I even went back and read where Malloy said NOT to claim on home owners insurance but to utilize this program by FEMA for losses/damages incurred by Hurrican Irene.
If these employees are so grossly incompetent that they could not fill out an application with the proper information regarding their finances, how did they get hired by the state to begin with ?
What an outrage and a total disgrace that these people are getting their jobs back.
There is no way they did not know what they were claiming for income and assets.
The state of CT needs to clean house and hire some employees with real skills, not applicants who simply fit a specific politically correct hiring profile.
I challenge to you Mr Jenkins to take the challenge..go ahead and get it offline. Stand outside a public building with fights breaking out and try to remember all your finances. Think about your finances, your kids, your personal problems, and try to remember to put everything down correctly and we won’t help you fill it out. You guess the parameters ok? We won’t tell you there is an income limit.
According to the application your losses and damages incurred from Hurricane Irene will be adjusted against your income from that week…but we won’t tell you which week we are talking about. Go ahead. Now when you ask to supply information we will scoot you through….TRUST US…sign here and be on your way….MUHAHAHA…The we have a supervisor give you a letter ON THE JOB saying you are being accused of FRAUD…
Dear Sherlock, how about the thousands that receive foodstamps because their incomes do not meet with CT’s high cost of living. They stand in those same lines, over an hour, inside or out, with more problems than any State worker dares to have and yet they are required to not only fill the forms out properly but have copies of their income etc., without the benefit of a copy machine. And by the way, if you make a mistake, it is FRAUD and more than likely, you will be under arrest. Nice try though.
Thank you Cheryl…I was really beginning to wonder if anyone could actually see these posts. Thank you Capitol Watch for publishing my remarks. I do appreciate it.
I will get back to you tomorrow Cheryl because I have a lot to say on this. Thank you.
The DSS system is a mess. Again if Stop and Shop knows how much money you spend, how many kids, pets, men, women you have in your family and all your habits from a little scan card then DSS should be able to have access electronically to your finances ( and personally I thought they did)to see if you qualify for something.
DSS needs to upgrade their system to the 2000′s. Heck your license has a bar code and any police officer I am sure can scan it to see what is up with you. So if anyone thinks they are hiding anything from Big Brother they are so wrong.
But yet DSS doesn’t have something in place to find out your information. When a person applies they should provide all documentation including SS#s and Birthdate. Then you either qualify or you don’t. There should be an electonic template in place where a worker types in anything not covered by the electronic template. NO more paper applications. Spend the money and revamp. It will be worth it in the long run. There will be no more fraudulent claims, there will be no more mistakes that suddenly put people’s jobs in jeopardy and those that need assistance will get it. It will be fair and just for EVERYONE.
You can’t tell someone ” here take these apples” and when they take the apples say “Oh that is not what I meant. You are committing fraud” That’s not right. C’mon people.
wow really how bout u know the story b4 u are quick 2 judge!!!!!!!if u look at how many people went down there state employee or not u will see that under 2000 were state employee’s…there were many who went down there who already were struglin in this economy b4 the storm,2 lose anything regardless of where u worked hurt everybody….what about those who dnt work 4 the state who went down and made 2 much is anybody talkin bout them,trust there were alot who went down who made 6 figures but that seems 2 be ok….look at the numbers 26,000 people got f/s again under 2000 were state employee’s WHY DOES THAT SEEM 2 BE OK THAT NOBODY IS TALKIN BOUT THAT AND WHY THE HELL DO PEOPLE HATE STATE EMPLOYEE’S SO MUCH!!!!!
I agree Danazia and that too has been a problem. There were people that never even lost power that applied and received a debit card and yet nobody questions them. It was a witch hunt from the start. A political scam to make state employees look bad and a reason to fire them in the public eye to help balance the budget. And who are we kidding. The bottom line is privitization anyway.
they are incompitent. I lost my food stamps and medical in March and have been trying to get a return call from my worker for over 90 days with no luck. I walk in she is not there. I have mailed the same documents to her 6 times. That I lost everything in Irene. That I after that was laid off from a 16 year job, that I only get 209 a week unemployment and she feels 209 a week is too much income? I have rent, a mortgage I still have to pay on a house that I cant live in, utilities, chidlren to feed. These people are dispicable and they all deserve to be out of a job. Second of all they should hire some English speaking people !!! No forgiener should deem whether I am able to et in my country> I worked since I was 16! Im 45. I lost everything. Im not some full time career welfare recipient. They are idiots. and for the 7th time I have been asked to mail landlord documents, income, rental, please its too ridiuclous to even talk about.
This whole thing did have a higher purpose. It was to expose a system that apparently is not working. People that need help are not getting it, people that applied for FEMA are being accused of fraud and losing their jobs over a couple hundred dollars. This SHOUTS that there is a problem with the system. The system needs to be fixed. Hundreds of people don’t become fraudulent overnight and are willing to lose their jobs over a couple hundred dollars. This is why this is so ridiculous. The whole thing. Malloy needs to take a look at WHY suddenly there are several hundred state employees being accused of fraud and to GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT to HIS people..his workers…his state employees. He should have asked “What happened here for so many of my employees to be accused of fraud?” Like a GOOD supervisor would do. Malloy CHOSE to treat his employees like they were hardened criminals…like Malloy himself was a hardened hateful criminal lawyer and can’t trust anyone. What kind of Supervisor hates/despises his employees? despise them enough to abuse them, to hate them and then to fire them? SAD!
amen to that!
This ruling is disgusting. The CT State employees and their union have taken CT citizens for a ride….excessive overtime to build up extremely high pensions, health insurance and time off far greater than the private sector, and now forgiveness for being thieves. “Mistakes”? Pure and simply, they are corrupt.
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah…when you have been bitten, beaten, spit on, having feces thrown on you, kicked, hair pulled for 25 years with resultant anxiety and nerve disorders. When you have had to defend yourself from your abusive coworkers for 25 years, when you have back and disc problems from lifting, restraining, ensuring the safety of your clients, cleaning up feces and urine for 25 years then you MIGHT have the right to say something here. But until you have lived it keep your comments to yourself. NO pay or benefits are worth your health. These are demanding jobs. The group homes of today in the private sector are a piece of cake with a couple overly medicated sedated clients. Believe me these state workers have done the dirty work. Mental Health Workers, Mental Retardation Workers and Prison guards…demanding jobs… they deserve any benefits and retirement packages they get. They deserve it.
What is wrong with this ‘state employees applying for and accepting emergency food stamps after storms’? We call it fraud….the unions call falsifying their income and accepting food stamps, a mistake! Now they are getting their jobs back. What else are they going to cheat on, while calling it a “mistake”? Taxpayers are going to pay the price.
YEAH WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS STATE!!!!!LETS GET THIS RIGHT NOT EVERYBODY WORKIN 4 THE STATE HAS MOVED UP AND IS LIVIN IT UP!!!!THEY GOT HARD TIMES 2!!!YES U SAID IT RIGHT EMERGENCY FOOD STAMPS,WHO ARE U 2 SAY WHO HAS AN EMERGENCY AND WHO DON’T!!!!WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT APPROVED CT 2 HELP HOUSE HOLDS WHO LOST WHATEVER THEY DID NOT SAY STATE EMPLOYEES WERE EXCLUDED!!!ITS JUST CRAZY HOW FOLKS LIKE U WILL BE SO QUICK 2 VOICE WHATEVER B4 LOOKIN AT THE BIG PICTURE STATE EMPLOYEES LOST LIGHTS 2 THEY LOST FOOD 2 THEY HAD KIDS 2 FEED 2 SOME EVEN LOST MORE THAN THAT AND HAD 2 FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS THE NEXT MOVE JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE SO B4 U BASH ANYBODY REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY WORK KNOW THE STORY B4 U COMMENT
So Danazia, how many clients did you ignore this month who needed help and you told them they were discontinued because you never got their form, when its sitting right in front of you? You are a State employee right?
Danazia..you’re absolutely right. Remember too it’s the media that tells people to what to think. And this will forever be something we have to think about. I will never read a story again and judge someone. I know the inside story on this whole fiasco. I also know how the media has subliminally and consciously manipulated their viewers and audience. So remember never trust what you read or hear unless you know the source.
And again..you are right. Nobody knows the story unless they know someone who is involved or they are involved themselves.
State workers ARE tax payers. Are you? Was FEMA money for losses/damages incurred by HURRICANE IRENE. Yes mistakes were made on applications that were not clear, by people that never applied for anything in their life…the WORKING POOR…the ones that go to work every day, the ones that do the dirty work, the ones that take care of your sick people, the ones that never get a thank you… the ones whose bodies are deteriorating from stress and the physical and emotional stress of dead end jobs, the ones who pay taxes but never qualify for anything because they are just on the edge of recieving benefits and prefer to take care of themselves instead of looking for handouts. Yes these are the hard working tax paying people right on the poverty line that keep this society going. What we do with out the worker bees? C’mon people?
Greed makes people take things they shouldn’t and the State of CT’s snap and welfare programs make it easy to be a cheater. Shame on everyone involved! Here is an idea. Have gardens and greenhouses at prisons. There should be plenty of food for everyone.
When there is one finger pointing there are four pointing back. Are YOU a greedy person? So quick to judge…you must be greedy. Shame on YOU!:)lol
I hope I’m not breaking any rules by making a comment on this article since I have an IQ higher than an idiot. WHICH I SEE ALL THE OTHER COMMENTORS DO NOT.
Your governor doesn’t have any sense of decency and has no idea about proportional response. The arbitrator’s decision was correct.
Ok, So for those that have no idea of what they are talking about! Just because this great Nation has run into hard times doesn’t mean that State Employees are only to blame. Get a life everyone and suck it up, the whole Nation is hurting!! Even the GREAT MORON (Gov. Molley) is so caught up is the BS that he will say and make statements that will give him brownie point!! When things were going well a few years ago, NO ONE cared about state employees because their pockets were padded with $$$$. EVERYONE in the state should have been on the chopping block…..Lastly GROW UP!!!!!
Try being in the situation n know the stories…some may have committed fraud not all..faulty state system yes…but intentional fraud..no..pay attention..stop the judging without facts..governor was voted in by these people n then he cheated them…tax payers like any other citizen..hello, n goodbye.
Amen sister…Yes we voted him in..and yes he turned his back on us. That is the Truth. What kind of supervisor turns their back on their employees with even a question as to why?
We vote him in and instead of saying why are all my people, my employees, my employees with perfect work records being accused of fraud?…he says Hang’em High!
Maybe, just maybe, Connecticut taxpayers are finally waking up and seeing what one party rule – read union – has done and is doing to this state. The Democratic party is out of control and left unchecked will wreck this state. I hope the investigation into Mr. Donovan will reveal the true extent of the rotten politics ingrained into the union controlled government of Connecticut.
Does anyone know which State Employee Union the Governor and Legislature belong to ? …. Oh, my mistake, they belong to ALL of them. If this State was really subject to Federal Law, there would be a lot of racketeering charges being filed.
Remember, on Election Day, Re-Elect No One !!!
It is truly ashame if there was any fraud no matter how little that they are getting their jobs back. If there was no fraud involved the nature of the allegations and the evidence that proves the allegations should be made public for the taxpayers of the state to see. If there was any fraud whatsoever they should be terminated as keeping them on give the taxpayers another reason to dislike and distrust the many of us who are honest hard working state employees.
Do you really want to know why people are taking the suspensions?? It doesn’t mean guilt.
Ever hear the phrase you can’t fight city hall?
Ever hear of a family to feed?
Ever hear of got to pay the bills?
Ever hear of I got 30 years in and can’t play around with losing my retirement?
So yes people are taking the suspension and are even admitting some fake excuses of wrongdoing just to get their job backs.
Historically folks of color have often HAD to bow to the man rather than fight..and have done so when they had to…as well as lower income whites, native americans, etc.
especially when it comes to feeding their kids, for paying their bills, to saving their retirement.
And wouldn’t you?
How about holding the incompetent staff at DSS at fault?!
But they are not at fault either. Some were well meaning workers trying to give their clients a break, some were not trained properly, some were tired. It is the system that needs to be revamped completely.
And it should be done all electronically. When your Stop and Shop card is swiped they can calculate what you buy, and for whom..how many pets, men, women and children are in your family. Your SS # should tell all if Stop and Shop knows what you eat and who eats it in your family.
So if you apply to DSS everything should go into the computer when you scan your ID or license and your SS # and date of birth. You either qualify or you don’t. Pure and simple. It should have been done this way all along and for a lot of the applicants…they thought a template was already in place by giving their SS#s.
Gov Malloy you are a joke. As for this decision Im not surprised. Bunch of crooked scamming liars. I have been out of work from a lay off for 19 months now and I HAVE HAD EVERYTHING TAKEN FROM ME! I have worked since the age of 16 and at 45 when I have no way to earn an income I lost my medical, and the little bit of food assistance for me and my kids while laid off because I get 209 dollars a week. Which doesnt cover rent or utilities. I have been trying to get Ms. Kusilias in new Haven to help me and I get nothing. No calls, no return calls NOTHING! So those of us who need it for a short time get NOTHING. Of course not. They the workers need it more. D Malloy is a joke. Another liberal joke
They are guilty! Malloy is guilty. The DSS workers are guilty and I know it, Mlloy knows it and the workers who frauded everyone know it. They should be in jail like I would be. Its disgusting. The state should be ashamed to think we are stupid enough to know they are covering something up by rehiring them thieves back. And I know it, Malloy knows it and the DSS workers know it. THEY ARE GUILTY AS SIN! But Ms. Kusilias in New Haven thinks $209 a week unemployment is reason to cut medical and food assistance to a women who has worked for 34 years who needs temporary help…has rent, utilities and kids to feed. 827$ a month is a lot of income according to her….INCOMPITENT WITCH. I hope some day you go hungry you illiterate witch. Until then remember – you are only an ID # and your day will come when you need it. Learn the language!
“Math is HARD”
– Barbie
Here is a nice story for all those so quick to judge…and Remember…Judge not lest yee be judged…and of course there is always Karma…
Scattered Paper
Once upon a time, an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After been released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.
In court the old man told the Judge: “They were just comments, didn’t harm anyone.”
The judge, before passing sentence on the case, told the old man: “Write all the things you said about him in a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home, throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.”
Next day, the judge told the old man: “Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.”
The old man said: “I can’t do that! The wind spread them and I won’t know where to find them.”
The judge then replied: “The same way, simple comments may destroy the honor of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. If you can’t speak well of someone, rather don’t say anything. Let’s all be masters of our mouths, so that we won’t be slaves of our words.”
~ Author Unknown
The state tried to do too much too soon and wound up doing nothing.
Write with integrity..regardless of what keeps the audience’s attention, regardless of what your editor says…
Investigate and report the facts.If you have something as physical evidence such as a debit card that says “Disaster Relief” USE it..don’t pull up some old pic from the 80′s depicting food stamp bills to sway your audience.
“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” Malcom X
“Hang ‘em and hang ‘em high, there’s no justice in Fort Grant.” NOR Fort Connecticut for that matter. State employees have to accept whatever the Judge Malloy and his posse says so they can keep their jobs. Please remember acceptance is not an admission of guilt. NEXT time it could be YOUR job on the line.
So REPORTERS… fight for what is right..not what is heresay at the time. Go against the grain if you have to in order to expose the TRUTH.