Social security allowances. Consequenses for Wisconsin Program Participants

The social security allowance is a family allowance. This means that both husband and wife must co-operate with the Wisconsin program. If one of them fails to do so, the whole family gets punished by being denied the allowance, even though the other does co-operate with the program. There are an increasing number of couples where only one spouse is ready to co-operate with the program. These families are being sentenced to poverty. Sometimes the lack of co-operation is a result of the cultural differences between the operators of Wisconsin program and the participant. If they find a job for the woman before they find one for the man it is an insult for the man as a provider and he stops co-operating with the program. Participants ask us over and over again what to do in order to separate the allowances so at least the cooperating spouse can get the allowance.

On 19.3.2006 Rabbis for Human Rights sent a letter to the general director of the Social Security Institute and asked him if there is a way to separate the allowance, especially for couples who do not have any other income. On 18.7.2006, we received an answer from the deputy director of the pension department with 4 conditions for separation of the allowance:

* If the spouse is a husband/wife of a prisoner;
* If the cooperating spouse is a woman who has been abandoned by her husband;
* If the couple is separated;
* If it is a case of a woman with a violent husband.

The deputy director further stated that the Wisconsin employment centers give special consideration to the different needs and characteristics of the groups participating in the program. Unfortunately, the truth is quite the opposite. The letter made no reference to our request to adjust the terms of receiving social security allowance. The authorities do not understand the implications of the changing the requirements from visiting the unemployment office once per week to participating in a 30-40 hours a week program.

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Categories: Economic Justice
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