Man’s Shocked To Read Food Recipient Receipt (Photos)

After picking up a food stamp recipient’s forgotten receipt in Kentucky, one man was stunned to see the individual had a balance of more than $5,000.

The shopper explained that while the individual had only purchased $40 of food, he or she had an electronic benefit transfer balance that read $5,583.42, Mad World News reports.

It means the person still had more than $5,500 with which to buy groceries.

This is not the first person to have such a high balance in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program account, WBNS reports.

In Ohio, WBNS says it found at least 40 households with food balance anywhere between $7,000 – $10,000.

Fourteen of those have SNAP balances much higher than that, with some at $21,000.

These high numbers are surprising, even to those who work in the benefits system.

“When you first told me about it, I was surprised. I’ve been involved with this for years and I had no idea why they would have balances of those size,” Joel Potts, of the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors Association, told WBNS.

Potts said the balances were not a result of benefits fraud.

“What we found in general is these are people being extremely frugal,” Potts said.

For some, this highlights what might be a nationwide issue.

Benefits are given out based on an eligibility formula. But while many are in need, some may not be but receive the money anyway.

Those who were once eligible can still receive the money even when they no longer technically qualify. The money then piles up, creating huge balances.

If someone doesn’t use an EBT account for a year, the balance is taken away.

Meanwhile, some who are in desperate need sometimes aren’t getting help.

Margery Miller, who is retired and housebound, explains she had to struggle to get SNAP benefits despite needing the better food it provides to help manage her diabetes. She said it’s because the county’s annual review process took too long.

“If I wasn’t getting Meals on Wheels, I’d have an empty refrigerator,” she explained.

Sources: Mad World News, WBNS / Photo credit: USDA