2. Work: Shortening the length of time that families are on Work First Family Assistance by making work mandatory and by limiting how long a family can receive cash assistance.
To receive Work First Family Assistance benefits, parents must register with the First Stop Employment Assistance Program, sign a Mutual Responsibility Agreement (MRA) and, once they move into the work components of the program, they can continue to receive benefits for up to 24 months. In most cases, families who have reached the 24-month limit cannot receive Work First Family Assistance for three years.
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dss/workfirst/index.htm
But, for food stamps only
Some individuals are required to participate in Food and Nutrition Services work programs, such as Employment and Training and Workfare. These individuals must meet special work requirements. Able-bodied adults between 18 and 49 who do not have any dependent children can get benefits only for 3 months in a 36-month period if they do not work or participate in a Workfare or Employment and Training program other than job search. Other members of the household may continue to get benefits even if this person is not eligible. In some locations, this requirement does not apply.
This limited eligibility requirement does not apply if the adult:
Works 20 hours a week (or 80 hours a month), or is engaging in a variety of allowable work-related activities for the same amount of time (such as Employment and Training, WIA, etc.), or
Is pregnant or disabled, or
Lives in a home where a child under the age of 18 resides.
In addition, adults in certain economically distressed counties are exempt from this requirement.
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/foodstamp/index.htm
With a family size of 3, she would have been getting $526 a month in food stamps, with no need to do anything for it, as long as she had a child in the home.
And if she was working more than 20 hours, the Work First money would have been rolling in too.
I found this interesting, even though we don't know for a fact that she was on welfare, or to what extent, if she was.