Child Support & Food Stamps

by Jane from Orlando, Florida, Orange County

My daughter's father and I live together with our 1 month old. Our household income is gone temporarily because of my unpaid maternity leave.

I am applying for temporary assistance (food stamps). Would I be required to put my daughter's father on child support in order to get these benefits?

Answer to Florida Child Custody Question

Dear Jane,

If your daughter's father is living with you and your daughter, in the same household and contributing to the household income, he should not be required to pay child support.

It is my understanding that qualifying for food stamps is easier now than in the past due to our dismal economy.

Likewise, you should be able to qualify for WIC and Medicaid if you are low income and meet their requirements.

I am concerned, that you stated that your household income is gone because of your unpaid maternity leave.

Is the father not working? And also, I feel bad that our country does so little to provide for young mothers. In other countries, mothers receive paid maternity leave, not just for a few weeks but sometimes a year or more.

Notice: We provide these answers to the general public and our website visitors as a means to further their online legal research. These answers are merely suggestions and should not be regarded as legal advice.

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Child Support & Food Stamps

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Thank you for answering!
by: Jane

Thanks, your answer was very helpful. No her father is not employed at this time due to the economy.

Already on Child Support
by: Concerned Mother/Girlfriend

Me and my child's father live together, and I'm pregnant now. He is already on child support from another relationship. If I apply for food stamps and medicaid for my unborn child will he be ordered to be put on child support. He is not working, and my income is the only income that we have right now. I really don't want to put him on child support because he does what he can, and we live together. We are in Orange county Florida. Please help
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As long as you apply for food stamps and any other assistance together as a family, there should be no collection activity. If you don't qualify as a family but decide to apply for benefits as a single parent, then the state has the right to enforce collection activities in lieu of child support on the "absent" parent.

Here is a description of limits for TANF recipients for able bodied parents if they are not currently working...

Recipients must participate in work activities after reaching a trigger limit of no more than 24 months.

In other words, as long as you are being truthful and not trying to "game" the system, you and your boyfriend should be OK. My advice... don't game the system. --Staff

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