Although both parents of this Warrenville family were working, they had a very meager income to support their family of five. The family applied for food stamps and submitted all of the information requested of them. Nevertheless, instead of receiving food stamps, they received a notice that their application was denied because they did not provide the information required.
Initially, a Prairie State attorney advised the parents on how to pursue the appeal on their own. When the clients went to the hearing, they were told that the food stamps were denied because they were over income. This was an error, and the clients were able to submit the necessary information and get the food stamp application approved, but at a much lower amount than expected.
At this point, a Prairie State attorney intervened. The attorney collected the necessary information from the clients and calculated the amount of Food Stamps the family was entitled to receive. The attorney then contacted the DHS caseworker directly, and as a result, the household’s food stamp benefits were more than doubled.
With support from United Way of the DuPage Area, these benefits made a substantial difference in providing for the basic nutrition of the household members.
