The state of Wisconsin seems to have gotten a little paranoid about the occurrence of fraud in its FoodShare program.

But apparently, this paranoia comes with good reason. The Office of Inspector General suspended about 1,300 individuals from the FoodShare program in 2015 as a result of fraud or abuse.

As it turns out, there are a number of people who have been able to collect a substantial amount of money in their FoodShare program accounts from month to month, with some of these even adding up to almost $15,000 of taxpayer dollars, and as a result, a proposal is moving to the state Senate that would remove all benefits that are more than a year old found in any account.

Assembly legislation changes FoodShare, unemployment benefit programs

Now, I’m not really a fan of people collecting enough of taxpayer money in food stamps to afford a new car, but putting an expiration date on these benefits doesn’t necessarily seem like the best idea.

Food stamp recipients ideally should use almost all of the benefits they receive each month. This money should amount to enough to help an individual who had found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. It should not become an alternative source of income comparable to the amount a job provides. In other words, food stamps should primarily be used to support someone until they can get back on their feet or to give the less fortunate a helping hand in supporting themselves.

That being said, FoodShare program participants should also be able to build up some sort of safety net with these benefits just in case some months turn out to be more expensive than others.

It’s not those who have saved up a few hundred dollars in their accounts who are the real problem in this situation. It’s those who have been able to save up several thousands of dollars provided to them by taxpayers.

But the fact of the matter is if a person is spending the majority of their food stamp allowance each month as they should, it would take a substantial amount of time to build up an adequate financial safety net.

So if the food stamp benefits expire after a certain amount of time, it would be rather difficult for someone to build up a good buffer if they are using the majority of their benefits. Sure, it’d prevent people from collecting thousands of dollars in taxpayer money, but it would also hurt those who seriously need the financial assistance food stamps provide.

Instead of putting a “best used by” sticker on food stamps, the state should really just put a limit on the amount of money that can be collected in recipients’ accounts.

Set the cap at something like $2,000, and if a person reaches that limit, suspend their benefits for the time being. With that much money in their account, they don’t really appear to need more help at that point in time, and if they start to tap into that account because they’ve run into more tough times, start giving them benefits again.

I’m all for the cracking down on fraud, especially when it comes to public programs such as the FoodShare program, but placing expiration dates on the benefits of food stamps can burden those law-abiding citizens who have fallen down on their luck and are just looking for a boost up.

Phil Michaelson ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering.