(WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced policy changes in food assistance and other public benefits.
Starting Nov. 1, asset limits for food assistance, cash assistance and State Emergency Relief will be the same – $15,000. That means a family can have up to $15,000 in assets and still be eligible for assitance.
“These asset test policy changes are important because right now too many Michigan families are struggling to get ahead,” said Whitmer. “This is about doing what’s right to help more families get the resources they need and building a stronger Michigan for everyone.”
Michigan's asset test requirements are among the most restrictive in the country for people applying for public assistance benefits, according to a news release.
Currently asset limits range from $500 for State Emergency Relief such as assistance to prevent utility shutoff or repair furnaces, to $3,000 for the Family Independence Program and other cash assistance programs, to $5,000 for food assistance.
In another change effective Nov. 1, MDHHS will accept a client statement of assets rather than requiring applicants to complete an assets verification checklist.
Vehicles will no longer be counted in the asset test for food assistance, which will now be consistent with the requirements for cash assistance programs.
