Thursday, June 7, 2012

Truth Or Fiction: Can You Make A Living Making Babies?

"I was speaking to an emergency room physician this morning. He told me that a woman in her 20's came to the ER with her 8th pregnancy. She stated 'my momma told me that I am the breadwinner for the family.' He asked her to explain. She said that she can make babies and babies get money for the family. The scam goes like this: The grandma calls the Department of Children and Family Services and states that the unemployed daughter is not capable of caring for these children. DCFS agrees and states that the child or children will need to go to foster care. The grandma then volunteers to be the foster parent, and thus receives a check for $1500 per child per month in Illinois. Total yearly income: $144,000 tax-free, not to mention free healthcare (Medicaid) plus a monthly "Link" card entitling her to free groceries, etc, and a voucher for 250 free cell phone minutes per month. This does not even include WIC and other welfare programs. Indeed, grandma was correct in that her fertile daughter is the "breadwinner" in the family."

The following is, in fact, a letter addressed to radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh from Dr. Sebastian J. Ciancio M.D., a urologist practicing in the State of Illinois. 

The liberal website factcheck.org (http://www.factcheck.org/2010/12/fostering-a-fortune/) tries to dismiss the story as a myth based on the figure of $144,000 per year cited.  However, the while the dollar figure may be somewhat inflated, the basic premise of the story still rings very true.

Based on the compensation given to an "unlicensed" foster parent in the State of Illinois, it seems more likely that the young lady meant to say that the 8 children, in total, were worth about $1500.00 per month for Grandma (or $18,000 per year).

But hold on just a minute, there's more money to be had.  Grandma could bump that figure up to as much as $471 per month per child if her home is licensed by the State of Illinois as a "Relative and Traditional Home Care" Unit; meaning her compensation could max out at $45,216 per year (8 Children X 12 Months X $471/month). 

In addition, Grandma is also be entitled to any number of "one time payments" from the state for a variety of reoccuring needs, such as school supplies (up to $50.00 per child), camp fees (up to $260.00 per child) etc, and additional monies can be obtained if any number of the children are classified as "special needs chldren." 

And, of course, there is the free healthcare, WIC, free groceries, free education, other miscellaneous welfare programs and the free cell phone minutes mentioned in the letter.  Add to that figure, the money that Grandma is receiving each month in Social Security, and yes, Grandma might be making out like a bandit. In summation, while the figure of $144,000 may be inflated, it is, in fact, possible to make a pretty decent living having babies provided one knows how to game the system.
Posted By: Chris Carmouche