In our latest article, “Wealth Inequality in America, Part 5“, we wrote, “Currently welfare benefits can be likened to gift cards, earmarked so they can be spent only on certain things. In Virginia, they are food stamps (SNAP), supplemental food (WIC and TEFAP), subsidized utilities (LIHEAP), health insurance (Medicaid) and subsidized housing. Only 15% of the $30,547 average annual benefit is money.”

Here is a list of expenditures for income-tested benefit programs in 2002 from gpo.gov.

LIST OF INCOME-TESTED BENEFIT PROGRAMS

Below is the list of programs providing income-tested benefits. Within each category, the programs are listed in the order of their total cost in fiscal year 2002 to Federal and State and local governments.

MEDICAL AID Total:   $282,468,000,000

1. Medicaid $258,216,000,000
2. Medical care for veterans without service-connected disability $8,185,000,000
3. State Children‘s Health Insurance (S-CHIP) $5,407,000,000
4. General assistance (medical care component) – no Federal dollars $4,956,000,000
5. Indian health services $2,758,000,000
6. Consolidated health centers $1,328,000,000
7. Maternal and child health services block grant $1,279,000,000
8. Title X family planning services $265,000,000
9. Medical assistance to refugees, asylees, other humanitarian cases $74,000,000

CASH AID Total:   $197,817,502,000

10. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) $38,522,000,000
11. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) — refundable portion only $27,830,000,000
12. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) $13,035,000,000
13. Foster care $8,618,000,000
14. Child tax credit – refundable portion only $5,060,000,000
15. General assistance (nonmedical care component)–no Federal dollars $3,251,000
16. Pensions for needy veterans, their dependents, and survivors, $3,177,000,000
17. Adoption assistance $2,472,000,000
18. Dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) and $84,000,000
    death compensation for parents of veterans
19. General assistance to Indians $66,500,000
20. Cash assistance to refugees, asylees, other humanitarian cases $41,000,000

FOOD AID Total:   $39,306,000,000

21. Food stamps $24,054,000,000
22. School lunch program (free and reduced price segments) $6,064,000,000
23. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) $4,350,000,000
24. Child and adult care food program, lower-income components $1,638,000,000
25. School breakfast program (free and reduced price segments) $1,515,000,000
26. Nutrition program for the elderly $801,000,000
27. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) $361,000,000
28. Summer food service program for children $307,000,000
29. Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) $105,000,000
30. Food distribution program on Indian reservations $74,000,000
31. Farmers’ market nutrition programs $36,000,000
32. Special milk program (free segment) $1,000,000

HOUSING AID Total:   $35,565,800,000

33. Section 8 low-income housing assistance $18,499,000,000
34. Low-rent public housing $8,213,000,000
35. Rural housing loans (section 502) $3,499,000,000
36. Home investment partnerships (HOME) $2,500,000,000
37. Housing for special populations (elderly and disabled) $895,000,000
38. Rural rental assistance payments (section 521) $705,000,000
39. Section 236 interest reduction payments $579,000,000
40. Housing opportunities for people with AIDS (HOPWA) $314,000,000
41. Rural rental housing loans (section 515) $114,000,000
42. Rural housing repair loans and grants (section 504) $62,400,000
43. Farm labor housing loans (section 514) and grants (section 516) $61,800,000
44. Section 101 rent supplements $53,700,000
45. Rural housing self-help technical assistance grants (section 523) $27,100,000
    and rural housing site loans (sections 523 and 524)
46. Indian housing improvement grants $19,600,000
47. Section 235 homeownership aid $10,800,000
48. Rural housing preservation grants (section 533) $8,600,000
49. Home ownership and opportunity for people everywhere (HOPE) $3,800,000

EDUCATION AID Total:   $19,130,864,000

50. Federal Pell grants $11,364,000
51. Head Start $8,172,000,000
52. Subsidized Federal Stafford loans and Stafford/Ford loans $7,523,000,000
53. Federal work-study program $1,000,000,000
54. Federal Trio programs $827,000,000
55. Supplemental educational opportunity grants $760,000,000
56. Chapter 1 migrant education program $395,000,000
57. Perkins loans $166,000,000
58. Leveraging educational assistance partnerships (LEAP) $134,000,000
59. Health professions student loans and scholarships $58,000,000
60. Fellowships for graduate and professional study $45,000,000
61. Migrant high school equivalency program (HEP) $23,000,000
62. College assistance migrant program (CAMP) $15,000,000
63. Close Up fellowships $1,500,000

OTHER SERVICES Total:   $16,074,147,000

64. Child care and development block grant $8,589,000,000
65. TANF services $6,147,000
66. Social services block grant (Title XX) $2,743,000,000
67. TANF child care $2,322,000,000
68. Homeless assistance $1,044,000,000
69. Community services block grant $739,000,000
70. Legal services $329,000,000
71. Social services for refugees, asylees, other humanitarian cases $159,000,000
72. Emergency food and shelter program $143,000,000

JOBS AND TRAINING AID Total:   $7,807,100,000

73. TANF work activities $2,727,000,000
74. Job Corps $1,532,000,000
75. Youth activities $1,000,000,000
76. Adult activities $950,000,000
77. Senior community service employment program $494,000,000
78. Welfare-to-work grant program $413,000,000
79. Food stamp employment and training $410,000,000
80. Foster grandparents $155,000,000
81. Senior companions $69,000,000
82. Targeted assistance for refugees, asylees, other humanitarian cases $49,500,000
83. Native employment works (NEW) $7,600,000

ENERGY AID Total:   $2,152,000,000

84. Low-income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP) $1,800,000,000
85. Weatherization assistance $352,000,000

Photo by Daniel Zedda used here under Flickr Creative Commons.