Living the high life-- on food stamps

One Ohioan has a big house and fancy car and gets food stamps

Is it fraud or is it fair? It's a question many are asking tonight, and it centers on state guidelines for food stamp eligibility.

In the past, your resources and your car could stop you from being able to collect food stamps, but not any more. If you have millions in the bank, but don't have any source of income, you can still collect food stamps in the state of Ohio.

One Warren County resident, living in a paid-for $311,000 home, driving a new Mercedes and with $80,000 in the bank, is collecting monthly food stamps and cash assistance.

Deb Ortiz-Flores is executive director of the Lucas Co. Dept. of Job and Family Services. She says, "The U.S. Department of Agriculture through the food and nutrition program set up the program eligibility so the states can adopt whatever policy the feds say is allowable so Ohio in 2008 implemented this program."

Right now income, family size and monthly bills are taken into account when applying for aid, but assets aren't. So if you are out of work and need to eat, food stamps could be an option no matter what you have in the bank.

Right now there is talk Ohio lawmakers are pushing to change the rules. It's also important to mention the Lucas County department of job and family services hasn't seen any similar cases here. They also have an entire department dedicated to finding and stopping fraud.

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