By Sascha Cordner
Tallahassee, FL – Starting this Friday, anyone applying for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF program must pass a drug test to receive benefits. As Sascha Cordner reports, the state's Department of Children and Families held a workshop on Wednesday to talk about the new drug testing requirements.
The new rules require any welfare applicant who fails the test and has children who are minors be referred to Florida's child abuse hotline. DCF Spokesman Joe Follick says the procedure is nothing new and it's just a way to see if the individual and their family needs help in areas, like counseling and child care."
"Because it's called the abuse hotline, people have inferred, incorrectly, that that means we're coming in there and we're .We're not! We're there to help. The hotline is just used as a tool to help families and kids .that's all."
Applicants are expected to pay the costs of the drug test. If they pass, they get reimbursed. If they fail, they lose the money and face a year-long ban from applying for the program.