Tips on Applying for Welfare

By Bill Volk

Well, this comic is what it says on the cover. While the disclaimer inside says that the advice was written specifically for residents of New Hampshire, most of it can be used by anyone as its all pretty general.

Volk talks about how applying for welfare can be pretty scary, and that the welfare officers will just question your motives and sometimes outright lie to you so that you won't apply (and probably make more work for them).

The crucial things are "don't let them stop you applying", even if you think you're not eligible let whoever makes that decision decide, not you or the person at the desk, and you have a right to that decision in writing. I guess that's possibly the only bit of advice that might not apply everywhere, but it's been true in my experience.

The art features a giant, cartoonsihly ugly welfare officer, and an applicant that is just a vague outline of a human with eyes that makes them seem oddly anonymous, which probably isn't the best message you want to be giving to people who are on/applying for welfare who possibly already feel anonymous and ignored by society. But perhaps I just put too much thought into this type of thing.