WELFARE DRUG-TEST SAVINGS LOOK IFFY

Up To $60,000 Saved Yearly On Rejected Applicants May Be Nullified By
Expenses

TALLAHASSEE -Since the state began testing
welfare applicants for drugs in July, about 2
percent have tested posiA-tive, preliminary data show.

Ninety-six percent proved to be drug free,
leaving the state on the hook to reimburse the cost of their tests.

The initiative might save the state a few dollars
anyway, bearing out one of Gov. Rick Scott's
arguments for impleA-menting it. However, the low
drug test fail-rate undercuts another of his
arguA-ments: That people on welfare are more likely to use drugs.

At Scott's urging, the Legislature imA-plemented
the new requirement this year that applicants for
temporary cash assistance pass a drug test before colA-lecting any benefits.

The law, which took effect July 1, requires
applicants to pay for their own drug tests. Those
who test drug-free are reimbursed by the state,
and those who fail cannot receive benefits for a year.

Having begun the drug testing in mid-July, the
state Department of ChilA-dren & Families is
tabulating the results. At least 1,000 welfare
applicants took the drug tests through
mid-August, accordA-ing to the department, which
expects at least 1,500 applicants to take the tests monthly.

So far, DCF says, about 2 percent of applicants
are failing the test; another 2 percent are not
completing the application process, for reasons unspecified.

The cost of a test averages $30. Assuming 1,000
to 1,500 applicants take the test every month,
the state will owe $28,800 to $43,200 monthly in
reimbursements to those who test drug-free.

That compares with roughly $32,160 to $48,240 the
state may save on one month's worth of rejected applicants.

The savings assume that 20 to 30 people - 2
percent of 1,000 to 1,500 tested - fail the drug
test every month. On average, a welfare recipient
costs the state $134 in monthly benefits, which
the rejected applicants won't get, saving the state $2,680 to $4,020 a
month.

Since one failed test disqualifies an applicant
for a full year's worth of benefits, the state
could save $32,160 to $48,240 annually on the
applicants rejected in a single month.

Net savings to the state: $3,360 to $5,040
annually on one month's worth of rejected
applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on
all rejected applicants would add up to $40,320
to $60,480 for a program that state analysts have
predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year.

Actual savings will vary, however, since not all
the applicants denied benefits might have
actually collected them for the full year. Under
certain circumstances, applicants who fail their
drug test can reapply for benefits after six months.

The as-yet uncalculated cost of staff hours and
other resources that DCF has had to spend on
imple menting the program may wipe out most or
all of the apparent savings, said Derek Newton,
spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union
of Florida. The program will grow costlier yet,
he said, if it draws a legal challenge.

The ACLU has been threatening for months that it
may challenge the constitutionality of the
program; Tuesday, Newton said his group is still weighing a lawsuit.

DCF spokesman Joe Follick said that families and
accountability are the main focuses of the program.

'The taxpayers deserve to know that the money
they are spending is being used for its intended
purpose,' he said. 'In this case, with (temporary
cash assistance), the purpose is to help families
become independent and self-sufficient. If a
family receiving (cash assistance) includes
someone who has a substance abuse problem, the
odds of that money being used for purposes other
than helping that family increases.' More than
once, Scott publicly has said that people on
welfare use drugs at a higher rate than the rest
of the population. The 2 percent drug test
fail-rate seen by DCF, however, does not bear that out.

According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, performed by the U.S. Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services, 8.7 percent of the
U.S. population older than 12 uses illegal drugs.
The rate was 6.3 percent for those ages 26 and older.

A 2008 study by the Office of National Drug
Control Policy also showed that 8.13 percent of
Floridians 12 and older use illegal drugs.

Newton said that's proof the drug-testing program
is based on a stereotype, not hard facts.

'This is just punishing people for being poor,
which is one of our main points,' he said. 'We're
not testing the population at-large that receives
government money; we're not testing people on
scholarships or state contractors. So why these
people? It's obvious: because they're poor.'

Scott's office did not respond to a request for comment.

'We're not testing the population at-large that
receives government money. A=85 So why these
people? It's obvious: because they're poor.'
Derek Newton, spokesman for American Civil Liberties Union of Florida