This is awful and shameful!! Here is part of the article and the link:
In 2008, when Jamie Hartley was 16 years old, her family was overpaid a total of $766 in welfare benefits. But now Riverside County is demanding that Hartley repay the debt and it intends to "intercept" her next state income tax refund to get the money.
California welfare regulations for years have allowed, and even required, counties to go after minors for the debts of their parents, state officials told the Associated Press.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/03/children-of-welfare-incur-debts-of-parents/?ap 1|1|You would think that a decent parent would repay the debt and NOT leave their child holding the bag|kellysp6637|frugalk76@aol.com|10:22:54|12/04/2011|
bottom line is....if they were over paid more than their contracted benefits than it's only right they repay what they were given. 2|2|in this case the parent lives on untouchable income|cinda68|lacinda68@gmail.com|10:30:13|12/04/2011|
but the main problem here is a contractual law issue, minors can't be held liable for contracts or so I thought, the minor didn't even sign anything at all 3|3|I agree with you on this account...it does seem odd that they would be allowed to go after a minor...|kellysp6637|frugalk76@aol.com|10:35:14|12/04/2011|
still, any decent parent would not leave their child with that responsibility. 4|4|true, not good at all that a parent leave a child with any debt whatsoever|cinda68|lacinda68@gmail.com|10:40:27|12/04/2011|
this is debt that should not exist at all and if I read the article correctly, it was due to the welfare office's error, not the family 5|5|but if the family kept it then it really doesn't matter if the office made a mistake...the family took it.....spent it and should pay it back|kellysp6637|frugalk76@aol.com|10:41:20|12/04/2011|
otherwise it's stealing. 6|6|yes should be paid back by the recipient but that was the parent not the child|cinda68|lacinda68@gmail.com|10:43:32|12/04/2011|
If the parent can't pay it (and they were the ones who signed the welfare application) then the state is out the money, or should be. Its insane to put this debt on the minor child.