Anita Williams and Her Children v. Burton Raiford, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Human Services

Plaintiffs are a family who received financial assistance through Aid to Families with Dependent Children (“AFDC”) 1 and food stamps under the Food Stamp Program, 2 until the Texas Department of Human Services (“TDHS”) determined that the family was no longer eligible for those benefits because one child had come into the equivalent of a small inheritance upon the death of her father. 3 Although the money is controlled by a representative payee who will not release the funds for purposes of supporting the family, the Texas Department of Human Services (“TDHS”) nevertheless “deemed” the…