Brenda Dickenson v. Michael Petit, Etc.

BAILEY ALDRICH, Senior Circuit Judge.

In this class action on behalf of recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), 42 U.S.C. §§ 601 et seq., plaintiffs claim they have been denied benefits because the Secretary, in measuring “income” in connection with eligibility, 42 U.S.C. § 602(a)(7), looks to wages before withholding, rather than to take-home pay; contending, in effect, that the $75. statutory work expense “disregard,” § 602(a)(8), is a legislative figure to compensate for expenses other than taxes. 1 Unfortunately, when Congress amended these sections in the Omnibus…