Tahlequah Mom: Injury, New Law Make Getting Off Food Stamps Difficult

Misty Golden moved to Oklahoma six years ago to better her life and get off of government assistance.

She was successful, until a back injury sent her back into unemployment.

Misty, 40, has been out of work for 17 months.

"Something popped in the middle of my back and I've since learned it's a herniated disc,” Golden said.

Golden hurt herself while working. She was eventually let go and since then she's struggled to find a job in Tahlequah.

To help put food on the table, she's had to rely on food stamps.

"I'm not a person at all who believes everybody should have a handout,” Golden said. “I want to go to work so bad."

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin recently signed a new bill into law that could impact Golden.

It requires any able-bodied person between 18- and 50-years-old who is not disabled or raising a child to work at least 20 hours per week in order to get food stamps.

"A lot of people agree they should be doing something that either enriches themselves so that they can go find a job, or they should be working," a spokesperson for the Speaker of the House Joe Griffin said.

Golden feels her situation is unique.

She said she's not technically disabled, but she has physical limitations and says employers aren't willing to take a risk with her.

"Oh my gosh, how are we going to survive, and then my second thought was, 'how many other people are going through what I'm going through,'" Golden said. "I'm young. I don't want to be on disability."

Now Golden is left wondering how she's going to continue to put food on the table for her and her 19-year-old daughter.

"There's no food banks,” Golden said. “There's not churches in this area that can compensate for the amount of food that people are going to need."

Golden said she sent multiple letters to her state representatives before this bill was signed, but she never heard back.