ALJAZEERA: Food stamp eligibility rules are tightening in states across the country, causing up to one million current recipients to lose benefits and resulting in “serious hardship for many,” a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CPBB) suggests.
The swipe on benefits will occur as various states re-impose work requirements they had let lapse in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Able-bodied adults without dependents (referred to as ABAWDs in U.S. Department of Agriculture jargon) are typically only able to access year-round food stamp if they are either working for at least 20 hours per week or participating in a federally approved workfare program. However, states with elevated unemployment levels have the ability to apply for a waiver on these rules.
Without the waiver, jobless ABAWDs are entitled to just three months’ worth of food stamp benefits over a three-year period… (more)
EDITOR: When we withhold adequate and wholesome food from children, we stunt both their mental and physical growth… and subsequently the competence and health of future generations.
