Work requirement boots 35k able-bodied Alabamians off food stamps

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is no longer available to 35,000 Alabamians.

In January of this year, a federal waiver expired that allowed some states – including Alabama – to exempt some recipients of SNAP from the work requirements. Now, all able-bodied adults ages 18-49 who are not raising minors are required to work at least 20 hours a week in order to maintain their benefits. Individuals had to document their work by May 1 or they would be limited to three months of benefits within a three-year period.

Of the 50,000 able-bodied Alabamians receiving benefits, 35,000 no longer meet those requirements, meaning the total number of Alabamians receive food stamps is down to just 15,000. The new rule could affect almost 500,000 people nationwide.

Some individuals, including pregnant women and those who are physically or mentally disabled, are still exempt from the work requirements. The rule will also not go into effect in 13 Alabama counties because their unemployment rates are higher than 10 percent. All 13 of these counties are in Black Belt region and the southern half of the state, including Lowndes, Dallas, Wilcox, Greene, and Barbour.

According to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, 417,944 households received some form of food assistance last year.

The new work requirement, which has not been enforced since 2009, will save the federal government over $6.5 million a month. The exemption waiver was allowed to expire because the country’s economy has begun to recover from the depths of the 2008 recession.

“We have lost approximately 35,000 individuals due to the ABOD time limit requirement. It’s about 4 or 5% of our total caseload, the total number of ABODs that we’re currently dealing with,” said Brandon Hardin, director of the Food Assistance Division of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

The department hopes that the new work requirements will benefit those who had been receiving food stamps, and push them to become more self-sufficient.

“It’s not only encouraging, but it’s also encouraging in helping a client try to seek meaningful employment, some self-sustaining wages and be able to work themselves off the program,” Hardin said.