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More Than 500,000 Adults Will Lose SNAP Benefits in 2016 as Waivers Expire.
Wouldn't this make an excellent debate topic? Re: Reforming Welfare Reform
http://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/more-than-500000-adults-will-lose-snap-benefits-in-2016-as-waivers-expire
One of the harshest pieces of the 1996 welfare law, this provision limits such individuals to three months of SNAP benefits in any 36-month period when they aren’t employed or in a work or training program for at least 20 hours a week. Even SNAP recipients whose state operates few or no employment programs and fails to offer them a spot in a work or training program — which is the case in most states — have their benefits cut off after three months irrespective of whether they are searching diligently for a job. Because this provision denies basic food assistance to people who want to work and will accept any job or work program slot offered, it is effectively a severe time limit rather than a work requirement, as such requirements are commonly understood. Work requirements in public assistance programs typically require people to look for work and accept any job or employment program slot that is offered but do not cut off people who are willing to work and looking for a job simply because they can’t find one. In fact, SNAP has separate work requirement authority much like this, where states can require individuals to participate in job search or a training program but cannot terminate them if no program is available.
In the past few years, the three-month limit hasn’t been in effect in most states. The 1996 welfare law allows states to suspend the three-month limit in areas with high and sustained unemployment; many states qualified to waive the time limit throughout the state due to high unemployment rates during and since the Great Recession. But as unemployment rates fall, fewer areas are qualifying for statewide waivers. Most states have counties and other localities that are eligible for waivers because they continue to have especially high unemployment.
In the past few years, the three-month limit hasn’t been in effect in most states. The 1996 welfare law allows states to suspend the three-month limit in areas with high and sustained unemployment; many states qualified to waive the time limit throughout the state due to high unemployment rates during and since the Great Recession. But as unemployment rates fall, fewer areas are qualifying for statewide waivers. Most states have counties and other localities that are eligible for waivers because they continue to have especially high unemployment.
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I wonder if someone can submit this topic at the next debate?
