Dec. 26 (UPI) — The state of Georgia has reportedly knocked close to 8,000 food stamp recipients each month off of its rolls.
Last week, the Trump administration announced plans to ratchet up enforcement of a 22-year-old law that cuts off food stamps from some adults who are not working.
“We have more data elements available to us with this system than we have had with any of our other eligibility systems,” said Jon Anderson, of the state’s Division of Family and Children Services, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In all, the number represents a small percentage of Georgia’s 1.5 million food stamp recipients.
One expert says that some of Georgia’s low-income residents will have trouble finding steady work.
“People who use SNAP who can work, do work,” said Alex Carmardelle, a senior policy analyst at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, to the AJC. “If you are not working and you are receiving SNAP it’s because of a serious reason.”
Between April and October, Georgia removed nearly 8,000 people a month from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to the AJC which pulled data from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
The current federal guidelines require able-bodied adults between ages 18 and 49 without children to work 20 hours a week to receive food stamps. Anyone who falls below the 20-hour work requirement can only receive food stamps for three months within a three-year window.
However, the federal government relaxed those criteria during the recession.
Overall, about 71 percent Georgia food stamps recipients are families with dependent children, according to thehill.com. Approximately, 8 percent of food stamps recipients are able-bodied adults without children.
