BATON ROUGE — Changes are coming for some people receiving food assistance benefits.
Effective Thursday, the state says able-bodied adults without dependents must meet a minimum work requirement to qualify for the benefits.
The state, in a news release, said those in that category will be required to work at least 20 hours per week or be enrolled in a federally-approved job training program. If such a person doesn’t meet the requirement, they will only receive benefits for three months out of a 36-month period.
The change comes as the state allows a federal waiver to expire Thursday. The waiver currently allows adults, ages 18 to 49, who are capable of working but who aren’t working and who don’t have children to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits without an imposed time limit.