[Nobodyandnothing]

A family of 3 will have SNAP benefits reduced $29 per month effective November 1, 2013. This has nothing to do with the current fight about reducing food stamps. This is in addition to the cuts currently being sought by the GOP. It is because of a law that has been effective for some time (2009 Recovery Act).

Google "November 1 food stamp cuts" to read about this reduction. Some of the articles state how much the cut will be for other family sizes.

I am only the messenger bringing you this news. Please don't kill the messenger.

[Perna]

Individual States can get a waiver and almost all states that need to, have. Check your individual state to see if your benefits will be cut.

[Nobodyandnothing]

Perna, I read the waiver provision as only applying to allowing states to continue to provide food stamps to individual recipients who are not working a certain number of hours a week The federal law would require states to terminate benefits for single individuals not meeting the work requirement.

States cannot waive the actual November 1, 2013 cuts unless they want to pick up the cost of the program (for California, more than $400 million and in Illinois, more than $200 million). Can you tell me where you are getting information about the waivers? I think we are talking about 2 different things. My info is current as of Sept. 10, 2013.

[Perna]

The theory makes sense — as with welfare reform, individuals who are able to work and simply choose not to do so, so-called ABAWDs (Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents) should not be able to simply sit back and collect benefits. No more Greenslates!

Under existing law, however, states have the flexibility to request waivers from the strict three-month limit during times of high unemployment. In the current downturn, nearly every state has obtained such a waiver. The proposal being floated by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor(R-Va.) would eliminate the waivers, except for a sliver of the population. No work, no food stamps — even if there are no jobs.

From: Ruth Marcus: Food stamp fight on deck in the House - The Washington Post

The cut-off-the-young-adults after 3 months thing is still just a proposal (Cantor). This article has a lot about that (and states who have high unemployment versus those that do not, etc.) and how it should not and probably will not pass.

[Nobodyandnothing]

Perna, the provision I am talking about is not a proposal, it is law. The law says food stamp benefits will be reduced on November 1, 2013. This law is completely different from the waivers and the employment requirement for single individuals you are referring to. I wish I could figure out how to put a link here but I can't.

Go to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities website, look on right hand side. It is the most popular story and it is about the November 1 SNAP cuts.

Your article is a Washington Post opinion page story. Different topic completely.

[Perna]

In August 2011, we reviewed the FNS Recovery Act SNAP information on both the FNS agency website and the Governmentwide website at Recovery.gov - Tracking the Money. We found that the FNS budgetary estimates on the two sites were either outdated, inconsistent, or both. FNS’ June 2010 plan on Recovery.gov states that $65.8 billion over 10 years will be required to fund the Recovery Act increases to SNAP; while FNS’ agency website, which was last modified in March 2011, states that SNAP will use an estimated $53 billion to fund Recovery Act benefit increases in coming years. Neither site reflected revised budgetary estimates or estimated savings of $14.4 billion mandated by two recently passed laws that terminate funding for the additional SNAP Recovery Act benefits at the end of October 2013. FNS needs to update both websites to reflect current information in accordance with the Recovery Act’s transparency and accountability goals.

From their auditors, emphasis mine: http://www.recovery.gov/Accountabili...03-0002-AT.pdf (page 4) (just grab a URL and paste it as you're typing (if you have a PC, highlight the URL, hold the CTRL key and press the "C", go to where you want it, hold the CTRL key and press the "V"))

Have you received news from the Government of cuts to your current amount? I would not pay much attention to websites not part of the Government as they have their own axes to grind and points to try and make. I had not heard of the sites I saw when I did a basic Google; it's a very political thing and I try not to get too entangled until a major news source reports something.

[Nobodyandnothing]

SNAP Benefits Are Changing | Food and Nutrition Service

Food and Nutrition Services, United States Department of Agriculture. Enough said. Believe it or not.

[Nobodyandnothing]

There is an article in the Current News forum about the reduction in food stamps that starts at the end of this month.