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SNAP Proposed Rule Change Raises Questions And Concerns

http://youtu.be/yBbTsOKFA-Q

Governor Martinez’s administration is proposing new work requirements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formally known as food stamps.

The Human Services Department is currently reviewing proposed work requirement changes to the SNAP program. Currently, Federal Law requires able-bodied adults without dependents between the ages of 18-50 to participate in up to 80 hours a month of specified activities, such as work experiences, community service or job training.

Under the new rules, work requirements will be expanded to teenager’s ages 16-18 who are not enrolled in school, adults ages 50-59, and parents with children over the age of 6.

Human Services Department Secretary Brent Earnest says the new requirements are designed to bring people back into the workforce.

“We really think there is some opportunities to engage individuals,” Earnest said. “Be it a 16-year-old whose not in school and not working, let’s help them get back into the workforce, get to a job, and build those skills necessary to enhance their own earnings.”

He says the new requirements will also expand “good cause” exemptions to people that will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

“There is some individual situations that need to be addressed,” Earnest said. “So, we’re expanding the ‘good cause’ exception process, recognizing that folks may have situations that don’t allow them to participate, distance to work or lack of transportation. So, we’re allowing for things like that that weren’t open before.”

State Senator Bill Soules says he doesn’t know why we are looking at expanding past the federal requirements, if the work requirements aren’t proven to be effective.

“The department currently does not have enough information even on the people currently on work requirements,” Soules said. “As to how many have gotten jobs, how many haven’t gotten jobs, that data. They don’t even know. And there is not enough funding to handle the huge influx of additional people, besides I think this is the wrong way of going about fixing things because of a few people that may be abusing the system, we’re going to affect literally tens of thousands of people.”

About 70,000 people across the state will be affected by the new work requirements. Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing says the new requirements are necessary to help people get back into the workforce.

“If you sit on the sidelines for too long in today’s dynamic economy,” Gessing said. “It’s always changing. Your skills ultimately will be reduced or go away, and you’ll get used to taking home that government benefit. Now, I’m not saying that makes someone a bad person, but they need to be volunteering, they need to be looking for educational opportunities.”

Attorney for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, Louise Pocock, says the current SNAP work requirements aren’t being properly explained to recipients and people are having a hard time completing proper requirements.

“Unfortunately we see a lot of clients have difficulty meeting the requirements of the program,” Pocock said. “Because there not clearly explained to people. The notices that they receive in the mail are very confusing. I represented one poor gentleman, he’s a 90-year-old man receiving SNAP, and he got the notice about work requirements. And the notice actually told him that he didn’t have to do them, but it was so confusing that he thought he did. So, he went and volunteered several times, several hours. A 90-year-old man because he thought he had to do this to get his SNAP.”

Pocock says she supports expanding workforce training, but not when it prevents people from receiving benefits. Ruth Hoffman with the New Mexico Conference of Churches says she would also support creating a volunteer program.

“The federal government will allow the program to be a voluntary program,” Hoffman said. “And if you can get a robust, well-done volunteer program that people really want to enter and they are successful in achieving the goals, then maybe think about it being mandatory in the future. But, we don’t have a real robust voluntary program now, and then you make it mandatory with opt-out in place, chances of success are low.”

If the rule changes are approved they will go into effect on October 1st. July 17th is the last day to submit public input on the proposed SNAP changes, for more information visit the health and human services department website at hsd.state.nm.us.
 

Samantha Sonner was a multimedia reporter for KRWG- TV/FM.