Tennessee to reinstate work requirements for able-bodied food stamp recipients

by Anita Wadhwani, USA TODAY NETWORK, Tennessee - Tennessee will reinstate work requirements for food stamp recipients a decade after they were eased during the height of the economic recession, Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday.

In most Tennessee counties, able-bodied adults without dependents will have to put in at least 20 hours per week on a job, an approved volunteer program or a qualified education or training program to get benefits. The measure goes into effect Feb. 1, but recipients will have 90 days from that date to comply with the new rules.

The requirements are expected to impact 58,000 of the approximately 1 million Tennesseans getting the grocery buying assistance, according to a news release. About 36,000 people who are able bodied and without dependents are already meeting the work requirements while getting food stamps. (read more)