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1997 Session

Budget Amendments - HB1600 (Committee Approved)

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Food Stamp Work Requirements (language only)

Item 383 #2h

Item 383 #2h

Health And Human Resources
Social Services, Department of

Language
Page 252, after line 35, insert:
"G.  To the extent permitted by federal law, recipients of food stamps subject to a work requirement, pursuant to Section 824 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Publ. L. No. 104-193, shall be permitted to satisfy such work requirement by providing volunteer services to a public or private, nonprofit agency for the number of hours per month determined by dividing the household's monthly food stamp allotment by the federal minimum wage."


Explanation
(The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 limits food stamp eligibility of most unemployed, able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 50, who are not responsible for the care of a dependent child or incapacitated household member, to three months in a 36-month period. Under PRWORA, food stamp recipients may satisfy the work requirement and remain eligible for food stamps by participating in a food stamp workfare program; however, Virginia has no food stamp workfare program. To the extent permitted by federal law, this amendment requires the Department to permit food stamp recipients to satisfy PRWORA's work requirement through "self-initiated" workfare by volunteering their services to public or private nonprofit agencies.)