(AP) — Officials
say more than 1,000 West Virginians will lose their food stamp
benefits starting next month.
The State Department
of Health and Human Resources announced last year that it would reinstate a
requirement calling on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to
meet a monthly work or training requirement of 20 hours per week or lose
benefits.
The changes
took effect in January.
DHHR
spokeswoman Allison Adler says an "outreach campaign" was started in
October to contact the approximately 7,000 people at risk for losing their
benefits.
Adler says
on April 15, there were 1,566 cases closed, meaning those individuals will not
receive SNAP benefits in May.
She says
those individuals may contact their local DHHR before April 30 to have their
case reviewed.