LEXINGTON, Ky. — New research challenges the effectiveness of food stamp work requirements, finding they slash program participation without increasing employment, findings with direct implications for more than 590,000 Kentuckians currently receiving benefits. The analysis from The Hamilton Proj ect at the Brookings Institution reviewed studies on work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and concluded that evidence “does not increase employment,” while “work requirements cause a large decrease in participation in SNAP.” The research comes as Kentucky implemented new work requirements in February 2026, affecting an estimated 590,000 Kentuckians who rely on food assistance. Lauren Bauer, associate director of The Hamilton Project, told researchers that “all they do is make it more likely that they are disenrolled from the program.” She expressed concern about how stricter requirements affect laid-off workers, noting the disconnect: “I lost my job, I need food benefits. Well, you can only get food benefits if you have a job.” The Kentucky requirements mandate that adults ages 18-64 without dependents under 14 work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours per month, or face benefit limits to three months in a three-year period. The new rules eliminated previous exemptions for veterans, homeless individuals, and young adults aging out of foster care. At least 2.5 million people nationally, representing 6 percent of SNAP enrollment, have lost benefits since the federal legislation became law, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In Kentucky alone, SNAP enrollment declined by approximately 81,000 individuals since the law took effect in July 2025. The federal changes also reduced funding for nutrition education programs, eliminated eligibility for noncitizens including refugees, and restricted states’ ability to waive work requirements in areas with limited job opportunities. Republicans, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, have defended the changes as necessary to eliminate fraud and waste. Food security advocates in Kentucky worry about the broader impact. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the new provisions will reduce participation by roughly 2.4 million people in an average month nationwide through 2034, with rural Kentucky communities facing particular hardship as SNAP participation rates in some eastern Kentucky counties exceed 30 percent of the population. This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Lantern, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/04/20/snap-work-requirements-dont-boost-jobs-but-drop-participation-research-finds/. The post Research finds SNAP work requirements cut enrollment but don’t boost jobs appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less