Tougher standards mean fewer food stamp recipients in Pennsylvania, By Jan Murphy, April 15, 2013, Patriot-News: “Nearly a year ago, Gov. Tom Corbett put in place a policy that his administration said would limit government-provided food stamps to those truly in need. His administration re-introduced an asset test that had been abandoned four years before to help rein in spending at the Department of Public Welfare. The idea behind factoring in all of an applicant’s assets was to ensure that people with a certain amount of cash or other assets, such as second cars of a certain value or boats, tap those dollars first before dipping into the pool of taxpayer-funded food assistance. Previously, the department used income levels to determine eligibility…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty