Preliminary Information on Food Stamp Workfare Pilot Projects
Highlights
The Food Stamp Act of 1977 requires the Secretaries of Agriculture and Labor to jointly conduct workfare pilot projects. The food stamp workfare concept involves the performance of work in return for food stamp benefits. Under the Act, demonstration projects were to be conducted at 14 sites, 1 urban and 1 rural site in each of the 7 administrative regions of the Food and Nutrition Service. Congress did not provide Federal cost-sharing funds for any local or State administrative costs associated with the projects. In response to a Congressman's request, GAO monitored and evaluated the projects to (1) provide information on how the seven pilot projects currently in operation were selected, (2) examine plans for selecting sites for the workfare extension, and (3) provide some preliminary information on the contract between the Department of Labor and the firm it hired to obtain information needed to assess the pilot projects and report on their results.