A large number of Reno County residents who are on the government SNAP food assistance program are on the clock when it comes to further assistance after new guidelines were put in place at the beginning of the month. In an effort to encourage employment over welfare dependency, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) announced Wednesday, that it will allow a federal waiver to expire.

The waiver currently allows adults, ages 18 to 49, who are capable of working but who are not employed and who do not have dependent children to receive food assistance. Those individuals currently benefiting from the waiver will be required to meet a minimum work requirement or be enrolled in a federally-approved job training program. The DCF could release exactly how many residents this affects in the county, but there are currently about 5,000 adult residents in Reno County on the SNAP program.

An estimated 20,000 Kansas adults currently benefit from the waiver, which will expired Sept. 30.