The food stamp program in an era of welfare reform: Electronic benefits and changing sources of cash income

Linked survey data end Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) records are used to investigate the distinct roles played by food stamp benefits and cash income in the household budget at different times of the month. Using data from Maryland in 1993, household budgets and food spending patterns are found to differ qualitatively, depending on whether the main source of cash income Is welfare benefits, Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, or labor market earnings. These differences have implications for understanding the Food Stamp Program during the welfare reform period as many households move from welfare to work.