About 1,500 people in Rowan County stand to lose their food stamp benefits this summer if they do not meet reinstated work, job-training or community service requirements.

That’s as it should be. Able-bodied adults without dependents, as the government calls the affected recipients, should support themselves whenever possible.

If they meet income guidelines, individuals between the ages of 18 and 49 can receive food stamps for three months before they have to meet the other requirements. The amount they receive depends on their income; the maximum an individual can get under this program is $200 a month.

The work, training and community service requirements are part of the welfare reform of 1996. They were waived when the recession made it so difficult to find work. Now that unemployment has eased, the requirements are going back into place.

This only makes sense. The people affected are not feeding children; they are not frail elderly people or disabled. According to a study by the conservative Heritage Foundation, these able-bodied adults without dependents have made up the fastest-growing segment of food stamps in the past eight years.

It’s time to be more stringent. Recipients who have received food stamps for three months or more during the preceding three years cannot continue to receive the benefits without meeting the new-old requirements.

The waiver expired in January for 23 of the state’s counties. The rest of the state, including Rowan, will see the requirements go back into effect in July 1.

Donna Fayko, director of the Rowan County Department of Social Services, says her agency is gearing up to help people understand the requirements and meet them.

“This is a national issue and Rowan DSS is being proactive in planning for the impact that we will see in the next five to six months,” Fayko said in an email.

Social Services will alert those who stand to lose benefits. The agency is also  strategizing on an employment and training program aimed at this population. Participating in that program, Fayko said, is one way individuals subject to the time limit can fulfill the work requirement, maintain their eligibility to receive food stamps and — the best part — learn the skills they need to obtain gainful employment.

Poverty is a cruel thing. That’s all the more reason to help adult food stamp recipients position themselves for jobs with a living wage. They are not going to improve their situation by staying on food stamps indefinitely.