Effective April 1, many of those able-bodied recipients across the country will be limited to three months of food aid over a three-year period unless they are working, in job training or participating in volunteer opportunities for at least 80 hours a month. The work requirements have existed since the mid-1990s, but many states receive waivers for counties with higher unemployment rates or where jobs are scarce. The new rule makes those waivers harder to get.