PHOENIX — At least some people who have lost their food stamps in Arizona probably are eligible, the head of the state Department of Economic Security said Friday.
But Michael Wisehart said he can’t quantify how many of the estimated 400,000 who were dropped from the rolls since Congress approved its budget law last summer — including 180,000 children — actually legally qualify for benefits but have for one reason or another been turned away.
Those cuts now leave only about 459,000 Arizonans enrolled in what is formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That amounts to a 47% decrease — the largest in the nation.
