Kansas officials say the state will join several others in letting a federal waiver that allows an estimated 20,000 Kansans to receive food assistance without keeping a job expire.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families says it wants to encourage employment over welfare dependency. Able-bodied adults with no dependents would need to work no less than 20 hours per week to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

The federal waiver expires Sept. 30. That means that come Oct. 1, adults will have three months to either find work or enroll in federally-approved job training.

Other states that do not use the waiver include Delaware, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming and Utah. Oklahoma and Wisconsin also plan to let the waiver expire.