Nearly 10,000 residents in Blair and surrounding counties could be affected under a proposal to change how states determine who is eligible for food stamps, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said.

The Trump administration has proposed revising a rule that allows 43 states to automatically give food stamp benefits to those residents receiving benefits through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling for TANF beneficiaries to undergo a review of their income and assets to receive food aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That change could mean 3.1 million people would lose SNAP benefits.

DHS said that would affect about 200,000 Pennsylvanians.

Cambria County, followed closely by Blair, would be most affected in the area, DHS figures show.

The change could affect 2,638 households in Cambria County; 2,496 in Blair; 1,747 in Clearfield; 1,365 in Centre; 906 in Bedford; and 787 in Huntingdon, a list released by DHS said.

“The Wolf administration vehemently opposes any changes that would risk more Pennsylvanians going hungry. Forcing already-struggling families to choose between putting food on their table or covering child care, rent or other basic needs is unconscionable and traps people in a cycle of poverty,” DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said in a release. “We strongly oppose any and all attacks on SNAP and will continue to fight against any attempt to take the program away from Pennsylvanians who need it.”

SNAP benefits help more than 1.6 million Pennsylvanians obtain nutritional means, DHS said.

If the USDA proposal is implemented, a Pennsylvania family of four’s SNAP income limit would drop from about $40,000 a year to no more than $32,000 a year. For elderly single-person households, the income limit would change from roughly $24,000 a year to about $15,000.

American Community Survey show an average of 16.7 percent of Blair County households received SNAP benefits between 2013 and 2017. For surrounding counties the percentages are: Bedford 13.7%; Cambria 17.2%; Centre 6.7%; Clearfield 17.7% and Huntingdon 14.4%.