More Bronx and city residents may soon be eligible to receive food stamps.

According to the New York Times, the Bloomberg administration is moving to loosen a major provision of welfare reform. Currently, approximately 43,000 residents who don?t have children and are ?able-bodied? now use food stamps. If the city is granted a federal waiver, nearly 14,000 more residents could be eligible.

The changes would reportedly affect adults ages 18 to 49 who are not responsible for a child or relative and are not physically or mentally unfit for work. The waiver would extend a three-month time limit to qualify for food stamps in any three-year period. If the government approves the waiver, it will reportedly cost the city almost nothing.