Let’s talk about a very popular benefit called SNAP. This is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and it’s an economic aid from the U.S. government to help people with few resources to buy food. The thing is that SNAP has new rules to decide who qualifies for the benefit and this could affect hundreds of thousands of people, especially adults without children and without disabilities.
These new rules will be applied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), and they want that every state have the same rules. So, let’s see which are the new SNAP rules.
SNAP changes
During the pandemic, the government made the SNAP rules more flexible so that people could receive this food aid. However, now the USDA wants the rules to be stricter again and to be applied the same way in every state.
Until now, disabled adults or with no children called ABAWD (Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents) could receive the SNAP just for 3 months every three years unless they were working or in a training program.
But, this has changed because on November 1 the rules became stricter and there will be less exceptions.
New SNAP requirements
These are the new rules that will be applied in the entire country:
- Work or training requirement: to continue receiving SNAP benefits, people must work, volunteer, or be in job training at least 80 hours per month, which is about 20 hours per week. Each state will have to check every month that these hours are being met.
- Time limit: anyone who does not meet the 80-hour monthly requirement can only receive SNAP benefits for three months within a three-year period (36 months).
- Fewer exemptions: there will be fewer exceptions, and the federal government will have to approve each one. Exemptions will only be given to people who: are pregnant, have a verified physical or mental disability, are taking care of a child under 14, or have a temporary problem, such as illness, family emergency, or lack of transportation.
- Stricter quality control: the federal government will again check for errors in how states manage the SNAP program. States that make too many mistakes when giving benefits could face penalties.
Who is affected by these new rules?
Only those considered ABAWD by the SNAP will be affected by these rules. Let’s see some specific examples of the affected:
- Adults who are between 18 and 64 years old (some states may use 18 to 59).
- Who do not have children they support.
- Those who are not pregnant.
- Adults who do not have a disability.
- Those not taking care of a disabled person.
The states could keep a small percentage of exceptions, but they couldn’t be over 12% of all the cases.
November 1
This date was the end of a transition period that started with the One Big Beautiful Bill. Since that day:
- Every state must track and verify in real time that SNAP recipients complete 80 hours of work, training, or volunteering each month.
- Only areas with very high unemployment are allowed to request geographic exemptions.
- The USDA restarted strict federal reviews and penalized states that make mistakes.
- States must report compliance data each month.
Challenges
Some workers stated that these new rules will make people more independent and make the SNAP be used in a fair way. However, others say this could cause some problems. For example, Elaine Waters, from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), said that many beneficiaries are already working part-time or in temporary jobs. “The problem isn’t motivation — it’s paperwork and reporting. People could lose benefits because of missing forms, not because they don’t want to work.” she said.
How to keep you SNAP benefits
If you are a SNAP beneficiary and want to keep receiving the aid after November; you should do the following:
- Work, volunteer, or attend training for at least 80 hours per month.
- Report any changes in your job, health, or family situation to your local SNAP office as soon as they happen.
- Keep all proof — pay stubs, attendance records, or volunteer logs.
- Check if you qualify for an exemption, such as pregnancy, disability, or childcare.
- Contact your SNAP caseworker before your certification period ends to confirm that you meet all the requirements.
In case you lose your benefits for not following the requirements, you can qualify again by completing the required hours or by obtaining a new exemption.