The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is making some changes to how it works so that it can focus on helping the people who need it the most and continue to fight hunger. This means that thousands of people in the United States could be left out of the program.
About 44 million Americans counted on SNAP in 2022, but new rules that went into effect in October 2023 mean that many of those people will no longer be able to get the help.
Michael Ryan, the owner of Michaelryanmoney.com and an expert on money matters, says that people up to 54 years old who don’t have children are most likely to lose their benefits because they are thought to be able to take care of themselves.
The new rules on work make this possible exclusion possible, since working is now a must to keep getting SNAP funds.
The changes to SNAP are part of a larger trend of linking benefits to work. The goal of this method is to help people become less dependent on government aid and more self-sufficient. But it also makes people wonder if the program can really help people who really need it, especially since the job market is always changing.
As Ryan pointed out, there is a very important problem that needs to be addressed: a lot of people who are ready to work may not be able to meet the new requirements. One’s ability to comply is strongly affected by things like the availability of good jobs, their own health, and the state of the economy as a whole.
The new SNAP rules
As of 2023, the program requires people who are found fit to work to do so as best they can in order to keep getting benefits. This includes people between the ages of 16 and 59 who receive SNAP benefits.
Under the new rules, SNAP benefits will be taken away if users do not work or go through job training. This is also why, if someone offers you a job, you have to take it. You also can’t quit for no reason or work less than 30 hours a week, or your benefits will be taken away again.
There are some exceptions to these rules for certain groups, like parents, since this is meant for single people. It may seem unfair, but the costs of raising a family are going up, and since childcare isn’t always safe in the U.S., these job limits would unfairly hurt main caregivers.
Parents who work 30 hours or more a week or meet the work requirements for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or other government programs don’t have to follow the SNAP rules.
People who care for children younger than six, people with physical or mental disabilities, people in drug or alcohol treatment programs, and people in school or training programs are not required to work because the conditions for their staying in the program are different.
The new law for single people with specific work requirements only applies to Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD). These are people between the ages of 18 and 52 who are able to work and do not have children or other relatives who count on them for care.
Starting October 1, people aged 53 to 54 must also work at least 80 hours a month, which is about 20 hours a week. This means that a part-time job is enough to keep benefits.
Alex Beene, a professor of financial education at the University of Tennessee in Martin, told Newsweek that the change in age may not seem like a big deal, but it has a big effect on people who depend on SNAP payouts. Adding older people to the work requirement puts more stress on a group of people who are already at risk.
Also, the requirement that receivers must take job offers and not cut back on their hours makes things even more complicated. It suggests that people have jobs that are safe and available, which may not be the case for many SNAP recipients. This might have unexpected effects, like making things harder for people who really can’t meet the new standards.