SNAP Work Requirements
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 made several major changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements that require significant process revisions by state and local agencies, including: Effective July 1, 2023, individuals experiencing homelessness, veterans, and individuals under 24 years old who aged out of foster care are exempt from Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) work requirements.
Effective September 1, 2023, the first increase to the age range – through 50 years of age – of households subject to ABAWD work requirements is phased in.
Starting on October 1, 2023, the range is increased to include individuals up to 52 years of age.
Although the Biden administration is encouraging states to ease eligibility verification processes, states still have a variety of options they can adopt to customize SNAP administration and ensure program integrity, such as:
Address the “cohabitator loophole” by presuming that people who live together also cook together, and are certified as a household, unless they are ineligible as outlined in federal statute or regulations.
Require verification of questionable information and do not accept applicants’ self-attestation of homelessness status.
