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Following the disruptive US government shutdown, the federal snap Low-income families are receiving food assistance again. But in the coming months, many participants will have to comply with new work requirements.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides monthly benefits to approximately 42 million people nationwide – an average of about $190 per person. During the first few weeks of November, many of those recipients missed their regular allotments as the President donald trumpThe administration fought in court over whether reserve funds could be used to fund the program during the government shutdown.
Here’s what you need to know about Snap:
Benefits after default are available across the country
In the first part of the month, the situation was chaotic when the federal government said that SNAP would not be funded due to the government shutdown.
Some states fully or partially replenished the electronic benefit cards used in the program, using their own funds or federal dollars, which were part of court orders. Others did not.
Most states encouraged food donations, but queues were long and some shelves were empty.
As soon as the government reopened on November 12, many states rushed to take advantage.
As of Tuesday, all states had either put the entire November benefit on people’s electronic spending cards or were working on it, according to one associated Press Review. Participants should receive December SNAP benefits according to their normal schedule.
More SNAP recipients face work requirements
A massive tax and spending bill signed into law by Trump in July increased requirements for many adult SNAP recipients to work, volunteer, or participate in job training at least 80 hours a month. Those who do not are limited to three months of benefits in a three-year period.
Work requirements previously applied to adults aged 18 to 54 who are physically and mentally able and have no dependents. The new law also applies those requirements to people ages 55 to 64 and parents with children under 14. It revokes work exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans, and young adults aging out of foster care. And it limits states’ ability to waive work requirements in areas with a shortage of jobs.
The Trump administration waived the work requirements in November, but the three-month clock on work-exempt SNAP benefits will go into full effect in December.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the new requirements are expected to reduce the average monthly number of SNAP recipients by about 2.4 million people over the next 10 years.
Agriculture Secretary expressed doubt on SNAP
After the shutdown, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department administers SNAP, has cast doubt on the program. Rollins has said it is rife with fraud, including dead people receiving benefits and some people receiving multiple benefits.
Rollins suggested everyone who receives SNAP needs to reapply. But it’s not clear whether Rollins was suggesting an additional requirement or referring to an existing requirement that forces people to periodically recertify their income and other information.
An Agriculture Department spokesperson did not specify, but said in a statement that the standard recertification process for households is part of a plan to eliminate fraud, abuse and waste.
Under federal law, most households must report their income and basic information every four to six months and fully recertify for SNAP at least every 12 months. For households where all adults are 60 and older or have a disability, full recertification may occur every 24 months.
But states may require more frequent eligibility verification. Last year, 27 states required at least some households to be fully recertified every four to six months, depending on their household circumstances, according to a USDA Report.