Important Changes to SNAP Food Assistance Benefits

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by Erin Vallely

While the November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, support is on pause until the government shutdown ends or a court orders the USDA to use contingency funds, there have also been recent changes to the program that are going to go into effect soon.  The One Big Beautiful Bill, the tax cut and domestic policy law signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, approved significant changes to SNAP.  These changes, which will go into effect at various points, will directly impact eligibility requirements, state budgets, and program expenses. 

History and Purpose of SNAP 

The earliest food stamp program started in 1939 when the United States had a surplus of some food items and high rates of unemployment.  It reached approximately 20 million people in nearly half of the counties in the United States, at a total cost of $262 million.  Since then, the program has been paused, reinvented, and changed as our country’s needs have changed.  The program has historically had restrictions on who is eligible and what they can buy, although these restrictions have been adjusted over time.  The goal of the program is to mitigate hunger across the United States for low and no-income individuals and families.   

Approximately half of the people who receive SNAP support do work but are not paid enough to be able to afford food expenses.  According to national federal government data from 2023, 39% of recipients were children, 20% of recipients were elderly, and 10% were non-elderly disabled individuals.  The average benefit was about $177 per person per month, which equals about $6 per day.  Additionally, overall grocery prices have increased by 29% since February 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started.  This means the same amount of money at the grocery store will not buy as much food as it used to. In New York, about 2,963,000 people receive some amount of SNAP support.   

Changes to the SNAP System 

While some of the changes impact people receiving SNAP support, others impact the program at the state level.  It is important that everyone understands these changes and how they will impact the program.  Here is a summary of the upcoming changes: 

  • Expanded Work Requirements: Able-bodied adults age 18-64 must work at least 80 hours per month or be engaged in education or a training program or volunteering to remain eligible for SNAP benefits beyond three months in a three-year period. Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and youth aging out of foster care are now subject to the three-month time limit.  The exemption to the time limit for caregivers of children under age 18 has been changed to children under 14.  Areas with an unemployment rate of over 10% may qualify for a waiver from work requirements. 
  • SNAP-Ed Elimination: Nutrition education funding ended on Oct. 1, 2025, but unspent funds may be used through fiscal year 2026 to continue funding the program. New York received about $30,212,156 in 2025 (see breakdown by state), and was supposed to receive $31,380,347 in 2026 (see breakdown by state) before the program was ended. Guidance was issued Aug. 13, 2025.  SNAP-Ed is an evidence-based program funded by the USDA that teaches nutrition education, healthy cooking, and physical activity to people with low incomes to help them make healthy choices with their SNAP benefits.    
  • Administrative Cost Share Increase: In order to manage the SNAP support, every state needs to spend money on the administrative costs associated with it.  These costs include salaries of people reviewing applications, ensuring people meet requirements, keeping track of changes in people’s situations, running educational programs, and addressing issues as they arise.  Soon, states’ share of administrative costs will rise from 50% to 75%.  This means that New York will have to allocate more money for the program either through increasing taxes or taking money away from a different program to fund these additional administrative costs. 
  • Benefit Cost Sharing/Payment Error Rates: For the first time in the program’s history, states will be required to contribute to SNAP benefits if they have a payment error rate above 6%. A state’s payment error rate is the combined percentage of overpayments and underpayments that a state makes in SNAP support allocations.  These are mistakes due to human errors and are not considered fraudulent behavior.  States have been, and will continue to be, subject to financial penalties and a correction action plan for error rates above 6%, case and procedural error rates above the national average, and completion rates below 98%.  While there’s proven systems and technologies available to help states decrease errors, they all cost money to implement, and will be harder to afford with the new error charges.    
  • Noncitizen Eligibility Restrictions: Historically, undocumented immigrants were not able to access the SNAP program, but some legal immigrants were able to.  Under the new regulations, several legally present immigrant categories, including refugees, asylees and human trafficking survivors, will lose access to SNAP.   

Get Involved! 

Although changes to benefits systems can be confusing, it is important to educate yourself on the changes and know how to advocate for the services and supports you need.  Here’s some resources that can help you get started. 

If you have questions about the information above, or need help determining what these changes could mean for you, please contact ATI at 607-753-7363 or by email at info@aticortland.org. 

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