Changes from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” are forcing states to expand work requirements for those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits.
The law did not rewrite the core work requirements for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Instead, it changed who must meet them. In Wisconsin, the changes could put around 36,000 people at risk of losing their food assistance benefits.
Policy consultant David Rubel said federal law allows a third option that could make assistance more accessible for those who are at risk of losing benefits.
Work requirements
The age range for adults required to meet work requirements will increase from 18-54 to 18-64. Parents of children age 14 and older will now also need to meet work requirements.
Federal law allows three primary ways for some adults without dependents to continue receiving FoodShare.
The primary way is employment. People must work at least 20 hours a week or 80 hours a month to keep benefits.
Another way is training or workforce programs. People can participate in state-approved job training programs for 20 hours a week and keep benefits.
The third option, Rubel said, can require significantly fewer hours.
Workfare allows people to work or volunteer in a state-approved program for a number of hours based on the value of that person’s SNAP benefits.
According to federal law, the number of hours required is calculated by dividing a person’s monthly SNAP benefits by the state minimum wage. So, if someone in Wisconsin, where the minimum wage is $7.25, receives $180 in food stamps, they’d have to work or volunteer only about 25 hours monthly to continue receiving benefits.
Rubel said SNAP recipients may not realize that option exists.
“If someone thinks they must volunteer 80 hours a month, they may assume they can’t comply,” he said. “But six hours a week is very different.”
Why you should know
While not directly promoted on the Wisconsin Department of Health website, Elizabeth Goodsitt, a DHS spokesperson, said workfare is available in Wisconsin under the FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET) program.
According to Goodsitt, once a FoodShare member chooses to participate in FSET, their case manager will discuss their situation and background to see if workfare is a good approach for them.
“Sites that accept FSET participants for workfare are set up by the FSET vendor and structured to offer members the chance to build their work experience, record and references,” she wrote in an email. “If a member does workfare, their case manager works with them to calculate the number of hours that will meet their work requirement, specifically, based on the amount of FoodShare they receive each month.”
Wisconsin is one of four states, including Texas, Vermont and South Dakota, that signed a pledge committing to work opportunities for people at risk of losing SNAP benefits.
Because enforcement has just resumed in many places, states are beginning to notify recipients through recertification letters. Recertification letters are routine notices SNAP participants receive every six months to confirm their eligibility.
But in many states, the public messaging around SNAP work requirements focuses primarily on the 80-hour employment threshold.
“If people only hear about the 80 hours, they may assume they have no choice,” Rubel said. “People should have all the information so they can make an informed decision.”
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