For 35-year-old warehouse picker Lena Brooks, the SNAP work rules aren’t abstract policy, they’re the difference between a full fridge and skipped dinners for her two kids.
“I clock 40 hours hauling boxes, but proving it? That’s the trap,” she says, scrolling her state’s app for hour logs. “One glitch, and poof, three months without benefits.” As the federal shutdown rages on October 23, 2025, these requirements loom larger.
Starting November 1, tougher mandates could boot hundreds of thousands from SNAP.This could turn food aid into a high-wire act for 42 million low-income Americans.
SNAP’s work rules come in two flavors: General ones for most adults 16-59 (exempting pregnant women, parents with young kids and the disabled), requiring basic job searches or training if able.
But the real bite is for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs): Folks 18-64 without kids at home must log 80 hours a month in paid/unpaid work, job training or volunteering, or face a three-month benefit cutoff in any rolling three-year period. States verify via pay stubs, employer letters or program attendance; fail, and you’re out until reapplying after the penalty.
Latest News: One Big Beautiful Bill Act Brings Biggest SNAP Work Changes
These aren’t new concepts. The 1996 welfare reform birthed them to “promote self-sufficiency”, but 2025’s overhaul via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) cranks the dial. The age cap jumps to 64 from 50, broad waivers for high-unemployment areas (like rural counties over 10% jobless) vanish, and exemptions for homeless folks, former foster youth and some vets end.
USDA’s October 3 memo mandates compliance by November 1, with states tracking via apps or interviews, no more blanket grace periods.
Exemptions remain a patchwork: Automatic for under-18s, 65+, pregnant/postpartum women, parents/caretakers of kids under 6 (or 7 in some states), and those with physical/mental barriers (proven via doctor’s note).
Vets get case-by-case nods if service-connected, but rural or homeless status no longer auto-shields. States can request waivers for up to 12 months in “exceptional” hardship areas, but OBBBA tightens approvals, only for unemployment over 8% and no recent drops.
The fallout? CBPP estimates hundreds of thousands could lose aid by mid-2026, spiking food insecurity 20-30% in hit zones. The rural South and Midwest, where jobs are 50 miles away and Wi-Fi spotty for logging hours.
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Lena’s in Tennessee, a waiver hotspot pre-OBBBA; now, her overtime proof battles app crashes, delaying exemptions. “It’s not laziness, it’s logistics,” she says. Critics like FRAC slam it as “unrealistic,” arguing it ignores barriers like childcare costs or health access, potentially adding $1 billion to state admin burdens.
| Category | Requirement | Exemptions | 2025 Changes | Potential Impact |
| General (Ages 16-59) | Job search/training if able | Parents of young kids, disabled, pregnant | No major shifts | Minimal new losses |
| ABAWD (18-64, no kids) | 80 hrs/mo work/training/volunteer | Physical/mental unfit, some vets | Age 64, end waivers for homeless/rural | Hundreds of thousands at risk |
| Time Limit | 3 months benefits/3 years | Waivers for hardship areas | Tighter approvals | Rural spikes in hunger |
From USDA/FNS; rollout Nov. 1.
For Lena, it’s daily dread: Her $450 household average buys basics; lose it, and school’s free lunches become the main meal. Amid shutdown delays, states urge early proof, but glitches compound chaos. What it means: SNAP’s meant to bridge gaps, not widen them. If you’re ABAWD-eligible, log hours now via state portals (e.g., TN’s One DHS app), seek exemptions at clinics, call 1-800-221-5689 for help.
