As of this month, Georgia is shouldering more of the cost to manage the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal food aid program known as SNAP.
It’s the latest change to the program to take effect following the passage of the tax and spending legislation President Donald Trump pushed last year, H.R. 1, nicknamed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
A change affecting eligibility requirements for the hunger-fighting program has already gone into effect. Enrollment numbers in Georgia and other states have dropped.
More questions about the future of SNAP in Georgia loom.
What has already changed for SNAP?
Last November, work requirements for people to receive food assistance were expanded.
Starting Oct. 1 of this year, instead of splitting administrative costs 50-50 between states and the federal government, states are taking on 75% of those costs.
Georgia budgeted for that during this year’s legislative session, putting more than $40 million toward SNAP administration in the state.
“We are very committed to ensuring that Georgia families are receiving the benefits they need while also being good stewards of the funds that we have,” said Georgia state Rep. Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), who chairs the human resources portion of the state House budget.
Dempsey said additional funding for program administration would likely be needed in the future.
What other changes are coming in Georgia?
Georgia also put money this year toward reducing over- and underpaying SNAP benefits.
The federal government is going to start shifting more costs to states with high error rates, and Georgia has one of the highest.
Until now, the federal government has paid for SNAP benefits. Daniel Kanso, vice president of public policy at the left-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute said the shift of some of those costs – not just the additional administrative costs, but the benefits themselves – to the states is a “sea change.”
“The big looming cliff is about sharing the cost of the benefits,” Kanso said.
States with higher error rates, like Georgia, get extra time before that shift begins.
But if Georgia doesn’t improve in the next few years, it could have to take on many millions in additional spending. Kanso said SNAP recipients could see benefits cut. The program could even collapse in Georgia, he said.
Congress could change the approach to error rates and the timing of when the penalties kick in.
In the meantime, Georgia is looking into new technology, more frequent case reviews and improving training for caseworkers.
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