New rules and time limits for the state’s food stamp program that started in September mean tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians could be losing their food assistance this month.
The changes were part of the Trump administration’s budget reconciliation bill — also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — signed into law over the summer.
The time limits mainly impact adults who are not working and don’t have minor children.
Trump administration officials said the changes were necessary because too many people enrolled in the program were not working. Anti-hunger advocates counter that many SNAP recipients do work, or are not able to due to disability or other factors, and that cutting people off from food won’t make them more employable.
As of Sept. 1, anyone in Pennsylvania’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP, between ages 18 and 54 who doesn’t have a dependent child under age 18 and is considered able to work had to prove they are working at least 20 hours a week or 80 hours a month, volunteering, or in a training program.
There are some exemptions, such as for individuals who are pregnant, caring for an ill family member, or people who were recently working and have applied for or are receiving Unemployment Compensation.
More people became subject to this rule — any adult up to age 65 without a dependent child under age 14 — after Nov. 1. Additionally, as of Nov. 1, certain groups who had previously automatically been exempt from this rule no longer are, such as veterans, people who are homeless, and young adults who have aged out of foster care.
If people cannot prove they are meeting these work requirements, they are cut off from benefits after three months.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has been reaching out to potentially impacted people, has also launched a website detailing the updated work reporting requirements and has even started a Substack newsletter that highlights this issue, along with other upcoming policy changes.
If you have been cut off but believe you should still qualify because of an exemption, you should file an appeal and work with your caseworker to complete exemption paperwork, said Ann Sanders, an advocate with Pittsburgh-based Just Harvest. If you appeal before Jan. 15, you will be able to keep your benefits during the appeal period.
The rule changes went into effect September 1 because of the Trump administration’s budget bill — or “One Big Beautiful Bill” — that was signed into law over the summer.
State officials had estimated last year nearly 144,000 people could lose their food benefits because of these changes. Data about how many people have lost their benefits is not available yet, since state statistics for January will not be available until next month.
Enrollment in SNAP in November was down by roughly 50,000 people, though that was likely due at least in part to the chaos around halting SNAP benefits during the lengthy government shutdown in October and November, Sanders said.
Last month, Pennsylvania’s nonpartisan Independent Fiscal Office, or IFO, noted the SNAP enrollment declines in October and November. Compared to November 2024, the number of SNAP recipients fell by 158,000, or 8%, the IFO noted.
More information about the work requirements is available here. Information about how to appeal is here.
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