New SNAP work requirements for older adults go into effect

Oct 3, 2024
As part of last year’s debt ceiling showdown, lawmakers agreed to raise the age under which SNAP participants are required to fill out paperwork on their employment status — from 49 to 54 for adults without dependents or disabilities.
hapabapa/Getty Images

The USDA just approved the first online-only grocer to accept SNAP benefits

Feb 22, 2024
Online grocery delivery can be a lifeline for SNAP recipients who have disabilities or lack reliable access to transportation.
Thrive Market is the the first online-only grocer to begin accepting SNAP benefits.
Courtesy Thrive Market

New summer vacation grocery assistance will help feed millions of children

Jan 12, 2024
The USDA's new Summer EBT program fills gaps left by its existing Summer Food Service Program, where families only get free meals at a specific site.
Summer EBT gives families flexibility to buy their preferred foods,
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Need SNAP benefits? You may have to wait.

Nov 20, 2023
In more than a dozen states, less than 80% of SNAP applications are being processed on time. Before the pandemic, the numbers were much better.
The most recent data show that applications for SNAP benefits are being processed late in a dozen states, including New York and Georgia.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

The SNAP work reporting requirement age just rose by one year. It's already affecting who gets benefits.

Sep 11, 2023
The upper age limit for SNAP recipients (able bodied, without dependents) who have to prove they’re working or looking for work at least part time has just risen from age 49 to age 50. Eventually it'll go up to age 54.
"We estimate that up to 750,000 individuals could lose [SNAP] benefits," said Ed Bolen with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Above, a sign alerting customers that a store accepts SNAP benefits.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

We have a debt ceiling deal. So what happens next?

Jun 2, 2023
Now, agencies and Congress need to figure out how to implement the thing.
Congress will soon have to turn broad spending limits into actual appropriations bills for the next fiscal year.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Work requirements for SNAP over 50 included in debt ceiling talks

May 23, 2023
Some Congressional Republicans want older Americans to prove that they work or are looking for work to get those benefits.
A sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store in New York City.
Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

One mom on what the end of additional SNAP benefits means for her family

Mar 21, 2023
Millions of people have had their benefits cut by at least $95 a month, at a time when food prices are up almost 10%.
Mansie Meikle with her 4-year-old daughter.
Samantha Fields/Marketplace

More stores are accepting SNAP benefits for online grocery orders

Feb 22, 2023
Here's why it took a pandemic to make it happen, and why the practice is probably here to stay.
Until recently, most grocery stores weren’t accepting SNAP online. But now retailers like Walmart, Amazon and recently Wegmans have begun to.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For the 2023 Farm Bill, expect a political showdown over SNAP benefits

Feb 16, 2023
Congress will be debating food aid programs covered by the bill, just as pandemic-era funding increases for food aid expire while grocery costs remain high.
As grocery costs remain high, a shrinking budget for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could be a strain for recipients.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images