Recipients of federal government food assistance in the south and southwest suburbs, statewide and nationally need to be aware of changes going into effect this year that could cause them to lose benefits.
Those working to combat food insecurity say recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, should be taking steps now to protect their benefits and warn the changes will mean many more people will go hungry.
Starting Feb. 1, able-bodied adults who don’t meet new work, volunteer or training requirements or who aren’t exempt will only be eligible to receive three months of benefits, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. After that, they will lose assistance entirely for three years starting May 1, stressed Man-Yee Lee, a spokesperson for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
“We’re bracing ourselves for these historic changes coming to SNAP,” said Lee, adding more than 450,000 Illinoisans are estimated to be at risk of losing food access due to the new work reporting requirements.
“All of these changes are going to be leaving millions of SNAP participants across the country at risk of being kicked off the program,” she said.
Illinois was among states with high unemployment rates where federal waivers were in place, exempting more people from having to meet work requirements, Lee said. The budget reconciliation legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump last July took away those waivers.
Provisions of the legislation require people between age 18 and 64 to work or volunteer a minimum of 80 hours per month or participate in certain training or education to receive SNAP benefits. Most SNAP recipients need to meet the work requirements, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.
There are some exceptions, notes the department, which is working to get the word out to SNAP recipients in part via information posted on its website. Those who don’t need to meet the new requirements generally include:
- People younger than 18 or older than 64
- A parent or other member of a household that includes a child under age 14
- People who are medically certified as physically or mentally unable to work
- People who are pregnant
- A parent or other member of a household with responsibility for the care of an incapacitated person
- A regular participant in a drug addiction or alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation program
- Some Native Americans
Under the old rules, the maximum age for work requirements was 54, and the work requirements didn’t apply to parents with any dependent child under the age of 18 living in the same household, the department said. The old rules also didn’t apply to veterans, young adults who grew up in foster care and people experiencing homelessness. These groups now must meet work requirements unless they fall into the exceptions outlined above.
The new rules “burden states and individuals who rely on this 100 percent federally funded benefits resource,” the department said in an email statement. “The Illinois Department of Human Services is communicating with SNAP participants regarding upcoming changes to SNAP and continues to provide support as people navigate new processes and changes imposed by the Trump Administration.”
The department notes to meet the work requirements, SNAP recipients must do one of the following or a combination:
- Work paid or unpaid an average of 20 hours per week
- Volunteer to take part and comply with a SNAP employment and training activity such as basic education, vocational training, work experience, community workfare, Earnfare
- Do self-initiated community service with a community-based organization for an average of 20 hours per week
Annie Hill, who runs the Oak Forest-based VKMI Hattie B. Williams Food Pantry, said she expects to see more people coming in seeking help. She noted the number of clients the pantry serves has already increased.
Those who frequent the pantry have expressed concern about how the SNAP changes will affect them and their families and some have asked if they can volunteer at the pantry to help meet the new requirements, she said.
SNAP recipients who think they fall into the categories of recipients who don’t need to meet the work requirements should do their homework to make sure and confirm that the Illinois Department of Human Services knows that, said Lee.
“It becomes really, really important for people to update their details with the Illinois Department of Human Services if they think they are exempt or have been exempt in the past,” Lee said. “With the changes, just to be safe, check. Don’t leave it to chance.”
If mistakes are made, they’re not reversible, so people need to make sure they aren’t accidentally shut out of the program, Lee said.
SNAP recipients subject to the new requirements should put plans in place now to see how they can satisfy the work and or volunteer requirements and look into free training programs to protect their benefits, Lee advised. But she notes many people won’t be able to meet the requirements.
“Work requirements don’t work,” she said. “They don’t increase the chances of people getting more jobs simply because there are very real barriers that people who are on SNAP are having to face. It’s not that they don’t want to work.”
Research consistently shows that SNAP time limits don’t increase long-term employment. Instead, they create administrative burdens and result in eligible people losing benefits due to paperwork errors, lack of child care and limited access to qualifying work or training, according to the Food Research and Action Center.
The changes will affect SNAP recipients and those not receiving SNAP benefits by having “a ripple effect in our community and on our businesses,” Lee said. “For every SNAP dollar that is spent in the community, it generates at least $1.50 back in economic activity.”
The food depository is anticipating increased demand for food from its pantry partners and will prepare to assist them as best it can.
“We’re always committed to providing as much food as our pantry partners need, but let’s be real,” Lee said. “The charitable organizations and the emergency food system will not be able to fill the gap. We’re already at full capacity because of elevated food prices, the elevated cost of health care and housing costs, so we know that lines at our pantries will grow and parents will skip meals so that their children can eat. Seniors will go without medicine so they can afford groceries.”
The food depository and others working to address food insecurity continue to urge people to let Congress know the changes to SNAP are going to be “catastrophic” and that Congress needs to reverse them, Lee stressed.
For more information on the changes, applying for benefits and eligibility requirements, visit abe.illinois.gov and www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=174038.
Francine Knowles at Fknowles.writer@gmail.com is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.
