ERS Can Help You Meet SNAP Work Requirements
The One Big Beautiful Bill significantly alters SNAP benefits, introducing stricter work requirements, reducing funding, and shifting costs to states, which may lead to decreased food assistance for millions. SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal program that helps low-income Americans buy nutritious food.
Why This Matters for You as an ERS Ticketholder
SNAP rules just got stricter — but you're already in the right place. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed in July 2025, made the largest changes to SNAP (food assistance) in decades, including tougher work requirements and funding cuts that could reduce or end benefits for millions. If you or someone in your household receives SNAP, the good news is you've already taken the first step — you're enrolled in Ticket to Work with ERS, and your Benefits Counselor can help you work toward these new requirements safely and at your own pace.
Reach out to your Benefits Counselor this week to talk through what these changes mean for your household.
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18–64
Expanded Work-Requirement Ages
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80 hrs/mo
New Minimum to Keep Benefits
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$186B
Nationwide Funding Cut Through 2034
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What Changed Under the OBBBA
- Work requirements expanded: Able-bodied adults ages 18–64 (up from 18–54) must now work, train, or volunteer at least 80 hours a month (about 20 hours a week) to keep SNAP beyond 3 months.
- Fewer automatic exemptions: Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and youth aging out of foster care no longer get automatic exemptions. Caregiver exemptions now apply only if the youngest child is under 14 (previously under 18).
- Funding cut nationwide: SNAP funding is reduced by roughly $186 billion through 2034 — the largest cut in the program's history.
- States pay more, may cut back: Starting in Fiscal Year 2027, states cover 75% of SNAP administrative costs (up from 50%), which may lead some states to tighten access or reduce benefits.
- Smaller monthly benefits for many: Changes to allowable deductions and a frozen Thrifty Food Plan mean benefit amounts won't keep pace with rising food costs through at least 2027.
How Your ERS Team Can Help
"We know SNAP rules just got stricter. The good news: you're already working with us, and we can help you build your hours safely — at your own pace — so you can meet the new requirements and keep the benefits you rely on."
You don't have to figure this out alone. Your Benefits Counselor can help you:
- Review your current work hours against the new 80-hour-a-month requirement
- Find or increase work that counts toward SNAP's requirement while protecting your SSDI/SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid
- Check whether you may still qualify for an exemption under the new, narrower rules
- Connect you with your local SNAP office if you need to report new work activity or documentation
Working through Ticket to Work is voluntary, gradual, and safeguarded — it's designed to help you build income without risking your benefits overnight. For many of our ticketholders, meeting SNAP's new work-hour requirement and making progress on your own career goals can be the very same step forward.
