Research from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy finds that work requirements for food stamp recipients do not lower an area’s unemployment rate, contradicting a key argument used to justify such policies. As part of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, all “able-bodied adults” age 64 or younger who don’t have dependents and don’t work, volunteer, or participate in job training at least 80 hours a month are now restricted to three months of benefits every three years from SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps). The new rule, effective in November, expanded the age threshold from 54 to 64 and also applies to parents of children 14 or older while removing exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who’ve aged out of foster care.
Proponents argue work requirements incentivize “work-ready” people to seek and keep jobs, reducing dependence on government assistance and upholding the “dignity of work.” However, researchers found that in Mingo County, West Virginia, the average number of people employed actually went down after work requirements were reimposed in fall 2023, following their pandemic suspension. A 2018 federal research project examining SNAP data from nine states found that work requirements “have no impact on labor force participation and the number of hours worked.”
When people are hungry, “they’re not able to support themselves,” according to researcher Rhonda Rogombé. “When people are hungry, it’s harder to focus at work. It’s harder to engage in work activity,” which likely contributes to the lack of employment gains. Mingo County residents face significant barriers to securing available jobs, including unreported physical and mental impairments, housing insecurity, lack of high school diplomas, identification documents, and roughly 1 in 4 lacking reliable internet access.
Additional changes ahead promise further strain on states already struggling. Currently, federal and state governments share administrative costs equally, but beginning in October, states will assume 75 percent of those costs. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy estimates up to 114,000 residents could lose SNAP benefits with expanded work requirements. Researcher Jessica Klein worries about consequences: SNAP affects health outcomes beyond food insecurity, worsening blood pressure rates, obesity, and medication adherence. With new financial burdens on states, some may change rules to reduce participation, and some may choose not to operate SNAP at all.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://kffhealthnews.org/medicaid/food-stamps-snap-work-requirements-hunger-west-virginia-foodbanks/