Federal changes affect who qualifies for SNAP food assistance
Print
EmailStarting December 1, 2025, more adults will need to prove their work status to get food benefits .
States are issuing delayed food assistance benefits now that the federal government has reopened from the fall 2025 shutdown. For some Michiganders enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), relief may be short-lived. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) must follow new rules under H.R.1, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” New SNAP benefit applicants and those recertifying their food assistance benefits will now have to meet stricter work requirements or risk losing their benefits after three months.
SNAP helps more than 1.4 million low-income Michiganders put food on the table. MDHHS says each participant receives $5.68 per day on average to spend at more than 9,700 retailers across the state. Eligibility and benefit amounts depend on factors like income, age, disability status, location, citizenship status, and employment.
Some of the people most affected by the new law are called able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD). These adults must work, volunteer, look for work, or join a job training program for at least 20 hours per week to qualify for benefits. If ABAWD adults cannot prove that they meet the work requirements, these adults only get SNAP for three months every three years. The requirements are intended to encourage adults to work and reduce dependence on food assistance from the federal government. Exceptions are allowed in some cases to give relief to people who can’t find work because of circumstances outside their control.
For example, until recently MDHHS got federal approval to waive the ABAWD requirements for residents of nearly all counties because of high unemployment and limited job opportunities. The new law limits which areas now qualify for these past waivers. The federal government approved a new waiver exempting only 15 Michigan counties and six cities from the requirements.
There are other ways to be exempt from work requirements. To understand how those exceptions have changed, here is the definition of ABAWD.
Able-bodied: Adults with documented disabilities do not have to meet ABAWD work requirements. This has not changed.
Adult: The age limit increased from 54 to 64. Now, 55–64-year-olds also must show they are meeting the work requirements. Seniors 65 and older are still exempt.
Without Dependents: Previously, adults caring for children under 18 were exempt. The cutoff age has been lowered, so adults caring for children aged 14-17 must meet the work requirements.
Pregnant women are also still exempt. Adults who are experiencing homelessness, veterans, and young adults aging out of foster care must meet the requirements now. Although most of the changes limit who is exempt from work requirements, the OBBBA added Tribal Members to the exempt list.
These changes mean more people must prove they are working or looking for work to avoid losing SNAP benefits after three months. This could result in fewer people getting food assistance because they don’t meet the new requirements, are no longer exempt, or can’t get the right documentation to prove they are following the rules. MDHHS encourages recipients to stay up to date on SNAP paperwork through the MI Bridges portal at Michigan.gov/MIBridges. Those who can’t meet the requirements should call 1-866-464-3447.
Other SNAP changes from the 2025 law passed include:
- Removing eligibility for non-citizens who are refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of domestic violence or trafficking (Undocumented immigrants are still ineligible for SNAP benefits.)
- Requiring states to pay more of the program costs
- Changing how utility costs are used to calculate benefits for seniors.
- Limiting updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which the federal government uses to make sure benefits are based on what consumers actually eat
- Eliminating funding for the SNAP-Education program, which taught families how to make healthy choices while maximizing their SNAP dollars
The full impact of these changes will not be seen for several months or years.
To learn more about food assistance resources and how you can help those affected by SNAP changes, go to extension.msu.edu/foodassistance and follow us @MiHealthMatters.
