PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Recipients of SNAP or FoodShare in Wisconsin may start to notice some changes to their benefits.
New work requirements will soon kick in for some recipients.
The Trump administration said these changes aim to cut down on fraud.
The changes are part of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill signed back in July.
It now requires SNAP recipients ages 18 to 64 and parents of kids 14 and older to work, volunteer or engage in job training at least 80 hours per month.
“The biggest thing that we hear from all families is just a general worry of how are we going to be able to put food on the table,” Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement Matt Stienstra said.
Stienstra said he’s worried the new requirements will cause many people to lose their benefits because of confusion with paperwork.
He said because of the changes, pantries are preparing to get hit hard from the effects.
“There is not enough food in the state of Wisconsin through the food bank and food pantry network to be able to serve every single person that is food insecure,” Stienstra said.
Previous work requirements only applied to people 18 to 54 without kids who were physically and mentally able to work.
Homeless people and veterans are also no longer exempt under the new law.
The new policy went into effect back in November.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says the implementation of the new policy will happen on a rolling basis, and said recipients who must meet the new requirements will do so after their next renewal of benefits.
People impacted will receive a mailed letter informing them of the changes with a deadline.
It’s unclear when the deadline is or if it varies per person.
For those who don’t meet the new requirements, the Wisconsin DHS website said recipients can only get up to three months of FoodShare benefits in a three-year period.
U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, R-8th District said in a statement:
82% of Wisconsin families who receive SNAP benefits already have at least one working member of the family. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act instituted reasonable work requirements in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare as a commonsense approach to help lift people out of poverty and reduce long-term dependence on government assistance. It should not be controversial to expect able-bodied adults below retirement age to work or get an education for 20 hours a week.
Despite changes, Stienstra said hunger in Wisconsin continues to grow.
“Regardless of any work requirement being implemented. People are having a hard time putting food on the table,” Stienstra said.
He hopes the new work requirements don’t lead to more people going to bed hungry.
Also starting in October, states will be required to cover three-fourths of the administrative costs for SNAP benefits.
Currently, costs are divided equally between state and federal governments.
Right now, about 12% of Wisconsinites or nearly 700,000 people are part of FoodShare.
Comments