As the federal public health emergency comes to an end, approximately 26,000 Missourians who receive food assistance will once again have to meet work requirements to continue receiving benefits. Failure to submit the necessary paperwork could result in the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps, starting in October.
In March 2020, the federal government temporarily suspended a rule that imposed time limits on SNAP benefits for adults without children, unless they met work requirements or qualified for an exemption. However, as of July 1, those time limits have been reinstated for all states that did not apply for a waiver to suspend the rule, including Missouri.
Adults in this category can only receive SNAP benefits for three months out of every three years if they do not provide proof of work, training, or an exemption. The Missouri Department of Social Services website states, “If the proof is not sent to the Family Support Division by September 30, 2023, you could lose your SNAP benefit.”
Gina Plata-Nino, deputy director for SNAP at the D.C.-based Food Research & Action Center, expressed concern about the negative effects of reinstating the time limits, particularly for individuals who struggle to meet the required 20 hours of work per week or face challenges in submitting the necessary paperwork. Plata-Nino emphasized that time limits do not contribute to economic development or workforce growth but rather harm individuals who are already grappling with meeting work requirements.
The group affected by the work requirements consists of “able-bodied adults” aged 18 to 49 without dependents, totaling around 28,000 people in Missouri, according to the Department of Social Services. These individuals must demonstrate that they work, participate in qualifying training activities for at least 80 hours per month, or qualify for an exemption due to disability, pregnancy, or illness.
The time limit rule was established in the mid-1990s as part of significant welfare reforms aimed at promoting self-sufficiency and transitioning individuals from government aid to work. During the 2008 Great Recession and the COVID-19 public health emergency, the rule was suspended. However, with the public health emergency ending in May, the time limits for SNAP recipients have been reinstated starting in July.
Missouri had initially planned to reinstate the time limit much earlier, but officials decided to delay implementation due to concerns about potential penalties from the federal government. Adam Crumbliss, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Social Services, explained that Missouri did not want to resume the rules prematurely before the public health emergency concluded.
Currently, 14 states and Washington, D.C., have waivers allowing them to continue suspending the requirements, according to a Food and Nutrition Services spokesperson, but Missouri is not among them.
To inform SNAP participants affected by the reinstated time limit, the Department of Social Services sent letters in April and June notifying them of the changes. However, some individuals who joined the program during the suspension period may be unfamiliar with these requirements.
Those subject to the work requirements must contact the Department of Social Services to provide proof of meeting the requirements or qualifying for an exemption. They can do so online, in person, by fax, or by mail. However, bureaucratic barriers and long wait times can make the process challenging. Disabled SNAP recipients, for instance, may face difficulties verifying their disabilities or speaking with agency representatives.
Even participants not seeking exemptions may lose benefits due to administrative reasons. Some low-wage workers may not have consistent work hours or have jobs that do not have easily quantifiable hours, such as fee-for-service construction work or gig economy positions like Uber driving.
While participants have a grace period from July 2023 to June 2026 during which they can receive three months of benefits without meeting the requirements, Missourians currently enrolled in SNAP who cannot prove their work or training hours per week or an exemption may lose benefits starting in October.
Research conducted after the reinstatement of work requirements in Missouri in 2016 found that SNAP participation decreased without significantly impacting employment rates. A 2021 study by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, examined the reinstatement of the rules following the recession, using Missouri as a case study. The study found that the time limit did not substantially increase employment but significantly reduced SNAP participation.
Another study published earlier this year in the American Economic Journal discovered that implementing work requirements decreased SNAP participation by 53% among the affected group of adults over an 18-month period. However, the study did not find a statistically significant effect on employment.
Work requirement changes are forthcoming on a national scale. Later this year, a SNAP-related provision of the federal debt ceiling agreement will raise the age of adults subject to work requirements from 49 to 54. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that around 11,000 individuals in Missouri could be affected. The Department of Social Services is collaborating with the federal government to implement the new rule.
While the debt ceiling agreement includes new exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and adults transitioning from foster care, advocates are concerned that the red tape involved in securing an exemption will continue to be burdensome for those who need food assistance the most. Critics argue that these work requirements do not increase employment or earnings but rather take away food assistance from many individuals.
