SNAP benefits that are stolen on or after Dec. 21, 2024, are not eligible for replacement using federal funds. SNAP state agencies can choose to replace stolen benefits using state funds. There is no guarantee that state-funded replacements would be retroactively reimbursed with federal funds.
SNAP helps college students focus more on their studies and less on where their next meal will come from.
FNS recently released a new report on SNAP household characteristics for fiscal year (FY) 2022.
By law, certain adults without dependents can only receive SNAP benefits beyond three months in a three-year period unless they meet specific work requirements. We refer to this as the “time limit.”
Letter explaining FNS and U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration partnership to support able-bodied adults without dependents through the public workforce system as the Public Health Emergency ends.
Beginning in March 2020, USDA approved states to provide SNAP households with extra pandemic-related SNAP benefits known as emergency allotments (EA). Since then, a variety of state and federal changes have impacted SNAP benefit amounts as shown in this timeline graphic.
The rules concerning student eligibility for SNAP are changing due to the lifting of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. To help state agencies prepare for these changes, FNS has consolidated and is sharing existing resources related to student eligibility.
FNS is committed to ensuring that all eligible individuals receive SNAP benefits. One policy area that impacts eligibility is the statutory and regulatory restrictions that apply to students enrolled in institutions of higher education (IHE). This memo serves to clarify two elements of longstanding SNAP policy: which individuals are considered enrolled in an IHE and, therefore, subject to the student eligibility rules, and which students are exempt from the SNAP work requirements.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 ends SNAP emergency allotments that were provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The law terminates EA after the issuance of February 2023 benefits.
USDA's FNS and ACF at the Department of Health and Human Services are aware of increasing reports of benefit theft by criminal actors through EBT card skimming schemes. After discussions with EBT processors and fraud prevention stakeholders, FNS and ACF have identified prevention measures that can be adopted to improve card security while we work towards longer-term strategies.
