The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) statutes, regulations, and FNS waiver authority provide state agencies with the ability to adapt the program to best meet the needs of eligible households in their jurisdictions. State agencies may implement certain options and waivers within specific geographical areas or for specific populations if the state agency’s implementation choices comply with federal civil rights laws and are applied consistently. These policy options, demonstration projects, waivers, and administrative choices help state agencies simplify program administration and operations while promoting priorities such as program access, customer service, effective stewardship of Government resources, and program integrity. The latest report is the 17th edition published in August 2025.
Introduction
This report summarizes 28 SNAP options, demonstration projects, and waivers and categorizes the 53 SNAP state agencies according to the options, demonstration projects, and waivers they have or have not implemented as of Oct. 1, 2024. SNAP State agencies include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Westat developed this report using extant data from the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025 SNAP State Plans of Operation, FNS-approved demonstration projects and waivers, and a review of state legislation and policy.
This report compiles a selection of SNAP options, demonstration projects, and waivers state agencies have adopted and enables state agencies to identify opportunities to consult with and learn from one another. This report does not include all SNAP options, demonstration projects, and waivers state agencies have adopted.
This report has three parts:
- The Statutory and Regulatory Citations reference section provides statutory and regulatory citations for each option, demonstration project, and waiver. This section guides the reader to relevant provisions of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
- The SNAP Option Profiles section describes each option, demonstration project, and waiver. This section describes the choices within each option and displays a map or a chart of the state agencies that have selected the option, demonstration project, or waiver.
- The SNAP State Agency Profiles section provides a state-by-state summary of the options, demonstration projects, and waivers for each state agency.
This edition of the report includes several changes from previous editions. Ten new options and waivers have been added, and several option titles and descriptions from previous editions have been revised to communicate the different aspects of the options more clearly. Finally, options have been grouped into categories and listed alphabetically within groups.
Some options may require state agencies to receive waivers or notify us before implementation. State agencies should contact their regional office for guidance.
For questions about this report, please contact Casey McConnell of SNAP’s Program Development Division at Casey.McConnell@usda.gov.