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Need SNAP benefits? You may have to wait.

Nov 20, 2023
In more than a dozen states, less than 80% of SNAP applications are being processed on time. Before the pandemic, the numbers were much better.
The most recent data show that applications for SNAP benefits are being processed late in a dozen states, including New York and Georgia.
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The SNAP work reporting requirement age just rose by one year. It's already affecting who gets benefits.

Sep 11, 2023
The upper age limit for SNAP recipients (able bodied, without dependents) who have to prove they’re working or looking for work at least part time has just risen from age 49 to age 50. Eventually it'll go up to age 54.
"We estimate that up to 750,000 individuals could lose [SNAP] benefits," said Ed Bolen with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Above, a sign alerting customers that a store accepts SNAP benefits.
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What will new welfare work requirements mean for recipients?

New work requirements on welfare were part of the debt ceiling deal. How might they affect benefit recipients?
The new work requirements in the debt ceiling deal may negatively impact older people's access to food aid and other benefits, says "The Uncertain Hour" host Krissy Clark.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Work requirements for SNAP over 50 included in debt ceiling talks

May 23, 2023
Some Congressional Republicans want older Americans to prove that they work or are looking for work to get those benefits.
A sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store in New York City.
Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images

One mom on what the end of additional SNAP benefits means for her family

Mar 21, 2023
Millions of people have had their benefits cut by at least $95 a month, at a time when food prices are up almost 10%.
Mansie Meikle with her 4-year-old daughter.
Samantha Fields/Marketplace

More stores are accepting SNAP benefits for online grocery orders

Feb 22, 2023
Here's why it took a pandemic to make it happen, and why the practice is probably here to stay.
Until recently, most grocery stores weren’t accepting SNAP online. But now retailers like Walmart, Amazon and recently Wegmans have begun to.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

What to expect from the 2023 Farm Bill

Dec 28, 2022
Advocates for everything from nutrition programs to tribal food sovereignty to climate and sustainability initiatives will be keeping an eye on the bill next year.
Above, a sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits — which are funded through the Farm Bill — is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

On Buffalo’s east side, inflation intensifies the daily struggle to buy food

“I have to get less food,” one shopper said. “So I plan very carefully with my food stamps.”
Shoppers at a mobile farmers market in east Buffalo, New York, where many residents struggle with access to grocery stores.
Brandon Watson

Food banks feel pinch of inflation

Nov 30, 2021
The nonprofits faced higher demand through the pandemic. Now, with food costs rising, their resources are stretched even further.
Inflation and supply chain issues are hitting food banks hard and limiting the aid they're able to distribute.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

What a $30 monthly increase in food stamps means for recipients

Aug 17, 2021
The Biden administration is giving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits their largest permanent increase.
The SNAP food assistance program has about 42 million recipients as of May. The Biden administration is expanding the program to reduce food insecurity.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images