Some New Yorkers receiving food stamps must prove they are working, studying or volunteering for at least 80 hours per month or risk losing the benefit under new federal rules beginning on Sunday, March 1.<\/p>\n
The changes immediately apply to approximately 123,000 able-bodied adults without dependents<\/a> (ABAWD), according to the city\u2019s Human Resources Administration (HRA). That number may rise as more people apply or recertify for benefits, the agency said.\u00a0<\/p>\n New York, like many cities across the state and country, was left scrambling last year<\/a> to adjust to the new requirements set by the Trump administration and to help those who will be affected by the changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, also known as food stamps, keep their benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n No one will lose benefits immediately, said HRA administrator Scott French. Rather, March 1 is when the new work requirements are fully phased in, and recipients who fail to comply for any three months over the next three years would lose benefits. <\/p>\n The changes also apply to people previously exempt from work requirements, including homeless people and veterans.<\/p>\n In an interview with THE CITY, French urged people who believe they may be impacted by the changes to get in touch with the agency as soon as possible, either at an HRA office or through the agency\u2019s online portal<\/a> \u2014 and to respond to notices from the agency immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing that I think we can stress to folks is to reach out,\u201d French said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want people to not take action because they\u2019re not sure what they\u2019re supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n The new work requirements apply to adults aged 18 to 64 who are able to work and do not live with a child under the age of 14. They can satisfy the work rules by doing paid work for at least 20 hours a week, with some exceptions; studying or learning job skills approved by HRA for at least 20 hours a week; or by volunteering<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many ABAWD\u2019s have already had to prove they are working long before the federal government enacted these changes, said Joel Berg, the CEO of Hunger Free America, a national nonprofit that helps people access SNAP benefits and provides other food assistance. He and other advocates fear that the additional paperwork will mean people who are entitled to their benefits may get kicked off based on simple human error.<\/p>\n \u201cI call them work reporting requirements, because even people who are working have to actually report to the city that they\u2019re working,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As the March 1 deadline nears, Berg described the emotions he\u2019s heard from SNAP recipients and from community-based organizations that work with them as ranging \u201cfrom focused determination to outright panic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe bottom line is, this is a huge challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing that from the people we represent, from resignation, to reality, to true fear and worry and panic that some of the most vulnerable people are going to lose their main source of food.\u201d<\/p>\n Rita Vega, who leads the housing and public benefits program at Legal Services NYC, said her group has also heard from older New Yorkers who have found themselves forced to return to work to keep their food stamps. The previous ABAWD rules applied to adults aged 18 to 54, but now adults up to age 64 will have to comply.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s say I\u2019m 62, and I\u2019m retired \u2014 do I still have to work in order to keep my SNAP?\u201d said Vega. \u201cI think people are grappling with these rules that are new to them, and facing these tough decisions themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani Confident City Will \u2018Meet the Moment\u2019<\/p>\n The changes stem from the \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d that President Donald Trump signed into law last July, enacting more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.<\/p>\n