More people will be required to work or go to school to get food benefits.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — There are changes coming to SNAP benefits, which you may know as food stamps. What are the changes, and when will they be implemented? 


SOURCES:

Kim Chase, Program Manager, Economic Services, Forsyth County 

Shantele Williams, Economic Services Division Director, Forysth County

HR 1 Section 10102 is titled:  Modifications to SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults. In short, it changes which individuals are now subject to the time-limited work requirements. 

“To meet work requirements, you have to have 80 hours of either paid employment, um, per month, or you are in school 80 hours a month, 20 hours a week, um, or you, you are in a trade, um, getting some type of vocational work,” said Shantele Williams, Economic Services Division Director, Forysth County. 

To get SNAP benefits,  you need to work or go to school. There are exemptions. For example, some of the current list include:

If you have a dependent UNDER the age of 18

Foster Kids aged 18 to 24


But HR 1 changes these exemptions. Now, you have to be working or go to school if: 

You have a dependent OVER the age of 14

You’re a veteran UNDER the age of 64 

You’re homeless UNDER the age of 64

You’re a foster kid aged 18 to 24

This could impact half a million people in North Carolina alone. They will need to find a job or enroll in some sort of schooling. How will that happen?

 In 50 counties, NCDHHS operates the More Than a Job NC Program. It helps folks meet the school requirements and more.

“The courses are paid for. We also provide supportive services such as bus passes or gas cards.  With schooling, we are able to increase their career potentials, their earning potentials, and it really leads to self-sufficiency, so they can one day move off the benefits,” said Kim Chase, Program Manager, Economic Services, Forsyth County.


VERIFY: 

We can verify,  there are changes coming to SNAP benefits, and more people will have to meet employment school requirements.

When? It’s expected to be implemented before the end of the year. Â