As of September 1, being eligible for SNAP benefits just got harder.

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The federal government now expects adults to work longer to apply for the food benefits program. Retirement must be postponed if you can't sustain your costs of living.

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Background on the Situation

For years, citizens without children who wanted to take part in the food benefits program had to either:

  • work 80 hours a month
  • be enrolled in an education or training program

But this only applied to those aged 18-49....now the age range has increased.

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List of Changes

Here are the recent and upcoming changes to eligibility:

  • September 1: 50-year-olds must work or be in school/training
  • October 1, 2023: 51- and 52-year-olds must work or be in school/training
  • October 1, 2024: 53- and 54-year-olds must work or be in school/training

Congress applied these new requirements to all 50 states across the country. And they will remain in place till at least October 1, 2030.

There is an exemption made for the homeless, veterans, and 18- to 24-year-olds. So that's good at least...

For the rest of the population, though, you'll just have to keep working.

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