The changes, stemming from the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill,” include a significant expansion of work requirements for “Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents” (ABAWDs), raising the age limit from 55 to 64. Furthermore, the requirements now extend to parents whose youngest child is 14 or older, and new groups like veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth are now subject to the mandate to work or participate in a training program for at least 80 hours per month.
Advocacy groups estimate that these expanded requirements could put tens of thousands of Ohioans at risk of losing their SNAP benefits entirely or seeing their monthly allotments reduced.
“It’s devastating, especially now with the increased cost of housing. The math just doesn’t work,” said one central Ohio advocate, noting the heightened financial pressure on families. The average SNAP benefit equates to a modest amount per day, leading many to question the rationale that this assistance disincentivizes work.
For SNAP recipients, the changes introduce a new level of stress in a job market that presents its own set of challenges. While Ohio has recovered jobs lost during the pandemic, a significant portion of the most common occupations—such as fast-food, retail, and care work—pay median wages so low that a full-time worker with a family of three would still qualify for food assistance.
“All of a sudden they have to start seeking work in this job market, in this environment, and it’s absolutely nightmarish,” expressed one Dayton resident who has utilized SNAP, highlighting the difficulty of securing work that pays a living wage.
The sentiment is particularly acute in rural and Appalachian counties, where job opportunities and access to training and transportation are often scarce. Critics of the expanded work requirements argue that the mandates fail to improve long-term employment outcomes and instead risk increasing food insecurity for Ohioans already struggling to make ends meet.
State-level efforts, such as a 2024 change by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to create a sliding scale for SNAP eligibility—allowing benefits to gradually decrease as income approaches 200% of the federal poverty level—were designed to encourage recipients to accept promotions without immediately losing all assistance. However, these positive, localized changes are now being overshadowed by the sweeping federal cuts and stricter work mandates.
With the new federal mandates set to affect the eligibility of numerous Ohioans, local food banks and non-profits are bracing for increased demand. County commissioners and community leaders are sounding the alarm, urging residents to support local food assistance efforts as they navigate the uncertain future of this critical safety net program.