BOISE, ID – Idaho health officials expect to receive full SNAP food assistance funding Friday, and recipients should receive their benefits within 48 hours after that.
Amid the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare had paused November benefits for the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Two court challenges against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision not to use contingency funding to keep the program running during the shutdown resulted in a USDA directive for states to issue at least partial payments.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare began providing partial payments on Nov. 7, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
The U.S. House on Wednesday night approved a stopgap funding bill that President Donald Trump then signed to end the government shutdown.
More than 130,000 Idahoans use the program that helps low-income Americans pay for groceries. The average monthly benefit is $178 per household member.
Implementation of SNAP’s expanded work requirements delayed by shutdown
Additional work requirements for SNAP recipients included in the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” were supposed to go into effect Nov. 1. However, with disruptions from the shutdown, states were told to prioritize funding for SNAP benefits administration, Idaho Health and Welfare spokesperson AJ McWhorter said in an email.
“Idaho is currently working to implement the changes in work program requirements now that states will begin receiving full funding,” McWhorter said Thursday.
According to a USDA memo sent to states on Oct. 3, the changes are to the exceptions for the three-month time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents to use SNAP.
- Able bodied adults without dependents up to age 64 will need to show they are working or eligible for another exemption to be able to access benefits for more than three months. The previous upper age limit for this time limit requirement was 54, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
- Previous exemptions for veterans, those experiencing homelessness or youth aging out of foster care will be removed.
- The time limit exemption for caregivers of children under the age of 18 has been narrowed to those with children under age 14.
- A new exception for the time limit was created for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and tribal members.
For states to waive the work requirements, they must now show an unemployment rate over 10%, with exceptions for Alaska and Hawaii. The prior waiver allowed states to identify areas that lack sufficient jobs.
This story first appeared on Idaho Capital Sun.
