""It is a virtually impossible timeline to meet," said Molly Wasow Park, New York City's Department of Social Services commissioner. She said her agency was working closely with the state to make sure SNAP recipients are informed of the new rules and what they need to do to meet them. "Simply working is not enough to meet work requirements. Your work has to be well-documented and consistent. And in an economy where a lot of people are working shift work, a lot of people are in a gig economy, that's very, very difficult," Park said."
"Every month, SNAP recipients will need to document they are working, volunteering or enrolled in an education program for 80 hours in order to maintain their benefits. Otherwise, they will only be eligible for SNAP for three months in a three-year period. Previously, New York and many other states had secured waivers exempting able-bodied SNAP recipients from meeting such work requirements. Those exemptions were originally to expire in February; the Trump administration moved the end date up to November."
States must implement expanded SNAP work rules by the first week of November that require monthly documentation of 80 hours of work, volunteering, or educational enrollment to maintain benefits. Recipients failing to document 80 hours will be limited to three months of SNAP in a three-year period. Waivers that had exempted able-bodied recipients were moved forward from February to November. Advocates and city officials warn the accelerated timeline and strict documentation will likely remove thousands from SNAP amid rising food costs. Shift work, gig economy jobs, and outreach gaps make compliance and notification especially difficult.
Read at Gothamist
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