A SNAP in Age Eligibility: Early Effects of Work Requirements on Program Participation and Financial Struggles

• In Event: SNAP Work Requirements and Their Impact on Health and Financial Well-Being Outcomes

Abstract

This paper examines the early effects of expanding work requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), focusing on the October 2023 policy change that increased the age threshold for mandatory work participation from 49 to 52. Using individual-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) and state-level waiver information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this research evaluates how newly affected adults aged 50–52 responded to the change in terms of SNAP participation, food insecurity, employment, and broader indicators of financial and emotional well-being.

By exploiting a natural age discontinuity and the uniform implementation of the policy across states, I use a difference-in-differences approach to estimate causal effects. Individuals aged 50–52 are identified as the treatment group, with comparisons made to control groups of always-treated adults aged 18–49 and never-treated adults aged 55 and older. Individuals aged 53-54 are not considered a control group as they are also expected to be treated as of October 2024. The analysis also integrates state-level variation in work requirement waivers, allowing for the exploration of heterogeneous effects by regional policy context.

Results show a substantial decline in SNAP participation following the implementation of the new work requirements. Among ABAWDs aged 50–52, program participation fell by 11 percentage points, or approximately 38%, relative to comparable individuals. The decline was even larger for men, with participation dropping by 20 percentage points (44%). These findings suggest that many newly affected individuals either did not meet the work requirement or opted out of the program in response to the increased administrative burden.

Despite the reduction in program participation, the analysis reveals a counterintuitive decline in reported food insecurity. In the full sample, food insecurity decreased by 9 percentage points and by 14 points when comparing newly affected adults to those already subject to work requirements. This result may reflect behavioral responses such as increased work effort, reliance on informal support systems, or substitution toward alternative food assistance sources.

Employment status did not change in the short term, indicating that newly affected individuals were not entering the labor force at higher rates immediately following the policy change. This is consistent with the literature on ABAWD work requirements, indicating that there could be other barriers to work for these ABAWDs. 

These findings highlight the complexity of implementing work requirements among older adults in low-income households. While participation in SNAP declined sharply, the anticipated gains in employment have yet to materialize. The observed improvements in subjective well-being and food access raise important questions about the mechanisms through which individuals adapt to changing benefit eligibility rules.

Author

• Anxhela Beluli, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author