New Work Requirements For SNAP In Virginia: What To Know

New federal work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients began this week for hundreds of thousands of Virginia residents.

On Monday, sweeping changes to the nation’s largest food aid program took effect under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or HR 1, which President Donald Trump signed in July.

Many SNAP recipients were already required to show that they work, volunteer or attend job training at least 80 hours per month to qualify for benefits. The new law expands the work requirement to people between 18 and 64 years old, and parents of children ages 14 through 17.

The new rules eliminate exemptions for military veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults aging out of foster care. The law also makes it more difficult for individual states to bypass federal work requirements.

The Congressional Budget Office says the new requirements are expected to cut the monthly number of SNAP recipients by nearly 2.4 million over the next 10 years.

More than 824,000 Virginia residents rely on SNAP to meet their basic nutritional needs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows 67 percent of recipients are households with children, while 33 percent are in families with members who are older adults or are disabled.

Monthly benefits from the program, formerly known as “food stamps,” average around $180 per person. Recipients can use the funds to buy a wide range of grocery items. SNAP benefits can’t be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco or “nonfood” items like pet food or cleaning supplies.

The Trump administration has claimed that SNAP has grown out of control, alleging that overreliance on the program and widespread fraud have forced elected officials to take action.

In a statement, Virginia U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner said the changes could put at least 204,000 people, including children, in danger of losing some SNAP benefits.

“Gutting nutrition assistance in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires is both morally wrong and economically shortsighted," the senators said in May. "At a time when families are grappling with the rising cost of living, Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ rips food off the tables of working parents, children, seniors and veterans."

Under the changes, Virginia will also be required to pay for 75 percent of SNAP administrative costs and up to 15 percent of benefit costs, according to the state Department of Social Services.

An analysis by the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality said, as a result, Virginia will have to pay 198 percent more to fund the program — $532.8 million, compared to the current $178.7 million.

"State lawmakers will face limited options — including cutting benefits or kicking people off of SNAP, opting out of SNAP entirely, reallocating resources from other community priorities such as education or health care, or raising new revenue — making it harder for Virginia to meet the needs of its residents," Virginia's Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis said in September.