Overview

• The federal changes target able-bodied adults 18 to 65 without dependents or disabilities, requiring at least 20 hours a week of work, volunteering or job training to remain eligible for SNAP.
• Those who do not meet the requirement face time-limited benefits capped at three months within any three-year period under the new rule.
• Tennessee’s Department of Human Services urges eligible recipients to claim exemptions such as pregnancy, caregiving or receipt of unemployment by submitting proof through the One DHS Customer Portal.
• Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s Jeannie Carpenter warns the tighter rules could push more households into food insecurity and threaten the viability of rural grocery stores.
• State Rep. G.A. Hardaway calls for technology upgrades and a streamlined appeals process to avoid wrongful benefit losses, while TDHS leadership says it is preparing clients for the transition.