SUMMIT COUNTY — March is the first month SNAP recipients must verify that they are meeting expanded work or volunteer requirements. The federal government is raising the work requirement from 55 to 64, and most recipients must now work or volunteer 20 hours a week to keep their benefits.
The child exemption is now dropping from 18 to 14, and exemptions for people experiencing homelessness and with veteran status are also being removed.
In Summit County, 78,000 people receive SNAP benefits. 16,000 of them, or more then 20%, are at risk of being impacted by these new federal requirements.
"We're talking about some of the most vulnerable populations in this community who are about to potentially lose their benefits if they are not able to maintain the new federal work requirements," said Greta Johnson, director of communications for the Summit County Executive
Johnson said many seniors will feel the effects. "In Summit County, there are over 13,000 residents who are over 60 years old who receive SNAP benefits. This is going to impact a significant number of seniors in our community, it's going to impact a significant number of veterans in our community."
Some folks don't even know about these changes now in effect. Employees at Summit County Department of Job and Family Services are already flooded with phone calls for benefits status checks and assistance navigating the changes.
"I would also caution folks to be patient. Because of all of these changes, our call takers, our case managers, are working literally overtime to try to keep up with the call volume," said Johnson.
If you need to check on your SNAP status, Summit County DJFS recommends checking online first here.
If you need to call in, call: 844-640-6446.
You can request a callback if you are placed on hold.
Johnson said Summit County JFS is already operating with fewer staff and anticipates steeper budget cuts this fall.
"We are operating with far less staff than ever before at JFS because of the budget cuts that we see coming. We have not replaced staff who we have lost through attrition and retirement. We've got folks working overtime trying to keep up with this," said Johnson.
County officials are concerned about the strain the SNAP changes will place on food pantries. At Open M Ministries, employees and volunteers were busy helping a long line of people who stopped by for fresh food.
"They've reduced my SNAP down from $218 down to $69," said James Smith, SNAP recipient.
Smith doesn't yet know if the changes will force him back to work. Kenneth Amos, also a SNAP recipient, said he knows he won't have to go back because of the new age cut-off, but he is worried about his friends and neighbors.
"You retire, you know, and then the fact that you have to go back to work and then to work that many hours," said Amos.
At Open M, many residents didn't know whether they would keep their benefits.
"You're going to see families that lose their benefits, and they don't know how to feed their kids and its coming up on Spring Break," said Julie Carneal, CEO, Open M Ministries.
Carneal continued, "It's the human side that just everybody is going to be impacted."
