The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a proposed rule on Monday that would limit automatic eligibility for the SNAP food assistance program — a change the USDA itself estimates could cut food stamp benefits for more than 6.3 million people.
Right now, most states use broad-based categorical eligibility, which automatically qualifies households for SNAP when they receive other assistance. Under the proposed rule, automatic eligibility would be limited to low-income households that receive cash assistance through the TANF program — a much smaller group.
The proposed rule would limit automatic SNAP eligibility to households receiving TANF cash assistance.
The USDA also estimates that almost 2 million children could lose eligibility for free school lunches under the proposed rule, because many children qualify for free lunch through their family’s SNAP enrollment.
Important: this is a proposal, not a change. Nothing about your benefits changes today. Federal rules go through a public comment period and a final rulemaking process before anything takes effect — a process that takes months, and the proposal could change or be challenged along the way.
What Georgia families should do right now: keep your case current. Report changes on time, never miss a recertification deadline, and know exactly how the program works today. Our full guide walks you through it: Georgia SNAP: Grocery Assistance Can Help Stretch a Household Budget.
FreddyO.com will follow this proposal as it moves — if it advances, we will break down exactly who is affected and what to do, step by step.
Reporting via @wbrcnews (WBRC 6 News).
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