Federal work requirements for certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will begin November 1 in Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The requirements apply to able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 without dependents under 14. Under federal policy, these recipients may receive benefits for up to three months within a 36-month period without meeting work requirements.
Those subject to work requirements can meet them by working at least 80 hours a month, participating in an approved employment and training program for at least 80 hours a month, or volunteering at a nonprofit organization, according to the state.
The requirements apply statewide except in Alcona, Cheboygan, Mackinac, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Presque Isle, and Schoolcraft counties and the cities of Detroit, Eastpointe, Flint, Jackson, and Saginaw, where federal waivers continue. The requirements will be newly implemented in eight counties—Alger, Arenac, Iosco, Iron, Luce, Montmorency, Oceana, and Roscommon—and in Bay City, where federal waivers are ending.
Recipients may qualify for exemptions if they are disabled, pregnant, receiving unemployment benefits, attending school or training at least half-time, caring for an incapacitated person or child under 6, or residing with a child under 14.
Approximately 1.4 million Michiganders, or about 13 percent of households, receive SNAP benefits.