N.M. looks to delay upcoming SNAP changes

National nonprofits estimate as least 750,000 people nationwide could be at risk to lose benefits and potentially go hungry as the federal changes to work requirements to receive food aid go into effect in coming months.

For now, New Mexico will not see the same sort of cliff, officials from the Human Services Department said. New Mexico is one of just a handful of states currently exempt from the program changes under a federal waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through Dec. 31.

Karmela Martinez, who heads the Income Support Division at HSD, said the agency is in the process of asking for another year-long federal waiver, citing the state’s high unemployment rates.

“We have already started the waiver process, basically a formal document we sent to our federal partners,” Martinez said. “We indicate that New Mexico meets one of several criteria to continue to be exempt.”

In June, debt ceiling negotiations in Congress included additional SNAP program work requirements.

All adults receiving SNAP who do not have federal disability nor any  children living in the house have to meet additional work requirements. This includes working for pay, attending a training program or volunteering 80 hours a month.

Those requirements were reserved for people between ages 18 to 49. However, on Sept. 1 that age will be raised to 50, and raised to 52 by Oct. 1. In October 2024, the age limit requiring work will increase to 54.

If they don’t meet the criteria, adults without federal disability and with no children living in the house are limited to using SNAP benefits for three months out of three years. Exceptions to these new requirements are veterans, former foster youth who just aged out of care, and people experiencing homelessness.

Since HSD is required to send out information on any SNAP changes 45 days in advance, Martinez said an answer for a 2024 waiver is expected from the federal government “in – and no later than – October.”

HSD is requesting a waiver to exempt the whole state. If that is rejected, the state can still ask for county-level exemptions.

“We believe based on the unemployment rate in the state of New Mexico, that the waiver will be extended. But right now, we’re waiting for federal authorities,” Martinez said.

A report from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated 13,000 New Mexicans between the ages of 50 and 54 may be at risk for losing SNAP benefits based on the new work requirements.

Martinez said the projection was accurate, but said it’s unclear how many would qualify for exemptions – such as veteran status, having partial employment or experiencing homelessness.

“I think that number will be lower,” she said. “But I think that is a pretty good assumption to go with, I’m confident in that report.”

Work requirements may discourage people from applying

The changes to SNAP come just before the program faces a potential fight in the 2023 Farm Bill, and while food prices have spiked dramatically – nearly 10% alone in 2022.

Food prices will continue to rise – they’re up nearly 5% from last year – the USDA projected in an Aug. 25 price index. While slowing, the report said, food prices won’t drop in 2024.

Lorenzo Alba is the executive director at Casa de Peregrinos, a food pantry with 14 sites across Doña Ana County. Alba said they gave out food to more than 35,000 people in 2020.

Alba said unemployment is not the driving force behind food insecurity.

“It’s the cost of food,” he said. “Inflation has really been the biggest contributor to the rise in clientele we’ve seen.”

When SNAP extended benefits ended in February, emergency food providers like food banks and pantries saw bigger lines, said Jason Riggs, the community initiative manager for Roadrunner Food Bank.

“It hits the hardest on those families trying to raise their kids, single-parent homes, trying to work a couple of jobs, those seniors trying to live off that small social security check,” Riggs said. “But, it also affects the food banks. We can only put out so much food per month. The more people there are in line, the less food for everyone.”

Despite the high participation rate in SNAP, Riggs said continued stigma around food aid and the new work requirements could be counterproductive.

“There are people out there that are looking for a job, but the work requirements will scare them off of getting the help they need to get some food and then focus on finding work,” he said.

Work requirements would be a challenge for much of New Mexico, pointing to the issue of lack of job options, or transportation in rural portions of the state.

Riggs said in his 15 years of experience, he hasn’t seen studies that show the effectiveness of work requirements.

“I’ve never seen one that shows how work requirements actually get people off of SNAP and get people out of food pantry lines and into a job,” he said. “I think chronic poverty is a little bit trickier than that.”