By Christina Easter
The Cleveland Observer
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 signed into law on July 4, 2025 by the president of the United States changed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility, benefits, and program administration. Changes were made to root out fraud and make sure those who really need food stamps are getting them and to protect American taxpayers, according to Brooke Rollings, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Provisions of SNAP changed by the Act includes, but are not limited to:
- Modification to work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults
- Energy Assistance
- Restrictions on internet expenses
- National education and obesity prevention
- Alien eligibility
The USDA Food – Nutrition Service (FNS) continues to work on details of changes to SNAP and has issued information memorandums that provide guidance to all state agencies on implementation of SNAP changes.
SNAP Changes
Work Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents
An October 3, 2025 memo changed the exceptions from the Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents time limit. Prior to passage of OBBB, individuals aged 18-54 were subject to the ABAWD time limit.
After passage of OBBB, individuals 18 – 64 are subject to the time limit, unless they meet another exception. This means adults in a SNAP household with children between 14 – 17 are now subject to the time limit unless they care for a child in the household under age 14.
Individuals 60 or older remain exempt from the general work requirements of the OBBB including mandatory participation in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T).
Treatment of Energy Assistance Payments
An August 29, 2025, the Food and Nutrition Service department of the USDA issued memo
Prior to passage of OBBB, state agencies were required to make Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowance (HCSUA) available to any household that received a payment in the current month or in the immediately preceding 12 months, that was greater than $20 annually under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act or other similar energy assistance programs. Also, state agencies were required to count third-party energy assistance payments provided under state law as income for SNAP purposes.
After passage of the OBBB, there must be an elderly or disabled member of the household in order to have the HCSUA automatically applied to their case. And, third-party energy assistance payments provided under state law do not count as income if the SNAP household contains an elderly or disabled member.
If a household does not qualify for the HCSUA because they do not incur heating or cooling expenses, they may be entitled to use of another standard utility allowance based on the utility expenses they incur or to the use of actual expenses, depending on the State agency’s policy.
State agencies are expected to make every effort to apply these changes to households during the certification period if the state agency has sufficient information about household utility expenses. FNS encourages state agencies to send voluntary notices to encourage households to provide information on updated utility costs during the certification period.
On September 4, 2025, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published a memo that provides guidance to states on changes to alien eligibility for SNAP.
Pursuant to this memo, some alien groups previously eligible for SNAP are no longer eligible.
Eligibility for SNAP is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of Compact of Free Association. Eligible aliens continue to be subject to a 5-year waiting period,
For households already receiving SNAP, at recertification, State agencies must review household circumstances and apply the changes.
Ohio SNAP
The state of Ohio’s SNAP is a food assistance program which helps eligible Ohioans stretch their food budgets and buy healthy food. To qualify for SNAP, your household’s gross monthly, earned and unearned income, must be at or below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Ohio Assistance Programs and Supportive Services
In addition to SNAP, Ohio Benefits has various programs that provide services to individuals who live and/or are a resident of Ohio Ohioans and are a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen. Some of these programs include:
- Ohio Works First Cash Assistance – provides cash benefits to eligible families for up to 36 months. To receive cash assistance, you must be pregnant or responsible for a child under the age of 18 or 19 and still in secondary school, and be underemployed, unemployed,, or about to be unemployed.
- Medicaid provides health care coverage for eligible individuals and families including children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities.
- Early Care and Education Services helps families who are working or are in school pay for childcare and education services
- Supportive Services helps individuals and families search for affordable and accessible rental housing, connect to housing resources and get information on rental assistance, housing accessibility and homebuying.
- Women, Infants and Children Food Assistance helps eligible pregnant and breastfeeding women, women who recently had a baby, infants, and children up to five years of age.
Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services supervises several programs to fight hunger, help low-income Ohioans stretch their food budgets, and buy healthy food. Individuals apply for these benefits through their local county.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank has a full-time staff of Outreach Coordinators who helps individuals apply for public benefits including SNAP. The Food Bank is located at 15500 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, Ohio is open Mon. – Fri., 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For assistance contact their Help Center at (216) 738-2067. The Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio which serves multiple counties through its food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. The Food Bank operates a community food distribution center, providing food and other critical grocery products to more than 1,000 local food pantries, hot meal programs, shelters, mobile pantries, programs for the elderly and other nonprofit agencies.
- Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries (partnered with the Food Bank and makes meals from food received from the Food Bank then distributes to local shelters throughout Cuyahoga County).
- Western Reserve Agency on Aging partnered with the Food Bank to
- Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services
- United Way of Greater Cleveland – 211 Food Resource Finder
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- The United Way of Greater Cleveland launched 211 resource finder at 211oh.org as food becomes the number one need among callers. On November 6, the United Way of Greater Cleveland announced expanded food assistance resources through its 211 Helpline, including a new 211 Food Resource Finder at 211oh.org to help residents locate nearby food programs during the federal government shutdown. According to the United Way of Greater Cleveland, more than 190,000 residents in Cuyahoga County, about 15% of the population, and 2,500 residents in Geauga County rely on SNAP to help feed their families. The 211 Food Resource Finder allows users to type in what they need and instantly receive customized information about nearby food banks and pantries, meal programs, and assistance options, tailored to residents’ specific location, household size, and dietary needs. According to the United Way of Greater Cleveland, more than 190,000 residents in Cuyahoga County, about 15% of the population, and 2,500 residents in Geauga County rely on SNAP to help feed their families.
Prior to the federal government shutdown last October, 1.4 million Ohioans received about $264 million in food benefits from SNAP each month.
