{"id":2228111,"date":"2026-04-23T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/?p=2228111"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:27:25","slug":"food-stamps-snap-work-requirements-hunger-west-virginia-foodbanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/medicaid\/food-stamps-snap-work-requirements-hunger-west-virginia-foodbanks\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Stamp Work Rules Don\u2019t Increase Employment, Researchers Say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero--header-first wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero--background-white\">\n\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__title\">Food Stamp Work Rules Don\u2019t Increase Employment, Researchers Say<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__byline-and-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__byline-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__author\">\n\t\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/author\/taylor-sisk\/\">Taylor Sisk<\/a>\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__date-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__date\">\n\t\tApril 23, 2026\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__buttons\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__republish-button\">\n\t\t<button id=\"cc-btn\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"window.location.href='\/republish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228111'\" role=\"link\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__republish-btn\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__republish-btn-text\">Republish<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/es\/spanish-homepage\/\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-btn\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-btn-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\tDisponible en Espa\u00f1ol\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/chinese\/\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-btn\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-btn-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\tAvailable in Chinese\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/korean\/\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-btn\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__spanish-btn-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\tAvailable in Korean\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__image alignwide\">\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_04.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Two older women stand smiling side by side in a parking lot on a sunny day.\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__featured-image\"\n\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__image-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\tGail Lendearo (left) and Christine Treleven are co-directors of the House of Hope food pantry in Delbarton, West Virginia. Lendearo says it&#039;s a blessing to serve those in need in her community.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-article-hero__image-credit\"> (Taylor Sisk for KFF Health News)<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-news-modern-news-content-container\">\n\t\n\n<p>DELBARTON, W.Va. \u2014 A half-dozen cars had been in the queue for nearly four hours by the time the House of Hope mobile food pantry line began to move. Seventy or so more idled behind them by 11:30 a.m., when the food distribution began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-sidebar alignright \">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-partner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-partner__image--link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/snap-food-stamp-work-rules-employment\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-partner__image\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/07\/CBS-hi-res-logo.png?w=500\" alt=\"Partner logo\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-partner__content\">\n\t\tThis story also ran on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/snap-food-stamp-work-rules-employment\/\">CBS News<\/a>. It can be <a href=\"\/republish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228111\">republished for free<\/a>.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n<p>The plan was to begin handing out boxes of groceries at 11, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/facinghunger.org\/\">Facing Hunger Foodbank<\/a> truck delivering the food blew a tire en route. No one complained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perry Hall was among those waiting. His wife, Lilly Hall, volunteers with the distribution team. Perry has been dealing with a form of cancer called multiple myeloma. The Halls get by on around $1,500 a month from his Social Security benefits, plus assistance from the federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/snap\/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program\">Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program<\/a>, or SNAP. But because of her age, Lilly, 59, recently became subject to new SNAP work requirements and at risk of losing her benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, all \u201cable-bodied adults\u201d 64 or younger who don\u2019t have dependents and don\u2019t work, volunteer, or participate in job training at least 80 hours a month are now restricted to three months of benefits every three years from SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Previously, the federal requirement applied to those 54 or younger. The new rule, which went into effect in November, also applies to parents of children 14 or older. And it removed exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who\u2019ve aged out of foster care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Proponents of work requirements argue that they incentivize people who are \u201cwork-ready\u201d to seek and keep jobs, reducing dependence on government assistance and upholding the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/releases\/2025\/06\/myth-vs-fact-the-one-big-beautiful-bill\/\">dignity of work<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rhonda Rogomb\u00e9 serves as health and safety net policy analyst for the <a href=\"https:\/\/wvpolicy.org\/\">West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy<\/a>. She and her colleagues have studied the effects of SNAP work rules and found that requiring recipients to work does not lower an area\u2019s unemployment rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previous work requirements were suspended nationwide during the covid pandemic and reinstated in fall 2023. The researchers found that the average number of people employed in Mingo County each month actually went down after the requirement was reimposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2018 federal research project that examined several data sources, including SNAP data from nine states, found that work requirements \u201chave no impact on labor force participation and the number of hours worked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div\n\tclass=\"wp-block wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter  wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter--background-white\"\n\tdata-type=\"kff-shared\/newsletter\"\n\tdata-align=\"center\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__content\">\n\t\t\t<img \n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/kff-shared\/dist\/\/images\/newsletter-icon.png\" \n\t\t\t\talt=\"Newsletter Icon\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__img\"\n\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"newsletter__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tEmail Sign-Up\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"newsletter__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to KFF Health News&#039; free Morning Briefing.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__form\">\n\t\t\t\n<form\n\taction=\"\/email-signup\/\"\n\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form\"\n\tmethod=\"post\"\n>\n\t<input type=\"hidden\" id=\"kaiser_hubspot_nonce\" name=\"kaiser_hubspot_nonce\" value=\"4d629ac695\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228111\" \/>\t\t\t\t<label\n\t\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__label--email\"\n\t\tfor=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form-email\"\n\t>\n\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\n\t\t\tYour Email Address\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<input\n\t\t\tautocomplete=\"email\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__input--email\"\n\t\t\tid=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form-email\"\n\t\t\tname=\"kaiser_hubspot_email\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Your email address\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t<\/label>\n\t<button class=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__submit\">\n\t\tSign Up\t<\/button>\n<\/form>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of possible explanations, Rogomb\u00e9 said, \u201cbut when people are hungry, they\u2019re not able to support themselves. When people are hungry, it\u2019s harder to focus at work. It\u2019s harder to engage in work activity, and we think that that\u2019s part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jobs are scarce in this southern West Virginia county. Lilly Hall found work at a Delbarton restaurant. But it\u2019s unpaid until a waitress position opens \u2014 enough to preserve her benefits, but far from ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On that mild Wednesday in late March, House of Hope provided chicken, eggs, bread, potatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables, and milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among those in line were older residents and \u201csome young people that have lost their way and they can\u2019t get work and they just need help,\u201d said Timothy Treleven, who operates the pantry with his wife, Christine, and Gail Lendearo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_01.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"An older man with white hair and beard smiles at the camera.\" class=\"wp-image-2229022\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Timothy Treleven helps run the House of Hope food pantry in Delbarton, West Virginia. The pantry&#8217;s clients include older residents and \u201csome young people that have lost their way and they can\u2019t get work and they just need help.\u201d (Taylor Sisk for KFF Health News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>House of Hope\u2019s scheduled distribution day is the last Saturday of each month \u2014 supplemented by occasional weekday Facing Hunger visits \u2014 as money from monthly checks begins to run out and cupboards go bare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a typical Saturday, pantry staff and volunteers hand out up to 400 boxes of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to do this,\u201d Lendearo said. \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perry Hall\u2019s cancer is now in remission, but for a while his treatment required that he and Lilly travel back and forth, 4\u00bd hours each way, to Morgantown. The couple\u2019s van couldn\u2019t make the trip, so they paid a friend for rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mingo\u2019s population is just under 22,000, down from around 27,000 in 2010. It once flourished, fueled by coal. Williamson, the county seat, was home to an opera house and businesses operated by immigrants from Italy, Russia, and Syria. The region is still referred to as \u201cthe coalfields,\u201d but little is mined here these days. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/mingocountywestvirginia\/PST120224\">A quarter of residents live in poverty<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rogomb\u00e9 and her colleagues found that Mingo County residents face significant barriers to securing what few jobs are available. These include unreported physical and mental impairments, housing insecurity, and a lack of high school diplomas and identification documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"An exterior photograph of a single story building.\" class=\"wp-image-2229034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=834,556 834w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_03.jpg?resize=1668,1112 1668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1270px) 100vw, 1270px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On a typical distribution day, the House of Hope food pantry in Delbarton, West Virginia, hands out up to 400 boxes of food. (Taylor Sisk for KFF Health News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Filing the paperwork to receive benefits or to confirm compliance is difficult for many residents. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy\u2019s research found that about 1 in 4 lack reliable internet access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional changes lie ahead for the SNAP program. Currently, the federal government and the states share administrative costs equally, but in October states will assume 75% of those costs. And beginning in October 2027, they\u2019ll be required to pay additional costs based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/food-assistance\/congressional-delay-of-snap-cost-shift-urgently-needed-to-protect-food\">error rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kentucky, like West Virginia, is among the poorer states that will be most affected by the new requirements and costs. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy estimates that <a href=\"https:\/\/kypolicy.org\/snap-changes-in-the-obba\/\">up to 114,000 residents risk losing SNAP benefits<\/a> with the expanded work requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jessica Klein, a researcher with the center, worries about the consequences. \u201cWe know SNAP has an impact on health, and not just because it decreases food insecurity,\u201d she said. It worsens blood pressure rates, obesity, medication adherence, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the additional financial burden placed on states, \u201cI think what we\u2019ll see is some states changing rules that impact participation in order to have a smaller, more affordable program,\u201d Klein said. \u201cMy fear is that some states will choose not to operate SNAP at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Mingo County, folks are stepping up. At least eight food pantries offer groceries to those in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Janet Gibson runs the Blessing Barn pantry in the Ben Creek community. \u201cI can go from one end of the creek to the other\u201d and tell you everyone\u2019s name and a little something about them, she said. She takes pride in feeding her people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"An older woman wearing a white and red sports jacket sits comfortably for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-2229025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=834,556 834w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/SNAP_02.jpg?resize=1668,1112 1668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1270px) 100vw, 1270px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Janet Gibson runs the Blessing Barn food pantry in the West Virginia community of Ben Creek. She says transportation challenges are a barrier to finding and maintaining work in the county. (Taylor Sisk for KFF Health News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Gibson said it can be hard to find even volunteer opportunities in the county, largely because of transportation challenges. A look at a local map can be misleading: A couple of dozen miles into a holler or up a ridge could take an hour or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhether you\u2019re working full-time or not, you\u2019re still spinning out gas to get to work,\u201d Gibson said, \u201cand gas ain\u2019t cheap now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A single mother of three, Trista Shankle of Paducah, Kentucky, isn\u2019t subject to the new SNAP requirements, but she worries about the fragility of the social safety net. She overcame challenges, is earning a master\u2019s degree in social work, and works for an organization that connects community college students with <a href=\"https:\/\/acf.gov\/ofa\/programs\/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf\">Temporary Assistance for Needy Families<\/a> benefits. Her family receives SNAP, Medicaid, housing support, and assistance from the USDA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/wic\">Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children<\/a>. If any one of those is cut, she said, she may have to drop out of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shankle is certain she wouldn\u2019t have advanced to where she is today without the benefits she and her family have received: \u201cThey bring a sense of calm and comfort. I know that my kids aren\u2019t going to go hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first week in April, Lilly Hall reported for work at Black Bear Trails Restaurant. She\u2019s grateful for the opportunity. And when a waitress slot opens, \u201cI\u2019ll snag that position so quick it\u2019ll make your head flip.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Work requirements will encourage people who are able to work to seek and maintain jobs, proponents say. 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