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Ohio Enforces New 80-Hour SNAP Work Rule as Federal Cuts and Penalties Take Hold

Analysts warn the new penalties will push states to restrict access even as officials dispute the scale of improper payments.

Overview

  • Ohio now requires recipients ages 55–64 and households with children 14–18 to meet an 80-hour-per-month work standard, according to the state’s Job and Family Services department.
  • President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduces SNAP by $186 billion over 10 years and eliminates work-rule exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and those aging out of foster care.
  • The law raises states’ financial exposure by increasing their share of administrative costs and tying liability to payment error rates, with larger repayments triggered by higher error levels.
  • An estimate from the Center for Community Solutions indicates Ohio could owe $318 million if its error rate matches last year’s performance under the new penalty framework.
  • USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins cited 686,000 improperly issued benefits as evidence of serious problems, while Data 4 the People’s Eric Pachman said that equates to roughly a 1.6% error rate for a program serving about 42 million people.