Increasing the SNAP Work Requirement Age Will Harm Grandfamilies

Two Tennessee grandparents who care for their 5 grandkids could see their SNAP benefits cut because of rules passed recently at the federal level, wiping out the support they need to feed their family. 

Congress has raised the age of those who are subject to work requirements for SNAP from 54 to age 64, which would force these two grandparents in Northeast Tennessee to return to work despite impossible conditions. Without SNAP, raising five grandchildren while managing chronic health conditions would leave this family hungry. SNAP doesn’t just fight hunger; it helps keep multigenerational families together. 

The family struggled to make ends meet and then encountered a series of medical emergencies which increased their hardship. Over the span of a few years, both grandparents experienced heart attacks and underwent open-heart surgery, forcing them into early retirement and making employment impossible. With no income and five children relying on them, SNAP became a lifeline. 

Now in their early sixties, these grandparents have full legal custody of five grandchildren, all of whom came into their care over the last several years. The couple had worked and supported themselves for decades, but caring for multiple school-aged children pushed their budget beyond its limits, even when they were still employed full-time. That’s when the grandmother first turned to SNAP to help feed her growing household. 

"It's just been a Godsend. If we didn't have SNAP, we couldn't feed five kids" she recalled. “…food costs were too much. SNAP helped us fill the gap.”  

Because the children receive SNAP, they are automatically enrolled in free school meals during the academic year. Unfortunately, if this family loses access to SNAP, the kids could also lose access to free school meals.  

New rules implemented by Congress will create additional roadblocks for families like this one, who will now be required to meet work requirements or prove they are exempt from the requirement so they can feed their grandchildren. If they are unable to work or navigate the increased bureaucracy, they will lose access to SNAP.  

These changes will also affect Tennessee’s ability to administer the program. Increased paperwork requirements bog down systems and burden the application process, increasing the cost to the state and preventing people in need from accessing food benefits. It also increases possibilities for the state to make errors which will increase the cost of the program for the state. USDA’s research demonstrates that work requirements do not increase employment; they only serve to knock folks in need off the program. The only real effect these restrictive time limits will have is removing the safety net from under families walking the tight rope of poverty. Without this support, the consequences will be devastating, both for the caregivers and for the young children who depend on them.