The number of Cuyahoga County residents at risk of losing SNAP benefits due to new federal work requirements is thousands less than initially feared – but still significant, leaders say.
Cuyahoga County initially estimated that 21,000 residents would be newly subject to work requirements. That number is still accurate. But when the state’s office of Job and Family Services screened those residents, it found most are already employed or have information in their record showing they’re exempt from the requirements. That means their benefits aren’t at risk.
In December, the state mailed letters to the approximately 5,100 county residents who are at risk of losing their benefits if they don’t meet new work rules. Those rules were laid out in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed by federal Republican legislators last summer. The new rules took effect Feb. 1.
The finding is “certainly a positive,” said Kevin Gowan, director of Cuyahoga County’s Job and Family Services department.
“It’s still 5,000 people, that’s incredibly concerning,” Gowan said. “But it’s less people who are likely to lose their benefits.”
About 190,000 residents in Cuyahoga County receive SNAP benefits.
SNAP has always had a work requirement. Historically, it was limited to able-bodied adults under the age of 55 who didn’t have children. New work rules from the federal government now apply to people ages 55 to 64. Parents with kids aged between 14 and 18 are also newly subject to work requirements. So are people who are veterans, former foster youth or experiencing homelessness.
Residents can still qualify for some exemptions from the requirements, though. That includes the inability to work due to a physical or mental limitation.
Gowan said the state culled the number of impacted residents by reviewing records for those who receive what’s often known as a “disability” check – Social Security disability insurance, Supplemental Security Income or veteran’s disability compensation. That would be an “automatic exemption,” Gowan said.
Another group of people who have been found exempt are those who have been told by medical professionals that they are unable to work, Gowan said.
Though the number of people the state warned about losing SNAP benefits is lower than initially expected, a resident’s work status is subject to change over time. Gowan said that the county is still going through some records manually, which may add to the number of people who are at risk of losing benefits under the new work rule.
Even if residents are currently employed or have an exemption from the work rules, they need to be vigilant about reporting that information to the county in order to keep their benefits, said Jessica Semachko, the director of advocacy and public education at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
“For many of the neighbors, this is a new requirement, but it’s one they’re already meeting,” Semachko said. “So the key now is reporting that to County Job and Family Services. … That’s why here we’re really focused on making sure that neighbors have clear information about the changes.”
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Adding back benefits for some non-citizens
New federal rules also decimated SNAP benefits for non-citizens. The rule eliminated access to food benefits for most refugees and asylum seekers around the country.
In Cuyahoga County, 4,200 non-citizen residents were told they’d lose benefits at the end of October last year.
Since then, though, the county and state have reinstated benefits for more than 2,700 residents in this category, according to a presentation Gowan made in late January. Many of these were children of lawful permanent residents, or green card holders. While their parents have to wait five years before becoming eligible for SNAP, children don’t.
“We went and essentially overrode what was initially done and manually reinstated over 900 children,” Gowan said.
Thousands of residents still lost out on food benefits, though. Cleveland Documenters reported in late January that Re:Source Cleveland, which serves international newcomers in the area, is partnering with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to deliver food to dozens of those families. In January, the agency asked Cuyahoga County Council for $10,000 to support the program.