A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
For more on the effects of these new work requirements, I'm joined by Ty Jones Cox. She is the vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute. Ty, so who is affected the most by these changes?
TY JONES COX: Well, I think there's really two main groups that are going to be most directly impacted by this new rule. So as you may know, SNAP rules previously limited most adults ages 18-54 without children in their home to only three months of food assistance unless they could prove they were working. But the new law expanded that three-month time limit to apply to older adults up to age 65, who we know are more likely to face age-related discrimination in the job market. And they tend to have more work-limiting health conditions, even if they aren't receiving disability benefits. It also expanded it for the first time to parents, grandparents and other caretakers of kids as young as 14. So it did that.
MARTÍNEZ: OK.
COX: And then last, it stripped those requirements where veterans, people facing homelessness and former foster youth weren't subject to the time limit. So that's one big group, right?
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
COX: And then when you think about it, although the adult may be getting a cutoff because of the work requirement, they're not the only person who is harmed by this policy, right? It's going to also dramatically reduce the food assistance available to everyone in the household. So it's not just the adults...
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Yeah.
COX: ...Being subject. It's also other people in the home. So those are two groups.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. How difficult has it been? Since this has been kind of staggered, right? I mean, some states have implemented it. Some states haven't yet. I mean, how difficult has that been? And how much leeway do states have to enforce this?
COX: Great question. And it is very confusing because some states already had this work requirement in place. And it all depended on their specific unemployment rate. And so what is happening now is that people just - the best thing to do is to go to your state's website, check out the information, read your notices, reach out to your caseworker because it is very confusing. And I think where states do have some leeway is making sure that people are able to get and understand the rule, their requirements and how to report their hours, which is very complicated. States do it in different ways.
And also, if they may have an exemption. So some people who aren't able to work for various reasons actually should not be subject to the time limit. The age and having kids 14 and up is not the only requirement. Maybe you can't work for - you're a caretaker. You have a temporary disability. And so making sure that people know that those exemptions exist and that - so states informing people of their exemptions and checking for exemptions is a really big piece that could help.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, so just check. I mean, even if you're not sure, just check in your state to make sure that you're right there. Now, Republicans argue that work requirements cut federal spending and reduce fraud to make sure benefits go to the ones who need them the most. Ty, what does your research show?
COX: Our research has repeatedly shown that this requirement doesn't increase employment or earnings. It just cuts people off. Really what it does is it adds red tape, right? Work requirements, it does not prove a willingness to work at all - it is whether you have a job or not. And people are having a tough time finding a job in this economy. And so, all of the research that we have shows that it does not help people get work - it actually just takes food away - and that most SNAP participants who can work already, they do work. And if they're not working, it's because they lost their job and they are currently looking for a job and just need help affording groceries.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Ty Jones Cox is the vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Ty, thank you very much for telling us about this information.
COX: Thank you so much for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SHIPPING NEWS' "LOUVEN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
