Sponsors (4)
The bill raises and clarifies allowable SNAP deductions—boosting benefits for many low-income households (especially elderly, disabled, and those with high housing or medical costs) and reducing statutory ambiguity—while increasing federal costs, introducing some state-to-state variation, and leaving gaps for households with medically required special diets.
Low-income elderly and disabled SNAP recipients will be able to claim a $140 standard medical deduction beginning FY2025, increasing their potential SNAP eligibility or benefit amounts.
Low-income households with high medical costs (other than special diets) can deduct actual allowable medical expenses, which can raise benefit amounts for people with significant health-related spending.
Low-income renters and homeowners with high housing costs will be able to claim uncapped excess shelter expense deductions, potentially increasing their SNAP benefits.
American taxpayers and federal budgets will likely face higher costs because larger medical and shelter deductions and removal of certain time limits can increase overall SNAP benefit outlays.
Low-income SNAP recipients could see extended or removed time-limited work-related requirements (or changes in how they are applied), which may alter work obligations, eligibility, or sanction rules for some households.
People with medically required special diets (including some people with disabilities and many seniors) are excluded from deducting special-diet costs, leaving them unable to claim those expenses to increase SNAP benefits.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Replaces the Thrifty Food Plan with a new statutory low-cost food plan to set SNAP allotments, raises certain deductions, removes a time limit, and updates indexing and formulas.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Kirsten Gillibrand · Last progress September 11, 2025
Creates a new statutory “low-cost food plan” to set SNAP uniform allotments, replaces references to the Thrifty Food Plan, raises a SNAP deduction/proviso percentage, changes several SNAP benefit formulas and indexing rules, and removes a statutory time-limit on benefits. It also establishes a standard medical deduction option for elderly and disabled members, removes the cap on excess shelter expenses, and makes conforming cross-reference and funding-line adjustments across nutrition and related statutes. Most key rules take effect starting October 1, 2025 (including the new annual adjustment method), the standard medical deduction is fixed for FY2025 then indexed thereafter, and the low-cost food plan must be reevaluated and republished by December 31, 2031 and every five years after.