Sponsors (3)
The bill improves SNAP recipients' ability to participate in work and training (including refugees and veterans) by excluding certain program earnings from income calculations, at the cost of higher program spending and added administrative and implementation complexity.
Low-income households (including SNAP applicants and recipients) will see higher likelihood of qualifying for SNAP and/or larger SNAP benefits because income from approved work, training, vocational rehab, and refugee employment programs is excluded from SNAP income calculations.
People participating in workforce development, job training, vocational rehabilitation, and approved veterans education/retraining programs can pursue work and training without losing SNAP eligibility or facing benefit cliffs, encouraging labor-market entry and skill development.
Refugees and participants in refugee employment programs will have earnings from INA §412(c) programs excluded from SNAP income, supporting resettlement, economic stability, and integration.
Taxpayers may face higher SNAP program costs if more households become eligible or receive larger benefits due to the expanded income exclusions.
State agencies and USDA will incur administrative costs and need system and guidance updates to implement the new exclusions and renumbered subsections, causing short-term workload increases and potential processing delays.
Varying interpretations of which payments qualify for the exclusion (across work programs, WIOA, INA §412 references) could cause inconsistent implementation across states, producing uneven access to benefits for low-income people and immigrants.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Excludes income from certain employment, training, vocational rehabilitation, and refugee employment programs when calculating SNAP eligibility and benefits.
Official title: Amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to exclude as income certain payments received by household members from certain employment programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Kirsten Gillibrand · Last progress May 15, 2025
Amends SNAP eligibility rules so that payments, allowances, or earnings received from certain employment, training, vocational rehabilitation, and refugee employment programs are not counted as income for SNAP. Also adjusts related subsection lettering and a cross-reference to reflect the change. The change exempts specific program payments from being counted toward household income for SNAP eligibility and benefit calculations, while preserving enumerated exceptions for certain veterans education programs and the COVID–19 Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program.