(The Center Square) – Food stamp enrollment declined as Pennsylvania’s reinstated work requirements shrank eligibility for many beneficiaries, according to a recent analysis from the Independent Fiscal Office.
Analyzing state data for the months of October and November, participants declined 32,900 and 50,100, respectively. Annually, enrollment shrank 8% as 158,000 residents lost eligibility.
The requirements, effective Sept. 1, mandate that able-bodied adults aged 18 to 54 with no children under 18 must participate in an educational or training program at least 20 hours a week. On Nov. 1, the age limit expanded to 64 with children 14 or younger. Veterans and foster youth between 18 and 24 no longer receive exemptions, either.
Those who fail to meet the mandates will see benefits limited to three months in a three-year period.
In its report, the IFO said that “how much of the contraction is attributable to new work requirements cannot be quantified with precision.” Though timing suggests the changes were at least a factor, and it remains to be seen whether the adjustment is permanent.
More than 2 million residents received payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in November, shortly after the congressional shutdown was resolved. Often called SNAP or food stamps, low-income residents spend more than $350 million monthly across 38,000 stores, some of which depend mostly on these sales to survive.
Between 2019 and 2025, SNAP benefits grew 76% while enrollment expanded by two-thirds. This includes declines from pandemic-era highs bolstered by record infusions from the federal government.
The changes have long been sought in the state Legislature, though ideological divides persisted. Republicans have long wanted waivers from the mandate, which have been used on and off for the last 20 years, to expire amid fears about prolonged government dependency and fraud. Democrats see the option as economically justified absent a stronger safety net.
Welfare expansion has outpaced population growth. Pennsylvania has only gained 700,000 residents since 2000. But the state budget is dominated by this spending that runs through the Department of Human Services.
Medicaid spending has ballooned over the last 25 years. The state spent $10.7 billion on 1.3 million residents in 2000, but in 2025, the commonwealth appropriated $47 billion to provide benefits to 3.3 million residents.
Though human services eat up a significant chunk of all state budgets, the commonwealth stands out. Pennsylvania’s Medicaid expenditures as a percentage of its budget is the highest in the nation, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability.
For critics of work requirements, it’s not that simple.
In an analysis from the Urban Institute, able-bodied adults are considered a “challenging” group to serve. These beneficiaries are more likely to be homeless or live with a mental or physical condition that doesn’t qualify as a disability, even though it makes working unrealistic.
The research also showed that income decreases for residents who only receive benefits for three months, suggesting that time limits do not encourage employment.
