SNAP Recipients in Eight Michigan Counties and Bay City Have Faced an 80-Hour Monthly Work Rule Since Nov. 1, or a Three-Month Benefit Limit

Alger, Iron and Luce counties in the Upper Peninsula, Montmorency, Roscommon, Iosco and Arenac in the northern and central Lower Peninsula, and Oceana County on the Lake Michigan shore make up the eight counties where Michigan’s SNAP work rule came back on Nov. 1. Bay City is the ninth place on the list. In all of them, food assistance recipients who are able-bodied adults without young children at home now need 80 hours of work or approved activity a month, or they are limited to three months of benefits.

The Eight Counties and Bay City, and the Places Still Waived

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced the change in an Oct. 30 press release, whose full text appears on EIN Presswire. According to the Daily Press in Escanaba, the requirements were reinstated Sunday, Nov. 1, in Alger, Arenac, Iosco, Iron, Luce, Montmorency, Oceana and Roscommon counties, plus the city of Bay City.

In the Upper Peninsula, Upper Michigan’s Source reported that Alger, Iron and Luce are the three counties affected, while Mackinac and Schoolcraft remain under a federal waiver.

The waiver still covers seven counties, according to Radio Results Network: Alcona, Cheboygan, Mackinac, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Presque Isle and Schoolcraft. It also covers five cities: Detroit, Eastpointe, Flint, Jackson and Saginaw. Outside those areas, the report says, the requirements apply statewide, so the Nov. 1 change affects only the places that lost waiver coverage.

The reason is the waiver itself. Michigan received a federal waiver because of past unemployment rates, and the federal government can waive the time limit in areas with unemployment above 10%, according to the Daily Press. As economic conditions change and the waiver rules are updated, the state must reinstate requirements in regions the waiver no longer covers.

About 13% of Michigan households, roughly 1.4 million people, receive SNAP, according to Upper Michigan’s Source. The site reported earlier on the year-over-year drop in Michigan food stamp enrollment.

Who Counts as an Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents

The rule applies to able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 who have no dependents under 14 and receive SNAP, according to the Daily Press. Under federal policy, these adults can receive SNAP for only three months within a 36-month period unless they meet the work requirement.

That makes the time limit a rolling clock rather than a calendar-year count. A recipient who used up three months of benefits without working or doing an approved activity would lose eligibility until the requirement is met, based on the three-in-36 rule the reports describe.

The headline number is 80 hours a month, which is about 20 hours a week. Radio Results Network quoted MDHHS Acting Director Amy Epkey as saying that “the SNAP work requirements affect thousands of individuals who rely on food assistance to help meet basic needs.”

According to Upper Michigan’s Source, Epkey also said the department’s priority is making sure participants understand “what these changes mean and where to find help.”

Three Ways to Reach 80 Hours a Month

Participants can satisfy the rule in several ways, according to the Daily Press. The first is 80 hours a month of paid employment, unpaid work or volunteer service. The second is an approved Food Assistance Employment and Training program run through Michigan Works!, which is available in participating counties only. The third is volunteering at a nonprofit.

The hours work differently for nonprofit volunteers and for workfare participants. For them, the required hours equal the household’s monthly benefit divided by Michigan’s minimum wage, the Daily Press reported. A household with a smaller monthly benefit therefore owes fewer hours than 80.

Radio Results Network described the same options and said work can be done for pay, in exchange for goods or services, unpaid or as a volunteer. Food Assistance Employment and Training is offered through Michigan Works! agencies in select counties.

Exemptions, Deferrals and Where to Get Help

Several groups are exempt from the work rule. The Daily Press listed recipients who are physically or mentally unable to work, pregnant, caring for an incapacitated person or a child under 6, or living with a child under 14. Upper Michigan’s Source added people receiving disability or unemployment benefits, those in drug or alcohol treatment and those attending school at least half-time.

The Daily Press also reported deferrals for recipients who are receiving or applying for unemployment benefits, in drug or alcohol rehabilitation, attending college or vocational training at least half-time if they meet student eligibility rules, or receiving SSI or State Disability Assistance. American Indian recipients are also covered, according to the report.

Participants who are unsure which category applies can contact their local MDHHS office or check their MI Bridges account, according to the Daily Press. Michigan 2-1-1 offers referrals to local food programs, and the Food Bank Council of Michigan lists community food resources.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Andrew Jameson – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons