DELBARTON, W.Va. — Cars stretched down the road as people waited for the House of Hope mobile food pantry. What had been scheduled for 11 a.m. was delayed when the Facing Hunger Foodbank truck blew a tire; some families had been in line for hours. Volunteers handed out boxes of chicken, eggs, bread, potatoes, produce and milk while neighbors accepted the wait without complaint.
Perry Hall stood among them. His wife, Lilly Hall, 59, has volunteered with the pantry for years. Perry, who has multiple myeloma and is in remission, receives about $1,500 a month from Social Security plus SNAP benefits. Lilly recently fell under expanded SNAP work requirements and now risks losing benefits if she cannot meet the new conditions.
Under changes in the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, able-bodied adults under 65 without dependents who do not work, volunteer, or take part in job training at least 80 hours a month are limited to three months of SNAP benefits every three years. The prior rule applied to people 54 or younger. The change, effective last November, also brought parents of children 14 and older back under the rule and removed exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and some young adults who aged out of foster care.
Proponents argue work requirements push “work-ready” people into jobs, reduce dependence on assistance and uphold the dignity of work. But researchers who have studied SNAP’s work mandates say the policies do not raise employment.
Rhonda Rogombé, a health and safety-net policy analyst at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, and colleagues reviewed the effects of SNAP work rules and found no reduction in regional unemployment. Work requirements were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and reinstated in fall 2023; in Mingo County their analysis found the average number of people employed each month fell after the rules returned. A 2018 federal study using SNAP data from nine states reached a similar conclusion, reporting no impact on labor force participation or hours worked.
Rogombé points to several barriers that make it difficult for work rules to translate into more employment: hunger and poor nutrition can impair concentration and job performance; many residents have unreported physical or mental impairments; housing instability and transportation problems make steady work hard to sustain; and low rates of high school completion and lack of identification documents limit opportunities. Completing the necessary paperwork is another hurdle in a county where about one in four residents lack reliable internet access.
Jobs are scarce in Mingo County. Once sustained by coal mining, the area’s population has fallen from about 27,000 in 2010 to just under 22,000 today, and roughly one in four residents lives in poverty. Lilly Hall has taken unpaid duties at a local restaurant while she waits for a waitress opening — enough to preserve benefits for now, but far from ideal.
Community organizations are responding to rising need. House of Hope’s regular distribution on the last Saturday of each month can hand out as many as 400 boxes, and Facing Hunger supplements supplies when funds run low. At least eight food pantries operate in Mingo County; volunteers like Janet Gibson of the Blessing Barn in Ben Creek say transportation barriers — long, slow drives into hollers and the cost of gas — make it difficult for people to get to volunteer shifts or new jobs.
Policy changes at the federal level are also shifting more costs to states. Beginning in October, states will be responsible for 75% of SNAP administrative costs, and starting in October 2027 they will owe additional funds tied to error rates. Analysts say poorer states such as Kentucky and West Virginia are likely to be hardest hit. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy estimates expanded work requirements could put SNAP benefits at risk for as many as 114,000 residents in that state.
Jessica Klein of the Kentucky center warned that cuts or tighter eligibility could have health consequences. “We know SNAP has an impact on health, and not just because it decreases food insecurity,” she said, citing effects on blood pressure, obesity and medication adherence. Klein warned that higher state costs might prompt some governments to tighten rules to reduce participation or, in extreme cases, to consider not operating SNAP.
Outside West Virginia, single mother Trista Shankle of Paducah, Kentucky, who is pursuing a master’s degree in social work, said SNAP and related supports — Medicaid, housing assistance, WIC, and TANF links — were crucial to her ability to stay in school. “They bring a sense of calm and comfort. I know that my kids aren’t going to go hungry,” she said, adding that losing supports might force her to drop out.
Back in Delbarton, Lilly reported for work at Black Bear Trails Restaurant in early April. She said she is grateful for the opportunity and will take the first waitress position that opens. But for many residents in places with few jobs, limited transportation and high poverty, researchers say expanded work requirements are unlikely to produce the employment gains proponents promise.
KFF Health News reported this story. KFF is an independent source for health policy research and journalism.