OKPOLICY.ORG
Work requirements are policies that oblige recipients of certain public programs to be employed or engage in work-related activities for a certain number of hours each month in order to remain eligible for benefits.
As of May 2025, work requirements are in effect for most recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and certain categories of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, primarily adults aged 18-54. For SNAP, individuals subject to the work requirement must typically engage in 80 hours a month of paid or unpaid work or participate in a work program.
Under the first Trump Administration, over a dozen states, including Oklahoma, enacted work requirements for working-age adults covered by Medicaid. However, only Arkansas implemented its requirements before a federal court deemed the work requirement unlawful in the absence of Congressional authorization. When Arkansas’ work requirements were in effect, studies found that more than 18,000 people — nearly 1 in 4 who were subject to the new rules — lost their coverage in the policy’s first seven months, primarily as a result of administrative barriers. Research finds that two-thirds of non-elderly adults on Medicaid are already working, while most others are not in a position to work since they are either disabled or have caregiving responsibilities.
Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), these policies are scheduled to take effect nationwide. H.R. 1 adds a federal Medicaid work requirement for non-elderly adults in expansion states, requiring 80 hours per month of work or another approved activity to keep coverage, and mandates states verify work hours at least once every six months. For SNAP, H.R. 1 expands who must meet work requirements by increasing the upper age limit for the able-bodied adult without dependents from age 54 to 64, reducing the age of children for certain exemptions from 18 to 14, and removing exceptions for veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster youth. As with past state attempts, these changes are expected to cause many eligible people to lose coverage because of administrative barriers.
