New eligibility rules for Snap recipients took effect last week as part of President Donald Trump's domestic policy package.

H.R.

one, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill act.

The law shifts more of the program's costs to states and Kentucky.

Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Doctor Steven Stack says the changes are already affecting thousands of Kentuckians.

H.R.

one, which was passed into law last July and 2025, was the most substantial change to the Snap program in numerous decades.

It changed a variety of things.

It changed who's eligible.

It changed work requirements.

It changed waivers for unemployment statistics in the area.

It also changed some benefits in certain ways.

And so in the way the states and the federal government fund the program, some of the most impactful things for individual Kentuckians.

As these changes take effect, is we previously had a waiver in for unemployment data for 117 of our 120 counties that ended last fall, when that ended, more than 200,000 Kentuckians who previously didn't have to demonstrate compliance with the work requirement to be on the Snap program, now had to demonstrate that compliance.

Additionally, if you were an able bodied working adult with a dependance in the house, you previously, could get Snap benefits if you had a dependent in the House under 18 years of age, that was changed to be under 14 years of age.

So now people who have high school age kids who are dependents in the house no longer can be eligible.

If those are the only aged children they have, they have to be under 14.

Additionally, they eliminated benefits for homeless individuals, for veterans.

Those were removed from eligibility, and there were a number of other changes where work requirements now apply to people who are from the age of over 55 up to 64.

We now have a situation where more than 29,000 households have been removed from Snap and Kentucky from January through the end of August this year, more than 58,000 individuals have been removed from Snap and Kentucky from the start of this year to the end of August.

That represents about a 10% decline in those first eight months of this calendar year.

So Snap is a really important program in the United States and in Kentucky.

About 1 in 8 of our citizens require this support in order to meet their daily nutritional needs.

And so when they lose access to this support, they go hungry.

And they they send kids to school with growing bellies.

Parents at home have to make hard choices about putting gas in the car to get to a job, or to take the kids to school, or to get to medical appointments or to put food on the table.

That's not good for them, and it's not good for Kentuckians or for society at large.

So our biggest worry is that this takes some of our most vulnerable citizens and puts them in an even more vulnerable position.

We've communicated with a member, recipients or beneficiaries of the Snap program about the changes.

We have DCB Department for Community Based Services offices and all 120 counties.

And so those offices are available for individuals who are on Snap if they have questions or confusions.

We will do the very best we can to support every Kentuckian who's eligible through these programs and to try to provide whatever supports we're able to with the resources we've given.

Doctor stack is encouraging any Kentuckian who has questions about their Snap benefits, or who wants to find out if they're eligible to enroll in the program.

You can go to the cabinet for Health and Family Services website.

That's see HFS dot dot gov.