SNAP
2025 Legislation
budget cuts
By
Cindy Huddleston
|
August 12, 2025

How Historic Cuts to SNAP Enacted by Congress Jeopardize the Food Security of Floridians in Need and the State’s Entire Program

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the primary anti-hunger program for families with low income in Florida. The program provides eligible Floridians with a modest amount of assistance—an average of $6.12 per person per day—to buy groceries every month.[i] In April 2024, SNAP helped roughly 3 million Floridians in need afford a nutritionally adequate diet[ii] which, in turn, improves their short- and long-term health and overall well-being.[iii] Participants in Florida’s SNAP program are among the most vulnerable people in the state—including 1,097,000 children, 707,000 seniors, 296,000 people with disabilities,[iv] and approximately 99,000 veterans.[v] Still, the effects of SNAP boost more than just individual participants. State and local communities, where benefits are spent, reap significant economic benefits from a strong program. This is because every $1 of SNAP spending generates up to $1.50 or more in economic activity, particularly during economic downturns.[vi] In 2023 alone, Floridians participating in SNAP spent nearly $7.2 billion in benefits at over 15,148 local stores[vii]—including many small businesses[viii]—throughout the state.

H.R. 1—the federal reconciliation bill[ix] that became law on July 4, 2025—spells disaster for Florida by cutting $186 billion[x] in federal funding from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as imposing new restrictions on eligibility requirements that unnecessarily limit access to nutrition assistance to people who are the most in need. Unless Congress backs away from the cuts in H.R.1, which overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy,[xi] Florida will have to raise billions in additional state revenue to backfill this loss in federal SNAP dollars. If not, state lawmakers will be forced to make difficult choices to fill this funding gap—cut SNAP eligibility, slash funding for other programs in the budget, or back out of the SNAP program altogether—all of which will have dire consequences for Floridians.

Among other cuts, H.R.1 cripples Florida’s SNAP program by:

  • forcing most states to pay a percentage of the cost of grocery benefits that are provided to eligible participants;
  • increasing the percentage of administrative costs that states must pay to operate a SNAP program;
  • restricting the SNAP eligibility of lawful immigrants who qualify for food assistance;
  • expanding bureaucratic work requirements to vulnerable people, such as older participants, that do little, if anything, to improve employment outcomes and often cause participants to lose their assistance even though they should be exempt; and,
  • prohibiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from increasing benefits levels when it re-evaluates the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), even though the TFP serves as the basis for SNAP benefit levels and represents the lowest cost option for a family’s diet.

Although the TFP cap, work requirements, cost-sharing mandates, and noncitizen restrictions are not the only cuts to SNAP contained in H.R. 1, the impact of just these cuts alone will significantly reduce the nutrition assistance of families participating in SNAP in Florida. Roughly 1,653,000 households in the state are estimated to lose anywhere between $79 and $114 per month in benefits, from those cuts alone.[xii]

As state and federal officials iron out how they will implement SNAP cuts necessitated by H.R.1 in the coming months, the message from concerned Floridians should be clear; instead of cuts that diminish the underpinnings of SNAP, or nudge states to radically weaken the program or abolish SNAP altogether, lawmakers on both the state and federal levels should bolster the program so that struggling families can afford healthy food and avoid food insecurity.

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H.R. 1 Shifts as Much as $1 Billion in Annual SNAP Benefit Costs from the Federal Government to Florida as Early as 2028

The federal government has always paid 100 percent of the cost of monthly grocery benefits that states provide to eligible SNAP households. However, H.R. 1 forces most states—for the first time—to pay a percentage of those costs, depending on the state’s SNAP error rate.[xiii] SNAP error rates are not the same as fraud.[xiv] While fraud is intentional, errors are unintentional mistakes made by either participants or the state agency which result in an over- or underpayment. According to USDA, fraud in the SNAP program is rare.

USDA currently holds states with error rates of at least 6 percent accountable[xv] by mandating that they develop and implement a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) that forces affected states to, among other things, analyze the root cause of errors and devise and implement actions they will take to remedy the problems. This would include reimbursing USDA for overpayments,[xvi] requiring overpaid participants to repay benefits, and compensating participants for any underpayments that the state made in their case.[xvii]

Yet, beginning in 2028, states having error rates of at least 6 percent for FY 2025 or FY 2026 will also be required to pay between 5 to 15 percent of the cost of grocery benefits provided to eligible participants. States having error rates of 10 percent or more will pay the most—15 percent of the cost of grocery benefits. 

This new cost shift does not bode well for Florida, which had a 15.13 percent error rate for FY 2024.[xviii] If the state’s error rate remains at 10 percent or higher, Florida could owe roughly $1 billion in 2028 alone.[xix] Although states with particularly high error rates, like Florida, may have a short reprieve in their obligation to pay a share of grocery benefits until 2029 or 2030, this delay offers only brief relief. Nor does such a delay address the overarching issues that are affecting error rates[xx]—such as an insufficient workforce,[xxi] technological snafus,[xxii] and other glitches[xxiii]—that have been plaguing Florida’s SNAP program since recent years.

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H.R. 1 Forces Florida to Pay $205 Million Towards the Administrative Costs of Operating SNAP Beginning in 2027

In the past, states and the federal government split the administrative costs of operating a SNAP program fifty-fifty. However, under H.R.1, Congress cuts federal funding by half for the state’s administrative costs of running SNAP. This cut, which is added on top of the cost shift to states for monthly benefits, puts Florida on the hook for 75 percent of the state’s operating costs for SNAP—about $205 million[xxiv] per year—beginning in FY 2027.[xxv]  

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H.R.1 Takes SNAP Away from as Many as a Quarter Million Vulnerable Floridians Under the Guise of Work Requirements

H.R. 1 expands the number of people who will lose SNAP benefits after three months if they are not meeting the  20-hour work week requirements.[xxvi] The new groups of people subject to work requirements under H.R.1 include:

  • caregivers, such as parents, grandparents, and foster parents of children 14 years of age and older;
  • people up to 65 years of age;
  • unhoused adults;
  • veterans, and
  • former foster youth.

Research shows that work requirements in the SNAP program do not result in either higher earnings or increased employment.[xxvii] Still, Floridians subject to the new work requirements in H.R. 1 will lose their SNAP benefits if they are unable to prove that they either meet an exemption (such as having a disability), or are in compliance with a 20-hour work week requirement.[xxviii] Past studies suggest that many people who lose SNAP due to work requirements often experience barriers in documenting that they meet the work requirement or if they are exempt.[xxix]

Most working age SNAP participants without a disability have an employment history. According to nationwide Census data, the 2023 work rates of those households are 82 percent, if the household does not contain minor children, and 91 percent if the household has minor children.[xxx] Yet, under the new law, more than 5 million people nationwide—including 253,000 Floridians—are at risk of losing some, or all, of their food assistance due to bureaucratic work requirements in H.R.1 that confuse people with too much red tape.[xxxi] Not only would cutting off the benefits forFloridians who are perceived to be noncompliant with work requirements make it impossible for these adult participants to afford groceries for themselves, it would also reduce the household's food assistance entirely and make it more difficult for them to put food on the table for their children.

This cut was effective upon enactment on July 4, 2025, but will require USDA guidance to be imposed.[xxxii]

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H.R. 1 Slashes the SNAP Eligibility of Thousands of Immigrants in Need Who Are Living in Florida Lawfully 

Although undocumented immigrants have never been allowed to participate in SNAP, some people with particular immigration status—such as refugees, asylees, and trafficking survivors, among others—have been eligible for assistance.[xxxiii] However, H.R. 1 takes SNAP away from many of the groups of lawful immigrants who are currently eligible for the program. Under H.R.1, only Compact of Free Association Citizens, some Cuban and Haitian Entrants, and Lawful Permanent Residents remain eligible. 

This new restriction on immigrant eligibility for SNAP hits Florida particularly hard. While 2.57 million SNAP participants in the state of Florida are U.S. born or naturalized citizens, 329,000 current participants are either refugees, asylees, trafficking survivors, or have another qualifying immigration status.[xxxiv] More than one-third of these noncitizens are particularly vulnerable if they lose SNAP, including 56,000 children and 67,000 seniors.[xxxv]

Although it is still unclear exactly how many immigrants in the state will lose SNAP under the new restrictions set out in H.R.1, over 90,000 lawful immigrants in Florida are expected to become ineligible[xxxvi] and be at significant risk of increased food insecurity. This impacts not only the immigrants themselves, but also many of their 184,000 citizen children.[xxxvii] Although these children may retain eligibility for SNAP under H.R.1, their households’ overall SNAP assistance will be significantly reduced if their parents become ineligible under the new immigrant restrictions. In turn, this will make the whole family susceptible to, among other things, increased food insecurity and poorer health.[xxxviii]

This cut was effective upon its enactment on July 4, 2025, but will likely require USDA guidance for further implementation.[xxxix]

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H.R 1 Cuts Future SNAP Benefits for All 3 Million Floridians Participating in the Program

In the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress required USDA to reevaluate the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) by 2022, as well as every 5 years thereafter.[xl] SNAP benefits are based on the TFP, which is USDA’s estimate of the cost of groceries for healthy, cost-conscious meals. In the first—and only—update since the 2018 Farm Bill, USDA reevaluated the TFP in 2021, based on changed dietary guidelines and food consumption. As a result, Floridians received an average increase in their SNAP benefits of $1.20 a day, for a total of over $1.4 billion in 2022.[xli] However, H.R. 1 not only prohibits USDA from updating the Thrifty Food Plan more than once every 5 years, it also requires that those updates be cost-neutral, which precludes USDA from increasing SNAP benefits based on TFP reevaluations in the future.

H.R 1’s prohibition on increasing benefits, based on TFP reevaluations, will diminish the purchasing power of SNAP benefits[xlii] for the long-term and also jeopardize the ability of participants to afford healthy food.[xliii] This impacts not only the physical, mental, and economic well-being of all 3 million Floridians in the state’s SNAP program, including the 25 percent of children[xliv] in the state who participate, but also the strength of the state and local communities—where the influx of additional SNAP dollars spent in neighborhood stores and farmers markets has a beneficial impact on Florida’s economy.  

This cut was effective upon enactment on July 4, 2025. 

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Planning for Implementation of H.R. 1 Must Begin Now 

H.R. 1 makes the largest cuts to SNAP in the program’s history. These cuts will increase hunger among vulnerable Floridians, including children, people with disabilities, seniors, and veterans; push Florida families into poverty; and hurt the economies of both the state and local communities. While the most significant cuts imposed by H.R.1 will not happen until after the 2026 midterm elections, some provisions—such as the expansion of SNAP work requirements and restricting eligibility of lawful immigrants—will be carried out as soon as USDA provides essential guidance to the states. 

Florida lawmakers should immediately begin planning for how the state will address the loss of federal funds and other cuts to the program without further weakening access to SNAP, cutting benefits, or destroying the program entirely. To avoid steep cuts, Florida must tackle meaningful tax reform by enacting a more equitable corporate income tax, and overhauling the state’s regressive tax code so that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.[xlv] If not, the cuts triggered by H.R.1 will inevitably increase hunger and poverty among vulnerable Floridians and also batter our state and local economies.

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Notes

[i] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Florida: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” January 21, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/snap_factsheet_florida.pdf.

[ii] Florida Department of Children and Families, “ ESS Standard Reports: Standard Data Reports: Caseload,” April 23, 2025, https://www.myflfamilies.com/document/57226.

[iii] Food Research & Action Center, “The Positive Effect of SNAP Benefits on Participants and Communities,” https://frac.org/programs/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/positive-effect-snap-benefits-participants-communities; Cindy Huddleston and Norin Dollard, “SNAP Matters,” Florida Policy Institute,  https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5cd5801dfdf7e5927800fb7f/627bdd37654866352ece97f7_SNAPOnePager%20(1).pdf.

[iv] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Characteristics of Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2023,” April 2025, https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-FY23-Characteristics-Report.pdf.

[v] Luis Nuñez, “SNAP Helps 1.2 Million Veterans With Low Incomes, Including Thousands in Every State,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 2, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-helps-12-million-veterans-with-low-incomes-including-thousands-in.

[vi] Patrick Canning and Rosanna Mentzer Morrison, Economic Research Service,  U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Amber Waves: Quantifying the Impact of SNAP Benefits on the U.S. Economy and Jobs,” July 18, 2019, https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2019/july/quantifying-the-impact-of-snap-benefits-on-the-u-s-economy-and-jobs#:~:text=Highlights,and%20enroll%20in%20the%20program.

[vii] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “SNAP Retailer Management Year End Summary FY 2023: SNAP Redemptions and Authorized Firms by Region and State: Florida,” July 10, 2025, https://www.fns.usda.gov/data-research/data-visualization/snap-retailer-management-dashboard-fy23.

[viii] Cindy Huddleston and Norin Dollard.

[ix] H.R. 1, 2025, P.L. 119-21, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1.

[x] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leadership’s Reconciliation Bill Takes Food Assistance Away From Millions of People,”  updated June 30, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/by-the-numbers-senate-republican-leaderships-reconciliation-bill-takes.

[xi] Sharon Parrott, “House Should Reject Senate Republican Bill

That Is Even Worse Than Already Harmful House Version in Important Ways: Statement of Sharon Parrott, CBPP President, on passage of Senate Republican reconciliation bill,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 1, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/7-1-25bud-stmt.pdf.

Congressional Budget Office, “Distributional Effects of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” June 12, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61387#data;

[xii] Laura Wheaton, et al., “How the Senate Budget Reconciliation SNAP Proposals Will Affect Families in

Every US State: A Summary of Preliminary Research Findings,” Urban Institute, July 2025, https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/How-the-Senate-Budget-Reconciliation-SNAP-Proposals-Will-Affect-Families-in-Every-US-State.pdf.

[xiii] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “SNAP Payment Error Rates,” June 30, 2025, https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/qc/per.

[xv] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Corrective Action Plan: Quality Control Review Reports: State Requirements,” July 2024, https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-cap-state-requirements-july24.pdf.

[xvi] Gina Plata-Nino, JD, “The Deep Cost of President Trump’s and Republicans’ SNAP Cost-Share: 10 Things to Know, “ Food Research & Action Center, July 11, 2025, https://frac.org/blog/the-deep-cost-of-president-trumps-and-republicans-snap-cost-share-10-things-to-know.

[xvii] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “SNAP Quality Control: Ensuring Eligible SNAP Households Get the Right Benefits,” updated June 30, 2025, https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/qc.

[xviii]   Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Payment Error Rates: Fiscal Year 2024,” June 30, 2025, https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-fy24QC-PER.pdf.

[xix] Katie Bergh and Dottie Rosenbaum, “House Agriculture Committee Proposal Would Worsen Hunger, Hit State Budgets Hard,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 13, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/house-agriculture-committee-proposal-would-worsen-hunger-hit-state-budgets.

[xx] Plata-Nino, “The Deep Cost of President Trump’s and Republicans’ SNAP Cost-Share: 10 Things to Know.”

[xxi] WEAR staff, “Florida DCF addressing staffing shortages impacting delays in SNAP benefits,” WEARNEWS ABC3, April 15, 2022, https://weartv.com/news/local/florida-dcf-addressing-staffing-shortages-impacting-delays-in-snap-benefits.

[xxii] Aliss Higham, “Florida Residents Lose Out On Medicaid, SNAP Benefits Due To Online Error,” Newsweek, February 2, 2024, https://www.newsweek.com/florida-snap-medicaid-benefits-portal-error-1866249#:~:text=reading%20a%20document.-,SNAP%20and%20Medicaid%20recipients%20have%20been%20struggling%20to%20recertify%20their,away%20from%20a%20benefits%20review.

[xxiii]  Sabrina Maggiore, “A year, after Florida launched new SNAP application, glitches prevent many from getting help,” WFTV9, December 20, 2024, https://www.wftv.com/news/local/year-after-florida-launched-new-snap-application-website-glitches-prevent-many-getting-help/ITIAAMZQ5ZECBDDRANWIEY65UA/.

[xxiv] Food Research & Action Center, “SNAP State Budget Cost Shift: Fiscal Year 2023,” https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/SNAP-State-Budget-Cost-Shift.pdf.

[xxv] Gina Plata-Nino, JD, ” The Far-Reaching Harmful Impacts of the Reconciliation Bill — on Families, Older Adults, Immigrants, and State Budgets,” Food Research & Action Center, July 11, 2025, https://frac.org/blog/the-far-reaching-harmful-impacts-of-the-reconciliation-bill.

[xxvi] Joseph Llobrera, Dottie Rosenbaum and Catlin Nchako, “Senate Agriculture Committee’s Revised Work Requirement Would Risk Taking Away Food Assistance From More Than 5 Million People: State Estimates,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 27, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/senate-agriculture-committees-revised-work-requirement-would-risk-taking.

[xxvii] Joseph Llobrera, Dottie Rosenbaum and Catlin Nchako, “Senate Agriculture Committee’s Revised Work Requirement Would Risk Taking Away Food Assistance From More Than 5 Million People: State Estimates”

[xxviii] Katie Bergh, Dottie Rosenbaum and Wesley Tharpe, “House Reconciliation Bill Proposes Deepest SNAP Cut in History, Would Take Food Assistance Away From Millions of Low-Income Families,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 28, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/house-reconciliation-bill-proposes-deepest-snap-cut-in-history-would-take.

[xxix] Erin Brantley,  Drishti Pillai, Leighton Ku, “Association of Work Requirements With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation by Race/Ethnicity and Disability Status, 2013-2017,” JAMA Network, June 26, 2020, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2767673.

[xxx] Katie Bergh, Catlin Nchako and Luis Nuñez, “Worsening SNAP’s Harsh Work Requirement Would Take Food Assistance Away From Millions of Low-Income People,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 30, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/worsening-snaps-harsh-work-requirement-would-take-food-assistance-away#_ftn8.

[xxxi] Joseph Llobrera, Dottie Rosenbaum and Catlin Nchako, “Senate Agriculture Committee’s Revised Work Requirement Would Risk Taking Away Food Assistance from More Than 5 Million People: State Estimates.”

[xxxii] Gina Plata-Nino, JD, ” The Far-Reaching Harmful Impacts of the Reconciliation Bill — on Families, Older Adults, Immigrants, and State Budgets.”

[xxxiii] Ben D’Avanzo, “Existing Restrictions on Immigrants’ Eligibility for Federal Assistance Leave Little Left to Cut,” National immigration Law Center, February 10, 2025, https://www.nilc.org/articles/existing-restrictions-on-immigrants-eligibility-for-federal-assistance-leave-little-left-to-cut/.

[xxxiv] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Characteristics of Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2023,” Tables B.16 and 17, April 2025,  https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-FY23-Characteristics-Report.pdf.

[xxxv] Id.

[xxxvi] Before Congress modified HR 1 at the last minute to add Cuban Haitian Entrants as a category of immigrants who will maintain SNAP eligibility under the new law, 180,000 lawful immigrants in Florida were expected to lose SNAP under new restrictions on immigrant eligibility. After the modification, The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revised its estimate to about half as many people. Margot Danker, et al, “House Republican Reconciliation Bill Takes Away Health Coverage, Food Assistance, Tax Credits From Millions of Immigrants and Their Families,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 6, 2025, https://www.cbpp.org/research/immigration/house-republican-reconciliation-bill-takes-away-health-coverage-food.

[xxxvii] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Characteristics of Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2023,” Table B.16.

[xxxviii] Ben D’Avanzo.

[xxxix] Gina Plata-Nino, JD, ” The Far-Reaching Harmful Impacts of the Reconciliation Bill — on Families, Older Adults, Immigrants, and State Budgets.”

[xl] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “SNAP and the Thrifty Food Plan,” updated January 28, 2025, https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/thriftyfoodplan#:~:text=The%202018%20Farm%20Bill%20directed,30).

[xli] Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Estimated Increase in SNAP Benefits - FY 2022,”February 28, 2022, https://www.fns.usda.gov/TFP/state_table.

[xlii] Food Research & Action Center, “The Far-Reaching Harmful Impacts of the Reconciliation Bill — on Families, Older Adults, Immigrants, and State Budgets,” July 2025, https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/Budget-Reconciliation-2025-Impacts-Fact-Sheet.pdf.

[xliii] Urban.org, “Does SNAP Cover the Cost of a Meal in Your County?,” updated July 16, 2025, https://www.urban.org/data-tools/does-snap-cover-cost-meal-your-county.

[xliv] Of the 4,430,872 children living in Florida, 1,097,000 participate in SNAP. Kids Count Data Center, “Florida

Statistics on children, youth and families in Florida from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Florida Policy Institute,”  The Annie E. Casey Foundation, https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/tables/584-population-under-age-18#detailed/2/any/false/2545/any/1377,15498; Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2023,” Table B.14, April 2025, https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-FY23-Characteristics-Report.pdf.

[xlv] Esteban Leonardo Santis, PhD, “Behind the Numbers: What Floridians Should Know About the FY 2025-26 Tax Package,” Florida Policy Institute, July 11, 2025, https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/behind-the-numbers-what-floridians-should-know-about-the-fy-2025-26-tax-package.

Re-employment Assistance (RA)

American Rescue Plan Act Changes. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 extended PEUC and PUA benefits through the week ending September 6, 2021. It also increased the maximum duration of PEUC benefits ($300 a week) to 53 weeks and the maximum duration of PUA to 79 weeks. Although PEUC and PUA did not end until September 6, 2021, Florida withdrew from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) effective June 26, 2021. FPUC provided persons who were out of work due to COVID-19 with an additional $300 a week in unemployment insurance.

Reemployment Assistance weeks reverted to 12 effective January 1, 2022. DEO determines the maximum number of weeks available to RA claimants based on a statutory formula that looks at the average unemployment rate for the most recent third calendar year quarter (i.e., July, August, and September). Based on the downturn in unemployment, the maximum number of weeks for RA reverted to 12 effective January 1, 2022.

RA work-search and work registration requirements reinstated on May 30, 2021. Persons filing an application for RA benefits beginning March 15, 2020, are not required to complete work registration in Employ Florida through May 29, 2021. In addition, work search requirements for individuals requesting benefits for the weeks beginning March 15, 2020, were also reinstated on May 30, 2021.

RA biweekly reporting requirements reinstated. Although previously waived, biweekly reporting was reinstated effective May 10, 2020. DEO’s guide to claiming weeks is here.

Mobile app deployed. DEO has deployed a mobile app for RA applications.

‍DEO announces extended benefits. DEO announced implementation of Extended Benefits (EB).

Resources and guidance. For a list of resources and guidance from the United States Department of Labor on unemployment insurance and COVID-19, go here.

For DEO’s “Reemployment Assistance Frequently Asked Questions and Additional Resources,” updated 12/30/2020, go here.

For DEO’s latest claims data, go here.

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Department of Children and Families (DCF) Multi-Program Policies

DCF opens offices. DCF has reopened its brick-and-mortar storefronts, which were previously closed  due to coronavirus.

DCF adds call center numbers. DCF has added a call center number for Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call center numbers now include 850-300-4323, 866-762-2237, or TTY 1-800-955-8771.

Certification periods extended by 6 months only through August 2020. Certification periods for cash, food and medical assistance were extended by 6 months for individuals and families scheduled to recertify in April through August  2020. FNS’ approval of the SNAP extension for August is here.  However, effective September 1, 2020, SNAP, TANF and Medicaid recertifications have been reinstated, although DCF says that no one will lose Medicaid due to recertification.

‍DCF allows phone interviews. Phone interviews are now being used for TANF cash and SNAP food assistance.

Mandatory work requirements suspended only through May 2021. Under a directive from Governor DeSantis to waive work requirements for safety net programs, DCF  waived work requirements for individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) through May 2021. To do this, DCF explains that it partnered with the Department of Economic Opportunity to apply “good cause” statewide for TANF and SNAP recipients who would otherwise be subject to participation in mandatory work requirements as a condition of receiving those benefits. Through May 2021, persons who were sanctioned in the past due to work requirements will be able to reapply and participate in SNAP or TANF again.
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Work requirements were reinstated effective June 1, 2021.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Emergency allotments (EA) ended. DCF automatically supplemented SNAP allotments of current recipients up to the maximum for a household’s size for July 2021. However, EA was discontinued beginning August 1, 2021.

The SNAP benefits increase by 15 percent ended in October 2021. Floridians who participate in SNAP to put food on the table will receive a temporary 15 percent supplement to SNAP under COVID relief passed by Congress and extended by the American Rescue Plan Act through September 2021.

FNS permanently increases SNAP through revamp of the Thrifty Food Plan. Effective October 2021, FNS has mandated a permanent increase to SNAP through a revamp of the Thrifty Food Plan. DCF says that the increase amounts to about 6% for Floridians.

Time limits suspended. SNAP time limits are suspended during the COVID-19 public health emergency. No one in Florida should be barred from SNAP due to time limits, even if they exhausted their time limit in the past.

Florida granted waiver to allow families to purchase groceries online. DCF has been granted a federal waiver to permit the State of Florida to launch a pilot project statewide effective April 21, 2020, that allows families to purchase groceries online with their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card instead of going into stores.

  • At present, participating retailers are Walmart, Amazon, Aldi, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Publix. DCF cautions, however, that EBT cards cannot be used for delivery fees.

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Medicaid

No Medicaid terminations from March 2020 through the end of the federal public health emergency. The national public health emergency has existed since January 27, 2020 and has been renewed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in 90-day increments since that time. The most recent renewal is effective January 16, 2022.

On March 31, 2020, AHCA alerted providers and DCF posted on the ACCESS website that:

  • No Medicaid recipient will lose Medicaid eligibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency (unless the individual is no longer a state resident or request voluntary termination); under the newly enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act, a state is prohibited from ending coverage for recipients enrolled as of March 18th for the duration of the public health emergency if the state opts to obtain an enhanced federal Medicaid match.
  • AHCA is working to notify recipients who may have received a termination notice in the month of March that their benefits will be reinstated.
  • An FAQ released by federal CMS provides some examples of Medicaid eligibility groups  protected under these "no termination" requirements including: former foster care youth aging out when they turn 26; youth aging out of children's eligibility when they turn 19; individuals who become ineligible for SSI; individuals no longer qualifying for Qualified Medicare Benefits (QMB). In a May 5, 2020 update, CMS states that this “no termination” requirement also applies to medically needy individuals determined eligible during the public health emergency even if they do not continue to meet their monthly share of cost in subsequent months. This protection extends through the last day of the month the public health emergency ends.  
  • On October 28, 2020, federal CMS issued a new interim final rule weakening the continuous coverage, “no termination” requirement. In states like Florida that have opted to cover full benefits for lawfully residing children in the first 5 years after entry into the United States, once they turn 18, states are now required to limit their coverage to emergency services.  In addition, states are now permitted to reduce optional benefits such as dental coverage or increase cost-sharing such as requiring nursing home residents to contribute more to their costs of care. But in Florida this type of change would require the Legislature to amend state Medicaid law.  

Redetermination/recertification times are reinstated. As of October 1, 2020 AHCA's website is alerting recipients that the Department of Children and Families is now mailing letters for case reviews to check if a household is still eligible for Medicaid and/or Medically Needy. AHCA is urging people receiving these letters to take steps now to re-apply. But note, Medicaid coverage will not end during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. In January 2021 DCF conducted one-year “automated renewals” for people whose sole income is social security and SSI and are enrolled in an SSI-related Medicaid program (e.g., MEDS/AD,  Medically Needy and Medicare Savings Programs). People getting VA income were not included in the automated renewal.

Extended application time. Effective with applications filed in February 2020, the time for submitting documentation required to process an application is extended for 120 days from the date of the application and eligibility will still be effective the first day of the month the application was received. Effective July 1, 2021, this policy has been rescinded. Medicaid applications submitted on or after July 1, 2021 may be denied on the 30th day after application or the day after verification information is due. Applications filed prior to July 1, will be allowed 120 days to provide requested verification to establish Medicaid eligibility.

‍Exclusion of additional unemployment payments in determining eligibility. The $600/week of additional unemployment insurance payments under the CARES Act will not be counted as income in determining Medicaid eligibility. (However, these payments will be counted as income in determining marketplace subsidy calculations.)

Coverage of Medicaid services during the state of emergency

  • Coverage of all medically necessary services to COVID-19 testing and treatment.
  • Waiver of limits on services that must be exceeded to maintain the health and safety of recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 or when necessary to maintain a recipient safely in their home
  • Waiver of prior authorization requirements for hospital, physician, advanced practice registered nursing, physician assistant, home health services and durable medical equipment and supplies. As of June 19, 2020, AHCA reinstated prior authorization requirements for all of these services.
  • Waiver of copayments for all services
  • Waiver of limits on early prescription refills, except for controlled substances
  • Coverage of a 90-day supply of maintenance prescriptions when available at the pharmacy
  • Reimbursement of out-of-state providers providing medically necessary services to Florida Medicaid beneficiaries. As of July 1, 2021, the availability of provider “provisional enrollment” for in-state and out-of-state providers will end.
  • Delay of fair hearings only in those instances when the recipient is continuing to receive services pending the outcome of the hearing

COVID-19 Vaccines for Medicaid Enrollees. In an executive order published March 16, 2021 Governor DeSantis revised the vaccine distribution plan, which applies to the general public including Medicaid enrollees, to lower the age requirement to 40 effective March 29, 2021 and then effective April 5, 2021 all Floridians are eligible to receive any COVID-19 vaccination approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Medicaid enrollees eligible to receive the vaccine may visit myvaccine.fl.gov to find a location distributing the vaccine and to schedule an appointment.

On March 12, 2021, AHCA published instructions for Medicaid enrollees on how to obtain Medicaid transportation once they have scheduled an appointment for a vaccine. AHCA states: "Florida Medicaid will take you to get the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost. All you need to do is set up a time to get your vaccine. Next, let your Medicaid plan know you need a ride and they will take care of the rest. If you are not enrolled in a plan, call the Medicaid Helpline at 1-877-254-1055 to find out the name and phone number for a transportation service."

The state has also recently launched a new email system to help bring COVID-19 vaccines to homebound seniors. Seniors will be able to sign up to have the vaccine come to them by emailing a request to HomeboundVaccine@em.myflorida.com.

AHCA has posted Medicaid Alerts and FAQs providing more detail on Medicaid service changes in response to COVID-19. They address a wide range of topics including, but not limited to: telemedicine guidance for medical, behavioral health, and early intervention services providers; long-term care provider network flexibilities allowing more types of providers to deliver specified long term care services; and continuity of care for adult day care center enrollees during the time these centers are closed.

AHCA is loosening coverage restrictions for behavioral health services. Effective May 5, 2020, all prior authorization requirements for mental health or substance use disorder treatment are waived and service limitations (frequency and duration) are lifted. For behavioral analysis services, current authorizations will be extended through an "administrative approval process" which does not require providers to reassess beneficiaries currently getting services. Effective July 1, 2021 service limits will be reinstated for behavioral health services and effective July 15, 2021 Medicaid prior authorization requirements will be reinstated for behavioral health services.

Per a May 29, 2020 provider alert, during the state of emergency AHCA will be reimbursing providers for telemedicine well-child visits provided to children older than 24 months through age 20. Providers are directed to actively work to schedule follow-up in-person visits to administer immunizations and other physical components of the exam which cannot be accomplished through telemedicine.  

The public charge rule will not be applied to immigrants’ use of Medicaid benefits for COVID-19 testing and treatment.

Coverage of home and community-based waiver services (HCBS) - In response to the public emergency, Florida obtained approval from the federal government to make changes in HCBS waiver programs, including the Long Term Care and Developmental Disabilities programs. The changes are effective retroactively from January 27, 2020 to January 26, 2021. Details can be found here. They include, but are not limited to:

  • permitting virtual evaluations, assessments and care planning meetings in lieu of face to face meetings and use of electronic signatures;
  • lifting service limits in order to address health and welfare issues of enrollees;
  • adjusting service prior authorization requirements;
  • temporarily expanding the settings where services can be provided;  
  • allowing payments for support services provided to enrollees in hospital or short- term institutional settings; and
  • prohibiting visitors in certain residential settings to minimize the spread of infection.

Note on COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines for the uninsured. Florida has not opted to receive 100 percent federal Medicaid funding for COVID-19 testing of people without health insurance. Under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act this option has been expanded to cover COVID-19 treatment and vaccines for the uninsured as well. Since the state has not taken up this option Floridians must look to an uneven patchwork of free testing, treatment, and vaccine resources scattered around the state. AHCA advises that uninsured people may receive free testing from their county health department or a federally qualified health center and that “many communities provide testing for free for individuals who do not have insurance. Please [click here] to find a test site in your area. Uninsured individuals should ask before the test whether testing is free of charge." There are no state agency instructions on where uninsured people can receive free treatment. However, more information on possible sources for free treatment is available here.

Residency proof no longer required at some vaccine sites, “paving the way for migrants.” - On April 29, 2021 Surgeon General Rivkees issued a new public health advisory specifying that COVID-19 vaccines are available to “a Florida resident” or someone “who is present in Florida for the purpose of providing goods or services for the benefits of residents and visitors of the State of Florida.” This new policy applies to all state-run and federally supported vaccination sites. It rescinds an advisory issued in January that had restricted vaccinations to people who could show proof of Florida residency

2021 unemployment compensation claimants can access free or reduced cost health insurance through the ACA marketplace. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace was re-opened in February 2021 to give people who need health insurance a new “special enrollment" opportunity to get covered. The 2021 American Rescue Plan eliminated or vastly reduced premiums for many people with low or moderate incomes.

Starting July 1, 2021, people who received or have been approved for unemployment compensation for any week beginning in 2021 can access free or reduced cost comprehensive health insurance plans through the ACA marketplace. This benefit is available regardless of someone's current income. To get this benefit, people must enroll in the marketplace no later than August 15, 2021. For help with enrollment, contact Covering Florida at 877-813-9115.

Child Nutrition Programs

School children in distance learning still eligible for free or reduced cost meals. Students in distance learning for  2020-21 can still receive school meals through the National School Lunch Program if they are eligible. The student or parent/guardian may pick up meals at the school but should contact their school for more information.

For a list of current child nutrition program waivers for Florida from USDA, go here.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Congress allows increased fruit and vegetable benefits. At present, WIC provides $9 for children and $11 for women monthly for fruits and vegetables. The American Rescue Plan Act makes funding available for a four-month increase in the benefit of up to $35 monthly, if a state chooses to do so.

DOH attains waiver allowing remote issuance: Department of Health (DOH) obtained a waiver of the requirement that participants pick up their EBT cards in person at recertification or during nutritional education appointments.

‍WIC participants allowed to substitute certain food. Under a waiver from USDA, WIC participants in Florida are allowed to substitute milk of any available fat content and whole wheat or whole grain bread in package sizes up to 24 oz. when 16 oz. packages are unavailable.

‍USDA waived physical presence requirements: Although the scope and logistics are unclear at this time, USDA has given DOH permission to waive the requirement that persons be physically present at each certification or recertification determination in order to determine eligibility under the program through May 31, 2020.

USDA extends certification periods through May 31, 2020, for some participants.

For a list of current WIC waivers for Florida from USDA, go here.


Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

HHS provides guidance. HHS has issued guidance on the flexibilities in TANF to respond to COVID-19.

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