Researchers studying West Virginia’s SNAP work requirements found employment did not improve, while barriers to work kept families relying on pantries.
In Delbarton, West Virginia, a line of cars stretched for hours before a mobile pantry began moving—an image of need that now intersects with SNAP policy.
The administration of SNAP work rules has become a flashpoint nationwide. but the local effects are stark in Mingo County. where jobs are scarce and daily life makes meeting eligibility requirements difficult for many residents.. The latest federal change—part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act. ” as described by advocates and policy analysts—tightens SNAP access for “able-bodied adults” 64 or younger without dependents who are not working. volunteering. or participating in qualifying job training at least 80 hours per month.. Under the rule, people generally face only three months of benefits every three years.
Before this round, the work requirement had applied to those 54 or younger.. The newer framework also expands coverage to parents of children 14 or older and removes several exemptions that previously protected groups such as veterans. people experiencing homelessness. and young adults who aged out of foster care.. Supporters of work requirements say they are meant to push people who are “work-ready” toward employment and reduce long-term reliance on assistance.. Critics argue the policy assumes jobs exist on demand—and that recipients can meet strict compliance targets even when health. transportation. and documentation barriers get in the way.
Misryoum reporting from the coalfields underscores what researchers say is happening on the ground: when the rules return. employment gains may not follow.. Health and safety net policy analysts studying SNAP work requirements found that requiring work does not lower a county’s unemployment rate.. In Mingo County specifically. their findings indicate that after previous work requirements were reinstated. the average number of people employed each month actually declined.
One explanation is basic but often overlooked in policy debates: hunger can undermine the conditions needed to work.. Rhonda Rogombé. a policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. points to a practical reality—when people are hungry. they may struggle to focus. engage in work activities. or sustain the effort required to take advantage of scarce opportunities.. For families already living close to the edge. a change in eligibility rules can function less like an incentive and more like added pressure.
That dynamic appears in the story of Perry and Lilly Hall.. Perry. who is managing multiple myeloma. has required significant travel for treatment. with visits that reached Morgantown—about 4½ hours each way—at times using rides when their van was unavailable.. Lilly, who volunteers with the pantry, relies on about $1,500 a month from Social Security benefits and SNAP support.. Because of her age, she became subject to the new work requirements and faces the risk of losing assistance.
Lilly did find work once. at a restaurant in Delbarton. but the job came with the kind of structural limitation that can keep people from fully stabilizing: it was unpaid until a waitress position opened.. That may be enough to preserve benefits in the short term. but it does not necessarily translate into the kind of reliable income that policymakers often envision when they craft work mandates.
Work rules assume jobs—and the coalfields don’t have enough of them
Mingo County’s economy, once anchored by coal, has shrunk.. The county’s population has declined over the past decade. and while the region is still commonly labeled the “coalfields. ” mining is minimal compared with earlier years.. With a quarter of residents living in poverty. the county’s labor market is thin. and the barriers to employment extend beyond simply “being willing to work.”
Misryoum analysis points to a constellation of obstacles described by local researchers: unreported physical and mental impairments. housing insecurity. and limited educational and documentation access.. On top of that, completing compliance paperwork can be difficult, especially when reliable internet access is missing.. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy’s research found that about one in four residents lack reliable internet access—an issue that matters in a system where verification can depend on forms. reporting. and timely documentation.
Compliance is expensive, and transportation doesn’t come free
Even when jobs are available, reaching them can cost time and money that SNAP recipients often cannot spare.. At pantries across the region, organizers describe how geography converts a “short commute” into a longer, more punishing trip.. A few dozen miles into a holler or up a ridge can take an hour or more. and the household costs of getting to work—especially gas—keep rising.
Janet Gibson. who runs the Blessing Barn pantry in the Ben Creek community. says she can name clients and understand their circumstances.. Her description of transportation barriers is personal and granular: it is not only the difficulty of finding work. but the difficulty of finding volunteer opportunities and other steps that might be treated as compliance alternatives.. In a place where “spinning out gas” is unavoidable, work requirements can end up raising the price of staying eligible.
What states may do next as costs shift
Misryoum policy implications also extend beyond eligibility rules to the mechanics of running the program.. SNAP administrative costs are shared between the federal government and states. but a schedule change begins in October: states will assume 75% of administrative costs.. Then, starting in October 2027, states will bear additional costs tied to error rates.
For poorer states that already operate under tighter budgets. the combination of rising administrative burdens and expanded work requirements could create pressure to tighten participation further—whether through stricter rules. more burdensome verification. or other steps aimed at reducing costs.. A policy analysis from Kentucky’s Center for Economic Policy. described by Misryoum. estimates that as many as 114. 000 residents could risk losing SNAP benefits under the expanded work requirements.
Misryoum understands the risk here isn’t only administrative; it is health and stability.. Researchers and advocates warn that even limited benefit losses can worsen food insecurity—and food insecurity is linked to health outcomes such as higher blood pressure. obesity. and difficulties maintaining medication adherence.. In practical terms, cuts can ripple through families’ ability to stay housed, manage chronic conditions, and keep children in school.
Families are turning to pantries—while policy keeps changing
As SNAP rules tighten, local safety nets appear to be absorbing some of the strain.. In Mingo County alone. Misryoum notes that at least eight food pantries provide groceries to residents in need. with schedules designed around monthly benefit cycles.. House of Hope in Delbarton. for example. runs on the last Saturday of each month and supplements on certain weekdays—an operational rhythm built around when money runs out.
But pantries cannot replace income.. They can feed people now; they cannot guarantee job availability, reliable transportation, or stable medical access.. For Lilly Hall. employment remains conditional and dependent on staffing openings. while health needs continue to shape the couple’s ability to travel and comply.
Not everyone is trapped in the same circumstances. and the most revealing moments may be the ones that show how quickly stability can be threatened.. Trista Shankle of Paducah. Kentucky. is not subject to the new SNAP requirements. yet she worries about how fragile the safety net can be.. She describes how multiple supports—SNAP. Medicaid. housing assistance. and nutrition assistance programs—work together to keep families afloat and allow education to continue.
For policymakers debating work requirements. Misryoum sees a central question that keeps resurfacing across the coalfields: what happens when the system demands work. but the local economy cannot reliably deliver it?. Until that mismatch is addressed. the public cost may shift from government budgets to community pantries—and from policy targets to families living through the gap.
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