Some beneficiaries of the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Arkansas are now required to participate in a previously voluntary work and training program, the state Department of Human Services announced Friday.
SNAP Employment & Training, administered by the department, will be a required step for any unpaid Arkansan who does not work at least 20 hours a week and applies for benefits, renews eligibility or reports a change, according to a news release from the department.
Those exempt from participation include residents aged 17 or younger, 60 or older, pregnant, living with a disability, caring for a child under 14 or a member of certain Indian groups.
The program includes training in areas such as job readiness, digital literacy and basic adult education, according to the release, using partnerships with state providers including the Arkansas Employment Career Center, Arkansas Adult Education, Shorter College and Arkansas Northeastern College.
“SNAP E&T is about helping Arkansans build skills and create pathways to long-term success,” said Mary Franklin, director of the department’s District Operations Division, in a release. “This program connects beneficiaries with the tools they need to achieve greater independence and reach their full potential.”
About 230,000 Arkansans were on SNAP as of December 2025, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Christin Harper, director of policy with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said she has mixed feelings about the announcement, noting that she believes the state has been planning change for a while.
“Our biggest concern is, from volunteering to bonding, it’s going to be all about enforcement and making sure that, no matter where you are, (you) have equal access,” Harper said. “The goal of the program is wonderful, in terms of providing education, job skills, training, but the devil is in the details.”
Harper said he is also concerned that Arkansans are missing out on benefits as a result of the change, adding that inter-agency communication will be “important” to make sure beneficiaries and applicants are informed.
Sylvia Blain, CEO of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, shared Harper’s concern about the lost benefits, noting that the state already has a low rate of participation in SNAP, although she pointed out that the participation of workers in the state has been mandated, despite the wide exemptions.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, reduced the eligibility window for the exemption, which resulted in adults over the age of 64 (before the age of 54) and parents of children under the age of 14 (before the age of 18) being able to stay on SNAP without proving that they were working, volunteering or training on the job for 80 hours a month.
Blain said he believes the announcement is related to the state’s efforts to implement new job requirements.
“All our government agencies have been making efforts to put everything under one roof, so I think this is another effort to improve the process,” he said. “If you already have an appointment with DHS for eligibility or renewal, now is a good time to talk to them about the job requirement that is no longer required by the state.”
Human Services Department spokesman Gavin Lesnick said in an email that the policy change from a voluntary program to a mandatory education and training program is unrelated to the federal budget bill.
Lesnick confirmed that under previous laws, beneficiaries who did not meet the work requirement could choose to participate in the education and training program.
“Now, SNAP recipients who must meet SNAP’s general work requirements will be required to participate in SNAP E&T,” Lesnick said. “If they refuse or fail to participate without a valid reason, they will face a continuous punishment of one, six or twelve months and will not be accepted for the first, second or subsequent refusal.”
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