Somewhere between 160,000 and 196,000 Massachusetts residents have lost SNAP food benefits since federal rules changed in 2025, according to figures compiled by the Fall River Reporter on November 8, 2026. The estimates come from different sources and periods, and they do not match exactly. The direction is the same in all of them.
Two forces are behind the drop: a federal law that rewrote who qualifies, and a state agency whose phone line, according to a pending class-action lawsuit, disconnected most callers for the first half of 2026. Here is what changed in the law, which we read in full, who is now at risk, and what to do if your benefits were cut.
The numbers
| Source | Estimate | As reported by |
|---|---|---|
| MassLive | About 160,000 fewer residents, including nearly 60,000 children, since the new rules took effect | Fall River Reporter |
| Project Bread | Nearly 196,000 people, including about 70,000 children, since the July 2025 federal law | Fall River Reporter |
| USDA | A decline of about 183,800 recipients between July 2025 and July 2026 | Fall River Reporter |
| MLRI lawsuit | Caseload down 18 percent since August 2024 | GBH News |
The Fall River Reporter put the drop at roughly 15 to 17 percent of participants and reported that Boston lost about 25,500 residents from the program, while New Bedford and Fall River together lost nearly 12,000. It also noted that part of the earlier decline reflected the end of temporary COVID-era expansions.
What the federal law changed
The changes come from Public Law 119-21, the budget reconciliation law signed in July 2025 and known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. We read the SNAP sections at govinfo.gov and compared them with the prior text of the Food and Nutrition Act.
The time limit itself did not change
The core rule, 7 U.S.C. § 2015(o)(2), still says an adult subject to it cannot keep receiving SNAP if, “during the preceding 36-month period,” the person received benefits “for not less than 3 months (consecutive or otherwise)” without working “20 hours or more per week, averaged monthly,” or taking part in a qualifying work or workfare program. That is the rule usually described as 80 hours a month.
Who it covers did change
Section 10102 of the 2025 law struck the list of exceptions and replaced it. The new law says the time limit does not apply to someone who is:
- “under 18, or over 65, years of age”
- “medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment”
- “a parent or other member of a household with responsibility for a dependent child under 14 years of age”
- otherwise exempt under the general work rules in subsection (d)(2)
- “a pregnant woman”
- an Indian or Urban Indian, or a California Indian, as defined in federal health law
Compare that with the version in effect before, which we read in the 2024 edition of the U.S. Code:
| Group | Before | After the 2025 law |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Exempt if over 55 (fiscal 2025) | Exempt only if over 65 |
| Parents | Exempt with “a dependent child” of any age | Exempt only with a child “under 14” |
| Homeless individuals | Exempt | Not on the list |
| Veterans | Exempt | Not on the list |
| Former foster youth, 24 and younger | Exempt | Not on the list |
| Pregnant women, medically unfit | Exempt | Still exempt |
State estimates indicated about 99,000 to 100,000 Massachusetts residents would newly face the time limit, the Fall River Reporter reported.
Immigrant eligibility
Section 10108 rewrote 7 U.S.C. § 2015(f). Non-citizens now qualify only if they are lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants, or people living here under a Compact of Free Association. The Fall River Reporter reported this ended eligibility for certain lawfully present groups, including refugees, asylees and survivors of trafficking, affecting an estimated 9,500 to 10,000 people in Massachusetts. Undocumented immigrants were never eligible.
Why it is still rolling out
The changes are applied as each household reaches its annual recertification, the Fall River Reporter reported. That means some households have not yet been reviewed under the new rules.
The phone line and the lawsuit
On September 21, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute filed a class action in Suffolk Superior Court against Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Michael Cole, GBH News reported. The 19-page complaint says the agency’s assistance line automatically disconnected 74 to 81 percent of incoming calls on average during the first six months of 2026, and it accuses DTA of unlawfully cutting or reducing benefits for people who could not reach a caseworker, according to GBH.
DTA blamed federal changes. “No one in Massachusetts should go hungry. President Trump and Congress have made changes that are causing people across the country to lose SNAP benefits and making it harder for families to put food on the table,” the department said, according to GBH. A spokesperson said DTA hired 76 frontline caseworkers in January and 42 more in recent months. Gov. Maura Healey’s closeout supplemental budget includes $26.6 million to keep 78 new DTA employees hired this year and add 10 more, GBH reported. MLRI’s Vicky Negus told GBH that is not enough: “The only systemic solution to the access crisis that we are in is more staff.”
The claims in the lawsuit are allegations. The court has not ruled.
If your SNAP was cut: the appeal deadlines
Federal SNAP rules give every household a right to a fair hearing. We read 7 C.F.R. § 273.15 at the eCFR.
- 90 days. “A household shall be allowed to request a hearing on any action by the State agency or loss of benefits which occurred in the prior 90 days.”
- Up to a year for lost benefits. A denial of a request to restore benefits lost “more than 90 days but less than a year prior to the request” also counts as an appealable action.
- Asking is simple. A request for a hearing is “a clear expression, oral or written,” that the household wants to appeal.
- Keep benefits while you appeal. If a household requests a hearing within the period stated in the notice of adverse action and its certification period has not expired, benefits “shall be continued” at the prior level unless the household waives that.
Practical steps, based on those rules:
- Read the notice of adverse action for its deadline to keep benefits in place. That deadline is separate from the 90-day limit for requesting a hearing.
- Check whether you fit a remaining exemption, especially a medical certification or a child under 14 in the home.
- Keep records of your work or training hours, and of any calls to DTA that did not go through.
- Free legal help is available through legal aid programs listed at masslegalhelp.org.
For the basics of applying, our guides cover SNAP in Massachusetts, DTA Connect and the Massachusetts EBT card.
Frequently asked questions
How many people lost SNAP in Massachusetts?
Estimates range from about 160,000 (MassLive) to nearly 196,000 (Project Bread) since the 2025 federal changes, with USDA data showing a decline of about 183,800 between July 2025 and July 2026, as compiled by the Fall River Reporter.
Are veterans still exempt from SNAP work requirements?
No. The 2025 law replaced the exemption list, and the new list does not include veterans, homeless individuals or former foster youth.
What is the SNAP work requirement age now?
The time limit applies to adults 18 through 65 unless another exemption applies. The law exempts people “under 18, or over 65, years of age.”
Are parents exempt from SNAP work requirements?
Only parents or household members responsible for a dependent child under 14. Before the 2025 law, a dependent child of any age qualified.
How long do I have to appeal a SNAP termination?
Federal rules allow a hearing request on any action or loss of benefits in the prior 90 days. To keep benefits during the appeal, request the hearing within the period in your notice of adverse action.
What is the DTA lawsuit about?
A class action filed September 21, 2026 by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute alleges DTA cut or reduced benefits for people who could not reach a caseworker because its phone line disconnected most calls. It is pending in Suffolk Superior Court.
Sources: Fall River Reporter, November 8, 2026, citing MassLive, Project Bread and USDA data; GBH News, September 28, 2026. Public Law 119-21, §§ 10102 and 10108, read at govinfo.gov; 7 U.S.C. § 2015(o), 2024 edition, read at govinfo.gov; 7 C.F.R. § 273.15, read at ecfr.gov. General information, not legal advice.