JACKSON, Wyo. — The food access outlook in Wyoming is shifting, and looming changes to federal safety-net programs — like Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps — are putting pressure on nonprofits to fill the vacuum.
In July, 28,746 Wyoming residents received SNAP benefits; just 51 of those lived in Teton County. Local nonprofit Hole Food Rescue Program Director Iván Jiménez suggested that the high cost of living in Teton County tends to inflate wages relative to the rest of the state, which precludes many people locally from receiving SNAP benefits. To qualify for benefits, a family of four must have an annual income of less than $41,795.
“A lot of our families don’t qualify for SNAP,” Jiménez told Buckrail, “even though they are still food insecure.”
Wyomingites who receive SNAP benefits, or might in the future, should be aware of the following changes to the program. There are also planned adjustments to the allowable deductions for applicants.
Food Bank of Wyoming Executive Director Danica Sveda told Buckrail one of her concerns is that nonprofits and food banks around the state will need to stretch their limited resources to feed more people, especially those who could lose federal benefits.
Through the passage of H.R.1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act in Congress in July, major changes to SNAP are planned for the next few years. Wyoming’s SNAP is administered through the state’s Department of Family Services (DFS). In August, DFS released a data sheet explaining the major changes to SNAP and the Cent$ible Nutrition Program. According to the data sheet, benefits are paid for by the federal government, and in State Fiscal Year 2025, Wyoming residents received around $62 million in benefits. The average household benefit in the state is $386 per month.
Work requirements
To apply for SNAP, individuals must fill out a 15-page application and log all work hours per month, unless exempt. Able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) are required to work a minimum of 80 hours per month to receive benefits. Currently about 8% of Wyoming benefit recipients are considered ABAWD. The upcoming changes will soon require the following demographics to abide by the 80-hour work month: recipients ages 55 to 64; parents with children over the age of 14; veterans; homeless individuals; and former foster youth ages 18 to 24. According to DFS, the number of individuals subject to the additional requirements in Wyoming will rise by 725.
The new work requirements “took effect when the bill became law,” said DFS Public Information Officer Kelly Douglas. “However, the SNAP program is managed by the [U.S Department of Agriculture], and the USDA will need time to develop processes and procedures to implement the change with Wyoming and other states.”
Administrative cost sharing
The next change to take effect will happen in Oct. 2026, when states will be responsible for 75% of the program’s administrative costs, up from a 50/50 share with the federal government. This will increase Wyoming’s share from $6.7 million to over $10 million annually. Douglas told Buckrail via email that an additional state appropriation will be needed to cover the state’s share.
“Current interpretations of this provision suggest that states not meeting the administrative cost-sharing requirement may be deemed ineligible to administer the SNAP program,” Douglas wrote.
Thrifty Food Plan
Another major change that recipients will feel in their wallets is one related to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is defined by the USDA as the minimum cost of groceries needed to provide a healthy, budget-conscious diet for a family of four, or a “reference family.” The 2018 Farm Bill, signed into law by then-President Donald Trump, directed the USDA to re-evaluate TFP every five years; it was last re-evaluated in 2021.
The following is written on the USDA website: “USDA calculates the Thrifty Food Plan using a mathematical model, or equation, based on the cost of food, the nutrients in food, nutrition guidance and what Americans eat.”
This summer’s federal budget reconciliation bill capped the annual increase in the cost of TFP to only include inflation as reflected by the consumer price index for all urban consumers. The legislation also states that the next re-evaluation of TFP will not take place before Oct. 2027, and that the “Secretary shall not increase the cost of the thrifty food plan based on a re-evaluation.” The DFS resource sheet suggests that this will reduce purchasing power over time.
Program cost sharing
Beginning in Oct. 2027, the federal government will start requiring states to share benefit costs depending on their payment error rate. This rate is determined by the number of incorrectly calculated benefits or the number of errors caused by recipients in a given state’s SNAP. Any state with an error rate under 6% will not incur any cost-sharing responsibility, but an error rate from 6% to 8% would result in a state paying 5% of its SNAP benefit costs. The payment rate continues to climb with the error rate. According to DFS, Wyoming’s payment error rate currently stands at 5.12%. If Wyoming’s error rate did increase to 6%, the state would be on the hook for over $3 million in benefit costs, in addition to the newly required $10 million in administrative costs.
The concluding message from DFS on the data sheet is as follows: “If the state’s payment accuracy falls, it could face steep new costs — or even lose the ability to run the program. There may also be impacts to community partners (i.e. food banks) in increasing the demand from individuals and families for their services. Wyoming will need to make strategic investments now to ensure SNAP stays efficient, accessible and affordable.”
Follow along as Buckrail dives into the changing world of food access in Teton County and Wyoming through interviews with food producers, food pantries, nonprofits, government agencies and more.
