Ohio Sued Over Work Waivers for SNAP Recipients

Advocates for the poor have filed a civil rights complaint against Ohio officials for failing to renew the state’s food stamp waiver for all 88 Ohio counties, which resulted in thousands of Ohioans losing the federal benefits, including in Marion County.

In a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the advocacy groups argued the decision disproportionately hurt minority Ohioans. The complaint was filed jointly by The Legal Aid Society of Columbus, the Ohio Poverty Law Program, the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality.

The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, requires recipients of food stamps to either work 20 hours a week or attend work training. The federal government allowed states to waive minimum work requirements during the recession and since 2007, Ohio officials have applied for and received a statewide waiver from the work requirement.

In September 2013, Ohio officials announced the state received a waiver for the 16 most economically depressed of Ohio’s 88 counties. The exempt counties are located mostly in Appalachian Ohio and don’t include Ohio’s big, urban counties such as Cuyahoga County. They also did not include Marion nor any surrounding counties.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spokeswoman Angela Terez said states don’t need the waivers as much as they previously did because the economy is continuing to recover.

“Make no mistake, the fact that more Ohioans can find jobs is good news, not bad news, and we continue to work with counties to support Ohioans transitioning off food assistance to help them permanently move up and off public assistance,” Terez said in an email.

Eight states did not use a work requirement waiver in 2014 and nine states besides Ohio implemented partial waivers.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services officials expected the change to affect approximately 134,000 Ohioans out of the more than 1.8 million who receive food assistance. The change was estimated to affect up to 29,000 Cuyahoga County residents.

The complaint argues by waiving the work requirement in rural counties, the state discriminated against minorities living in counties with urban centers. The advocacy groups request the USDA extend the work requirement waiver to all Ohio counties.

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