County Department of Social Services prepare to screen and monitor thousands
By Andrew Harris
Our partners at NY Focus have published a robust explanation of a major change in how the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program aka SNAP in counties New York State.
The new federal legislation best known as “The Big Beautiful Bill” ends a waiver program which allows states to opt-out of work requirements. The end of the program was planned for February 28, 2026 and counties which administer the program were waiting for a game plan from the state to manage a very big bureaucratic challenge.
As NY Focus reports, the Trump administration has decided to accelerate that plan by five months. In places like Allegany County, the new date to begin the process of notifying, screening, approving or denying is November 2, 2025. The criteria for those who must be interviewed is adults up to 64 without dependents under 14. Applicants must certify they have worked, volunteered, or studied in school at least 80 hours per month. Disabled New Yorkers are not asked to certify monthly with proper medical documentation.
In Allegany and Steuben County, about twelve percent of the population receives SNAP benefits. In Allegany County that is nearly 5000 residents, in Steuben the number is closer to 12,000.
Each county Social Services Department will be charged with contacting thousands current recipients and then implementing a system for the certification process.
We asked Allegany County Commissioner of Social Services Don Horan about the challenge ahead and what his office expects the next steps:
“Social Services will begin to mail out important information regarding Able Bodied Adult Without Dependents(ABAWD) requirements for those that have been identified in the state welfare management system.”
Cancellation of the USDA waiver that New York State held for SNAP benefits presents a challenge for Social Services and clients to complete requirements in a short period of time.“
Read the indepth reporting from NY Focus:
Surprise Trump Move Will Upend New York Food Stamps
New York counties thought they had months to prepare to implement SNAP work requirements. Now, they have weeks.
By Jie Jenny Zou · October 9, 2025
