Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a new tool Friday for SNAP recipients in need of information about employment and job training resources after the Trump administration changed eligibility requirements.
To maintain their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, recipients have to “work 20 hours a week or more, or 80 hours a month or more,” said J.D. Douglass-Robinson, the acting director of the Maryland Department of Human Services Office of Benefits Access.
Those activities can include going to work at a paid job, taking part in employment and training programs, volunteering “or any mixture of those three things.”
Nearly 36,000 Marylanders lost their SNAP benefits after the changes took effect Nov. 1.
The new interactive tool links users to 46 employment and training partners, which Douglass-Robinson said will help recipients meet the SNAP requirements and, “sets them up for success once they leave those programs” and look for job placement.
Recipients will be able to take part in 12- to 16-week training programs depending on the types of employment and training they choose.
“They can filter what kind of job fields they want to look for, so things like hospitality, automotive, childcare, health care, etc.,” Douglass-Robinson said.
“They’ll be able to look and see what training providers are in their area, and we’re trying to make it as seamless as possible for customers to enroll in this program and start building a career,” he said.
