Imagine a 59-year-old Ohioan who spends every day caring for a disabled family member. SNAP helps keep food on the table, and their caregiving role qualifies them for exemptions from work requirements and time limits. Then they turn 60, and those protections disappear. Nothing about their responsibilities has changed, yet under the DeWine administration’s interpretation of a new federal law, they could lose food assistance after just three months.
For these caregiving families across Ohio, SNAP is a lifeline that could be cut off overnight under the state’s proposed rules.
A federal change creates an unintended gap
The federal reconciliation bill of 2025, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill extended SNAP’s three-months-every-three-years time limit for able-bodied adults without dependents up to age 64. Younger adults can stay on SNAP for longer by meeting general work requirements. Longstanding exemptions to work requirements include being unable to work because of a physical or mental limitation, participating in alcohol or drug treatment, and being unable to work or caring for a young child or an “incapacitated” person. The change for 60-64 year olds will result in some exemptions applying, but not others.
For adults ages 18 to 59, meeting one of these exemptions means they are excused from both work requirements and the time limit. For those ages 60 to 64, the rules are applied differently. They are not subject to the general work requirement. However, under Ohio’s current interpretation, they remain subject to the time limit and cannot access the full set of exemptions to keep SNAP.
Ohio’s approach leaves caregivers behind
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has proposed rules to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) that treat adults ages 60 to 64 differently from younger recipients. A 59-year-old caregiver remains fully exempt. The day they turn 60, that exemption from the time limit disappears, putting their SNAP benefits at risk even though their circumstances have not changed.
This policy creates real hardship, especially for older adults supporting family members with developmental or other disabilities and those struggling with behavioral health issues.
Many other states are taking a more reasonable approach
There is a strong reason to believe this outcome was not what Congress intended. At least 36 states are interpreting the same federal law in a more practical and equitable way, allowing adults ages 60 to 64 to qualify for the full range of exemptions, including caregiving. States like North Carolina and Illinois show it is possible to implement the law without creating a sudden and arbitrary cutoff.
We are at a critical moment
In a unanimous bipartisan vote, JCARR directed ODJFS to revisit its interpretation and report back within 30 days. The next JCARR meeting set for March 23, 2026; watch at 1:30.
Now is the time for advocates, providers, and community members to stay engaged. The DeWine administration needs to hear from you that this narrow and burdensome interpretation of federal law puts caregivers at risk.
No one should lose food assistance simply because they had a birthday.
Turning 60 should not put someone’s food security at risk. Closing this gap will protect caregivers, support families, and keep SNAP working as intended for the people who depend on it most.
