New NJ law will make fulfilling Medicaid, SNAP work requirements easier
The law expands volunteer opportunities that can be used to meet new federal work requirements.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a law Wednesday that aims to help New Jersey residents meet new federal requirements for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and avoid losing coverage.
The bill will make it easier for people to use volunteer hours to meet a new 80-hour-per-month work requirement for SNAP recipients and certain NJ FamilyCare enrollees. NJ FamilyCare is New Jersey’s Medicaid program.
The requirement took effect for SNAP recipients in March and will take effect for people enrolled in the NJ FamilyCare Alternative Benefit Plan on Jan. 1, 2027.
Under the new law, the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism will work with the state departments of Human Services and Labor and Workforce Development to expand volunteer opportunities that can be used to meet the federal requirements.
The state will also modify its HELPNJNOW portal to make it easier for people to search and apply for qualifying volunteer opportunities and submit documentation for the volunteer hours they worked.
The bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assembly members Annette Quijano, Shanique Speight and Jerry Walker, passed the state Senate and Assembly on June 30.
“For a parent working two jobs, a senior on a fixed income, or someone dealing with a health issue, navigating new and expanded mandates can be the difference between keeping benefits and losing them,” Coughlin said in a statement on Wednesday.
In addition to volunteer hours, benefit recipients can use employment, education or job training to meet the work requirements.
The new NJ FamilyCare requirements will apply to about 540,000 people — roughly 30% of New Jersey’s 1.85 million Medicaid recipients — beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Some will not have to meet the requirements because they will qualify for exemptions.
The New Jersey Department of Human Services estimates that more than 300,000 NJ FamilyCare participants could lose coverage because of the changes.
Medicaid and SNAP recipients will also have to renew their benefits every six months instead of annually.
Congress made the changes through H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill.
“H.R. 1 created new obstacles for people who are already working hard to provide for themselves and their families,” Quijano said in a statement. “While we’re not always able to change those decisions happening federally, we can and should be doing everything we can to help eligible New Jerseyans meet these new requirements, and that’s what this bill does.”
Despite cuts to welfare programs, H.R. 1 is projected to increase federal deficits by approximately $4.1 trillion from 2025 through 2034, including additional interest costs, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The office estimated that households in the bottom 10% of the income distribution will lose approximately $1,200 in annual resources, largely because of reductions in federal benefits. Households in the top 10% will gain an estimated $13,600 annually, largely because of tax cuts.
For a full rundown of the new rules and exemptions, check out the Jersey Vindicator’s explainer.
Curtis Brodner is a Report for America corps member covering housing and affordability for The Jersey Vindicator. He investigates the policies, people, and institutions shaping where New Jersey residents can afford to live, with a focus on accountability and solutions. Previously, he was a criminal justice reporting fellow with Columbia Journalism Investigations, producing investigative work for New York Focus. He earned a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School as a Toni Stabile Center fellow and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from SUNY Purchase. You can reach him at Curtis AT jerseyvindicator.org.