Work requirements for public assistance in Oregon

This page provides information about work requirements for public assistance in Oregon as of December 2024.
Work requirements for public assistance refer to conditions that require participation in employment-related activities to qualify for the assistance. These activities may include job searching, engaging in job training, volunteering, or working a specified number of hours each week.
Public assistance programs involve the division of responsibilities between the federal government and state governments. The federal government sets eligibility criteria, provides guidelines, and allocates funding for these programs, while states are responsible for administering them and, in some cases, have the authority to tailor the programs to meet local needs.
Ballotpedia has tracked work requirements in Oregon related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child care subsidies, Medicaid, and public housing. Click here to see work requirements for public assistance in other states.
Previously called food stamps, the federal work requirement is generally 30 hours per week, but for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), it is 20 hours per week. States can request temporary waivers from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to exempt recipients from ABAWD work requirements in areas with an unemployment rate above 10% or insufficient job opportunities. ABAWDs who fail to meet the work requirement can only receive SNAP benefits for up to 3 months in a 36-month period unless they meet the requirement or are exempt.
Federal law requires parents receiving Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidies to work or engage in work-related activities. States have flexibility in defining eligible activities, which may include employment, job search, self-employment, education or training, foster care, and subsidized guardianship. Employment is an approved activity for CCDF subsidies in all states, and some states also allow subsidies for education and training.
Medicaid work requirements are eligibility conditions that require recipients to complete certain work-related activities—such as working, pursuing education, participating in a work program, or volunteering—in order to qualify for or maintain benefits. The budget reconciliation bill that was signed into law on July 4, 2025 requires states to adopt community engagement requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion group by January 1, 2027.
Public housing work requirements mandate that adult residents (who are not elderly, disabled, or already employed) complete eight hours of community service per month to remain eligible for assistance. Public housing authorities (PHAs) in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Moving to Work (MTW) Program can establish additional work requirements. PHAs must apply to the MTW program to create such requirements.
The following table outlines Oregon's public assistance work requirements by type as of December 2024, including both state and federal requirements, as well as the options available to states for establishing or temporarily suspending work requirements.
Oregon work requirements for public assistance, by type | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type of public assistance | Oregon requirements | Federal requirements | State options |
SNAP | Partial waiver as of 2024 | 20 hours (general)/30 hours (ABAWD) | States can request and implement temporary waivers for the ABAWD work requirements. |
Child care subsidy(CCDF) | None | Required, but undefined | States have the authority to set work requirements for child care subsidies. |
Medicaid | None | None | States can apply for Section 1115 waivers to implement work requirements, but they must receive approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). |
Public housing | None | Eight hours of community service | Public housing authorities must apply to the Moving to Work (MTW) Program to implement work requirements. |
Work requirements by type of public assistance
Click the tabs below to learn details about each public assistance program:
Noteworthy events
There are no noteworthy events in Oregon related to work requirements for public assistance.
See also
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program work requirements
- Medicaid work requirements
- Public housing work requirements
- Child care subsidy work requirements
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ USDA Food and Nutrition Service, "ABAWD Waivers," accessed January 31, 2024
- ↑ Casetext.com, "OAR 461-135-0520" accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 USDA, "SNAP Work Requirements," accessed May 16, 2023
- ↑ HHS, "SNAP ABAWD work requirements," accessed June 2, 2023
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025 - 2026)," July 4, 2025
- ↑ USDA Food and Nutrition Service, "ABAWD Waivers," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Urban Institute, Child care subsidies, accessed May 31, 2023
- ↑ HHS Child care, parental activities and reason for care, accessed May 31, 2023
- ↑ Child care aware, child care and development block grant, accessed May 31, 2023
- ↑ Social Security, Demonstration Projects, accessed May 15, 2023
|