Work requirements for public assistance in Oklahoma

• Work requirements
  • Index of articles related to work requirements
  • Work requirements for public assistance in the states
  • Medicaid work requirements
  • Public housing work requirements
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements
  • Child care subsidy work requirements
• Major arguments
  • Arguments against work requirements for public assistance programs
  • Arguments in favor of work requirements for public assistance programs
• Reform proposals
  • Reform proposals related to Medicaid work requirements
  • Reform proposals related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program work requirements
  • Reform proposals related to public housing work requirements
  • Reform proposals related to child care subsidy work requirements
• Laws
• Court cases
• Scholarly work
• Related federal agencies
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

See also: Reform proposals related to work requirements for public assistance programs

This page provides information about work requirements for public assistance in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The federal work requirement for SNAP—previously called food stamps—is 20 hours per week for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). 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%.

Child care subsidies
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
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 Medicaid expansion group by January 1, 2027.

Public housing
Public housing work requirements mandate that adult residents (who are not elderly, disabled, or already employed) complete 8 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 Oklahoma'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.

Oklahoma work requirements for public assistance, by type (2024)
Type of public assistance	Oklahoma requirements	Federal requirements	State options
SNAP	No 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:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Child care subsidy (CCDF)

Medicaid

Public housing

See also: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program work requirements

Federal law establishes foundational guidelines for SNAP work requirements, setting minimum standards that include defined work hours—SNAP work requirements do not vary by state. While states do not have the authority to fully implement their own specific rules, there is some flexibility in how they administer SNAP. States can determine the specifics of work requirements, define acceptable work activities, and establish processes for tracking compliance.

Oklahoma SNAP work requirements

The general SNAP work requirement in Oklahoma is 30 hours per week. Additionally, for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), the requirement is to work at least 80 hours per month or 20 hours per week. As of the fourth quarter of the 2024 fiscal year, Oklahoma does not have a waiver for work requirements.

Oklahoma policy regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements

The following is the text of the Oklahoma policy regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements:

340:50-5-100. Able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) work requirements and time limits

“

Per Section 273.24(a) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 C.F.R. § 273.24(a)), an ABAWD meets work requirements when he or she: • 1 (1) works continuously 20 hours or more per week, averaged monthly. Averaged monthly means 80 hours per month. The employment may be paid, in-kind, unpaid, or volunteer work with religious or community organizations; • 2 (2) participates in and complies with the requirements of a work program 20 hours or more per week, averaged monthly. Work programs include: (A) a program assignment under Title 1 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Public Law (P.L.) 113-128; (B) a program under Section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974, Section 2296 of Title 19 of the United States Code (19 U.S.C. § 2296); (C) an Oklahoma Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Works (OK SNAP Works) assignment, not including job search, supervised job search, or job search training activities. However, job search, supervised job search, or job search training activities, when offered as part of other program components, are acceptable if those activities comprise less than half the total required time spent in the components; or • 3 (D) any employment and training program that serves veterans operated by the Department of Labor or the Department of Veterans Affairs; or (3) works and participates in a work program for a total of 20 or more hours per week, averaged monthly; or (4) meets an exemption from the work requirements per (d) of this Section.

”

Federal SNAP work requirements

See also: U.S. Department of Agriculture

SNAP has two types of work requirements: general work requirements and able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) work requirements. The following sections provide information about the two types of SNAP work requirements.

General SNAP work requirements

General SNAP work requirements mandate that individuals aged 16 to 59 who can work must complete the following work-related activities:

• Register for work
• Participate in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) programs
• Take a suitable job if it is offered
• Not voluntarily quit a job or reduce work hours below 30 hours a week without cause.
  • This only applies to individuals who already have a job.

Individuals who do not comply with the general work requirements lose benefits for a period of time. This period of time is determined by how many times the recipient has been non-compliant in the past. These policies vary by state.

Individuals do not have to register for general work requirements if they already meet the following conditions when they apply for SNAP benefits:

• Work at least 30 hours a week
• Meet work requirements for another public benefits program
• Care for a child under six years old or an incapacitated person
• Are unable to work due to a physical or mental limitation
• Are participating in an alcohol or drug treatment program
• Are studying in school
• Are attending a training program

Able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) work requirements for SNAP

The ABAWD (Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents) work requirement under SNAP applies to able-bodied individuals aged 18 to 64 without children. To remain eligible for SNAP, ABAWDs must meet general work requirements and complete one of the following work-related activities:

• Work or Volunteer: At least 80 hours per month (about 20 hours per week).
• Participate in a Work Program: Participate in a federal, state, or local work program, such as SNAP Education and Training (E&T), for at least 80 hours per month.

Time Limit for ABAWDs

ABAWDs who do not meet the work requirement can only receive SNAP benefits for three months in a 36-month period. After reaching this time limit, they lose eligibility for benefits unless they start meeting the work requirement.

Requalifying for SNAP Benefits

If an ABAWD loses eligibility due to failing to meet the work requirement, they can requalify for benefits by meeting the work requirement for 30 consecutive days. However, if they do not meet the work requirement within this 30-day period, they will be ineligible for SNAP for the remainder of the next three years.

Time Limit Waivers

States can request temporary waivers for the time limits associated with the ABAWD work requirements in areas where unemployment is high. These waivers apply in places with an unemployment rate above 10%, or in noncontiguous states (Alaska and Hawaii) if the unemployment rate is at or above 1.5 times the national unemployment rate.

As of the third quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, three states had full ABAWD time limit waivers, and 25 states had waivers for specific counties with high unemployment. All of these waivers were granted under a provision that was removed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). All 28 waivers either expired before November 2, 2026, or were terminated by the USDA on that date. As of February 2026, the USDA website listed no active ABAWD time limit waivers. This means that, according to the agency, the time limit should be enforced everywhere throughout the country.

To read more about the SNAP-related provisions of the OBBBA, click here.

See also: Child care subsidy work requirements

States are responsible for defining the activities that qualify a family for child care subsidies through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), such as work requirements, education participation, and community service. Employment is an approved activity for CCDF funding in every state and some states also approve subsidies for parents participating in education and training activities.

Oklahoma child care subsidy (CCDF) work requirements

Ballotpedia could not identify a work requirement for a child care subsidy (CCDF) in Oklahoma as of December 2024. The following is the text of the Wyoming law regarding child care work requirements:

3.1.2 Eligibility criteria: Reason for care

“

Employment, including self-employment, is defined as wages earned for work performed if the adult is included in the household for income purposes. Travel time to and from employment is included in the definition of working. There is no minimum number of hours required for eligibility; however, the parent must make at least minimum wage for the number of hours he or she works. Sleep time also meets the definition of employment when the client works nights and has an alternative care provider during work hours and needs child care to sleep during the day

”

Federal child care subsidy work requirements

Federal law requires that parents receiving CCDF child care subsidies work or complete work-related activities. States are responsible for defining the activities that qualify a family for assistance through CCDF, including work requirements, education participation, and community service. Employment is an approved activity for CCDF funding in every state and some states also approve subsidies for parents participating in education and training activities. Working, periods of job search, self-employment, attending job training or education-related activities, foster care, and subsidized guardianship are activities that meet eligibility standards for CCDF subsidies in different states. State agencies have flexibility in determining eligibility for CCDF subsidies, according to HHS regulations.

See also: Medicaid work requirements

Medicaid work requirements are mandated work-related activities that Medicaid recipients must complete to qualify for benefits, such as working, pursuing education, participating in a work program, or volunteering. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) required states to implement an 80 hour per month community engagement requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents in the Medicaid expansion group by January 1, 2027. Before then, Section 1115 of the Social Security Act of 1935 allowed states to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval to develop state-level Medicaid work requirement programs or to implement the OBBBA work requirement early.

Oklahoma Medicaid work requirements

There are no Medicaid work requirements in Oklahoma as of December 2024. Oklahoma applied for a waiver in 2018 but did not receive CMS approval before the Biden administration began withdrawing waivers in 2021.

Federal Medicaid work requirements

Federal law does not universally impose work requirements for Medicaid until 2027. Instead, work requirements have been introduced through state-level waivers under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act. These waivers allow states to experiment with different approaches to Medicaid, including work-related criteria. As of January 2026, Georgia had an active Medicaid work requirement and seven states had applied for Section 1115 waivers to implement work requirements ahead of the federal deadline.

See also: Public housing work requirements

Public housing work requirements are mandated work-related activities that public housing recipients must complete to maintain eligibility for housing assistance, such as applying for a job, interviewing for a job, or participating in job training or volunteer activities.

Oklahoma public housing work requirements

There are 104 public housing authorities (PHAs) in Oklahoma. No PHAs are part of the Move to Work (MTW) program and none list work requirements in their annual applications as of August 2023.

Federal public housing work requirements

The federally required work-related activity is eight hours of community service per month for adult residents of public housing who are not elderly, disabled, or already working. Public housing authorities (PHAs) in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Move to Work (MTW) program have the flexibility to implement additional work requirements.

Of the 123 public housing authorities (PHAs) authorized to establish work requirements under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Move to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program, 17 had work requirements as of January 9, 2024.

Public housing authorities with work requirements

Noteworthy events

There are no noteworthy events in Oklahoma 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

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