Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Heat and Eat Program - Study

Study on Heat and Eat SNAP eligibility

Beginning July 1, 2026, Maryland’s Department of Human Services must study how a 2025 federal law changes automatic utility allowance eligibility in the Heat and Eat SNAP program. The study uses county-level data for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and the part of 2026 before the federal law was enacted, including average monthly payments and counts of affected households, seniors 60+, and people with disabilities. It identifies how many lose automatic eligibility, how many still qualify by verified energy costs, and the benefit dollars they would have received. It also counts households whose SNAP was reduced because energy aid cannot be counted as income, with county totals, dollars reduced, and effects on new applicants. The Department evaluates related administrative costs and must report findings and recommendations to the Senate Budget and Taxation and House Appropriations Committees by December 1, 2026.