by Shaanth Nanguneri, Oregon Capital Chronicle
September 28, 2026
To ensure they do not lose any of their federal food assistance benefits, Oregonians should respond today to mailed notices from state officials seeking more information to verify their income, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services.
The human services department in a news release last week said it was seeking updated income information as part of its “ongoing efforts to improve accuracy of benefits” and reduce its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program error rate. The GOP’s 2025 federal tax and spending law will impose additional financial burdens on states like Oregon for overpaying or underpaying food benefits at a rate above 6%, and currently, Oregon’s SNAP payment error rate is more than 14%.
By the end of last week, state human services officials had sent notices to more than 1,700 people out of the nearly 640,000 people on SNAP in Oregon. If they don’t respond to the state, they could lose their benefits as early as October, according to the agency.
“We know SNAP rules and reporting requirements can be complicated, and receiving a notice asking for more information can be concerning,” Jessica Amaya Hoffman, interim director of the human services department’s Oregon Eligibility Partnership, said in a statement. “The most important thing people can do is respond so that our eligibility staff can review the case, answer questions and make sure people receive the benefits they are eligible for.”
People are receiving notices because they reported incomes below 130% of the federal poverty level — $20,748 for an individual or $42,900 for a household of four — and data in The Work Number, a centralized database for employment and income information, showed that their household may actually be above or at that income level. The notice does not mean someone will automatically lose benefits, but the agency says it will review the income information submitted by people who share it with state officials by Monday.
The agency said that people who received the notices and missed the deadline should still contact the department because a worker might be able to help.
Oregonians do not need to contact their employers to respond to the notice, which can also apply to people’s benefits administered through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The human services department says it expects to conduct additional income checks over the next 12 to 15 months.
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: [email protected].