In July 2025, the federal government signed devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps) into law, but you can help PA families keep their benefits!
As H.R.1 takes effect, the Pennsylvania Health Law Project (PHLP), Community Legal Services, the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN), and Just Harvest are convening the Benefits Access Coalition.
In 2026, the Benefits Access Coalition will lead a series of trainings for statewide organizations looking to learn more about public benefits eligibility, upcoming policy changes, and how to get involved to protect access to benefits programs in Pennsylvania. Click the link below to sign up for future updates and invitations.
More than One Way to Qualify: Medicaid Eligibility Beyond New Work Requirements
On October 14, 2026, Kyle Fisher of PHLP and Maripat Pileggi of CLS walked through the major Pennsylvania Medicaid eligibility categories for adults beyond the expansion category and explain what each one requires. They covered how to recognize when someone might fit one of these categories, what documentation the County Assistance Office will look for, and how to help someone maintain coverage or move between categories without a gap in coverage.
How to Navigate Medicaid Work Requirements
On September 16, 2026, Amy Lowenstein from PHLP and Lydia Gottesfeld from CLS provided a review of the new Medicaid work requirements, including who is subject to them, implementation timeline, who is exempt, what information consumers will receive and how they can demonstrate compliance and exemptions.
Best Practices for Assisting with Public Benefits Applications
On August 12, 2026, Joanna Rosenhein from PHAN, Pam Silver from PHLP, and Tue Ho from CLS discussed best practices for helping Pennsylvanians navigate the benefits application process and useful tips for working with Pennsylvania County Assistance Offices. You may view the recording here.
Federal Cuts to SNAP and Lessons Learned
On July 29, 2026, Louise Hayes from CLS and Ann Sanders from Just Harvest reviewed SNAP work requirements, including how eligible people can get an exemption, steps non-exempt people must take to comply with work requirements, and strategies to troubleshoot problems. Louise and Ann also shared lessons learned during the rollout of SNAP work requirements to help you prepare for Medicaid work requirements.
What You Need to Know About Immigrant Access to Medicaid
On July 8, 2026, CLS’s Maripat Pileggi and Lauren Davis explained which immigrants might be at risk of losing MA starting October 1, 2026. They also provided updates about the letters PA DHS started sending in July about HR1’s new restrictions to immigrant access to MA and share tips for how to respond to those letters.
Understanding Who Will be Impacted by Medicaid Work Requirements
On June 24, 2026, experts gave an introductory overview of Medicaid changes in H.R.1 and discuss who will need to meet the new work requirement rules. You may view the recording here.
SNAP Cuts are Here – How You Can Help
On March 9th, CLS attorneys Louise Hayes and Mackenzie Libbey explained everything advocates need to know about SNAP work requirements, how people can get an exemption from new rules, and what to do if someone gets terminated from SNAP.
Immigrant Access to Public Benefits – Navigating Recent Changes
New federal law changes will cause many immigrants to lose access to benefits including SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, and Pennie health insurance coverage. In addition, reports of public benefit data sharing are causing some immigrants to forgo the benefits they or their families are eligible to receive. On September 25th, experts from CLS led a webinar training on new restrictions on immigrant eligibility for benefits and shared tips for keeping those who remain eligible connected to public benefits.
How to Help PA Families Keep SNAP
On August 26, 2025 more than 1,200 people from all across Pennsylvania joined CLS and Just Harvest to get training on how to help people raise their hand for an exemption from work requirements and how to help immigrants who are still eligible for SNAP keep their benefits.
