A federal waiver that spares people in one Nevada county and 12 reservation areas from the SNAP work-rule time limit ends on January 31, 2027. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved it in February, while the statewide waiver was set to end April 30. After January 31, adults in those areas who are subject to the rule, and who neither work enough nor qualify for an exemption, can start using up a three-month clock.
Which parts of Nevada does the waiver still cover?
USDA’s February 10 approval letter, signed by Ronald Ward, acting associate administrator for SNAP, covers Mineral County and 12 reservation areas. They are Battle Mountain Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Campbell Ranch, Dresslerville Colony, Elko Colony, Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Las Vegas Indian Colony, Lovelock Indian Colony, Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Stewart Community, Walker River Reservation and Yerington Colony.
The waiver took effect February 1, 2026, and expires January 31, 2027. The letter answers a November 14, 2025 request from Robert H. Thompson, administrator of the Division of Welfare and Support Services at the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.
Federal law allows a waiver for an area with unemployment above 10 percent. Nevada cited Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for September 2024 through August 2025. Mineral County was at 10.1 percent.
The reservation areas ranged from 11.4 percent to 34.1 percent, with the Las Vegas Indian Colony at the top and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation at 12.9 percent. The state’s own pull of the data was extracted November 20, 2025, the letter says.
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What is the time limit that the waiver pauses?
The rule covers able-bodied adults without dependents, called ABAWDs. USDA’s letter describes the limit as three months of benefits within a three-year period for people who are subject to the work requirement and do not meet it. Nevada’s Department of Human Services says the rule applies to adults 18 to 64 with no child under 14 in the SNAP household.
The state describes the requirement as 20 hours a week of work or approved activities, such as job readiness programs, volunteering and job searching. USDA’s letter puts the same standard at 80 hours a month. The state also says veterans, young people who aged out of foster care and people experiencing homelessness are no longer exempt, a change it attributes to H.R. 1, the 2025 budget law.
The letter tells Nevada to keep tracking participants, even in waived areas, “so that the State agency will be ready to transition off the waiver.” The three-year period keeps running in the background. How many months any individual has used is a question for the state caseworker, not something the waiver erases.
What happened to the statewide waiver?
Nevada had a broader waiver until federal officials told states in October 2025 it was ending. Work requirements were reinstated December 1, and the Department of Human Services said about 44,700 Nevadans received notices of pending loss of eligibility. Roughly 43,000 people lost benefits on March 1.
A lawsuit reinstated the waiver to its original expiration on February 27, and the state restored benefits on March 3, according to the department’s March 3 release. Recipients stayed eligible through April 30, and people not meeting the work requirement were to lose benefits May 1. Kelly Cantrelle, the Division of Social Services deputy administrator, said the guidance would “allow thousands of Nevadans to continue receiving essential food assistance through April.”
That history explains why January 31 matters. The state said about 433,000 Nevadans receive SNAP, and over 72,000 people were notified of the new requirements in mid-November. The people in Mineral County and on the 12 reservation areas are the ones the federal waiver still covers.
How fast does the three-month clock run out?
The March 3 release says that without meeting the work requirement, benefits are limited to three months within a 36-month period. It adds that more months may be approved once the work requirement is met. For a household in a waived area, the countable months begin only after the waiver ends.
Is an extension coming?
Neither USDA nor Nevada has announced one. The letter says any modification, extension or replacement waiver requires a formal request, and requests based on unemployment rates must include data spreadsheets and supporting documentation. Unemployment above 10 percent is the legal basis for the current waiver.
The department’s February 23 notice to recipients gave an email address for recipients who think they are already compliant or exempt: welfare@dss.nv.gov, with “ABAWD opportunities” in the subject line. The department’s main line is 775-684-4000.
SNAP applications and case questions go through the state agency. The federal SNAP site at USDA links to a state directory. The open question in Mineral County and on the reservations is what the state will tell recipients before January 31, and whether anyone asks USDA for more time.
Will the Nevada SNAP clock start on February 1?
For a Nevada household in a waived area, January 31 is the last day without a work clock. After it, a person who is subject to the rule and not working or exempt can use up three countable months quickly, and benefits stop when the months run out.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer explains the SNAP work-rule time limit and who is exempt, which is the first thing to settle before the waiver ends. It also has a renewal and reporting calendar, so the exemption paperwork and the state’s dates sit together.
Part 4 of the organizer is the work-rule section, and the state pack for Nevada puts the local rules in the same place.
Find out who is exempt from the SNAP work limit with a Nevada rule checklist →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
