Carleen Hicks has cared for her grandchildren, now 17 and 14, for nearly a decade after her daughter was shot, became partially paralyzed and developed a drug habit.
“To keep my grandbabies safe, I just had to take on that role,” Hicks said.
Hicks, who is 54 and a custodian at Chapel of the Cross Church in Madison, said she’s happily taken on that responsibility, but it can be hard to make ends meet. She previously relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, but the paperwork was confusing and time-consuming. In 2024, she felt she could no longer justify missing work to go to hours-long recertification appointments for the benefits, and fell off the program. As a result, she said, her family eats less fresh produce and meat.
Experts say that versions of Hicks’ story will become more common after newly-expanded federal work requirements took effect in November. Previously, adults over 54 and people who care for children under the age of 18 were exempt. Under the new rules, adults between the age of 55 and 64 and caretakers of children older than 13 must now work 80 hours a month to keep their food benefits. An already-burdened system will become more strained, according to state and national experts who spoke to Mississippi Today.
Work requirements and the red tape that comes with them could disproportionately hurt older caregivers and their families. That’s because older adults are more likely to have fixed incomes, limited access to computers, age-related health problems and care for older children who do not qualify them for the exemption. In Mississippi, 3.3% of children live in grandparent-caregiver households – more than double the national average and one of the highest rates in the country.
Nationwide, family members who step into parental roles save taxpayers and states $10.5 billion by keeping children out of the foster care system. But these families face higher rates of poverty.
The new age cutoff for children of exempted caretakers is arbitrary and harmful, said food access advocate Gina Plata-Nino since the responsibility of caring for a child does not change at age 14.
“The expanded requirements suggest parents’ responsibilities have shifted overnight even though they are still caring for dependents,” said Plata-Nino, director of SNAP at the Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit working to end poverty-related hunger.
Hicks recalled spending hours at the Hinds County Department of Human Services for a recertification appointment in 2024 to determine if she still qualified for benefits, only to have a caseworker ask for additional documents days later. Another time, she got a letter in the mail stating she missed a phone appointment. But Hicks said she never received a phone call – an experience shared by two other women who spoke to Mississippi Today.
“It’s to deter you,” Hicks said.
Regulations that Congress passed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and that President Donald Trump signed into law in July further complicate that process. Here’s how federal law changed SNAP work requirements in November:
Increased the work requirement age from 55- to 64-years-old; Decreased the child age exemption from 18- to 14-years-old; Removed exemptions for unhoused people, veterans and young adults under age 24 who aged out of the foster care system.Exemptions still exist for adults who are pregnant, caring for a child under the age of 14, have a mental or physical disability or are over the age of 64. Those who don’t meet the exemptions will have to adhere to the work requirements and undergo recertification every six months, or they will lose benefits after three months. The recertification process includes logging hours that a person worked or volunteered each month, undergoing an interview and showing documents, such as paystubs, utility bills and identification.
Carleen Hicks plays cards with her granddaughter, Marihanna Parker, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, near their home in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayHicks said caring for her grandchildren is fulfilling, but she never imagined she would be raising teenagers at her age. It’s exhausting, she said. Aside from the strain of raising children, older adults face greater discrimination in the job market and are more prone to chronic health conditions that can make it hard to work consistent, full-time hours outside of the house.
It’s hard for the children, too, said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow in the Tax and Income Supports Division at the Urban Institute. Children living in a grandparent-led household have already suffered disruptions in life, Waxman said. Whether it’s a parent dying, going to prison or suffering from mental health or addiction, there is some reason the child cannot live with their birth parents.
“Those are the kinds of things that get lost,” Waxman said. “They’re nuances, but they’re not unimportant nuances.”
In addition to expanding who is required to work to access food assistance under the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, about $140 million in SNAP costs previously covered by the federal government will shift to Mississippi in the next two years.
In the long-term, experts told Mississippi Today more people will lose access to SNAP for several reasons:
Increased paperwork will inadvertently kick off eligible people; Fewer people will be eligible under new federally-mandated work requirements; Some states may further cut eligibility to afford the new costs.Considering how much money caregivers like herself save the state, Hicks said she believes the government should make it easier for grandparent-led families to access food. Most of all, Hicks thinks vulnerable adolescents who have already lost their parents shouldn’t be used as political bargaining chips.
“It should be mandatory that the kids get food stamps if you’re in a certain income bracket,” Hicks said. “Of course, Granny is going to eat off the food – but don’t deprive the children because of that.”
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