SNAP Waived Areas in Oregon

Waived areas in Oregon

Current waiver: January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 (USDA letter dated March 30, 2026). 5 areas:

Tribal areas

• Burns Paiute Indian Colony and Off-Reservation Trust Land (11.9% unemployment)
• Coquille Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land (10.3% unemployment)
• Cow Creek Reservation (11.7% unemployment)
• Klamath Reservation (33.0% unemployment)
• Siletz Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land (26.3% unemployment)

How these areas qualified: All five reservation areas had a 12-month average unemployment rate over 10% for September 2024 to August 2025. USDA first approved them for December 2025 to November 2026, then moved the dates to calendar 2026 because Oregon’s old waiver had stayed in effect through December 31, 2025.

State-exempt counties (not a federal waiver)

ODHS also says people who live in Crook, Gilliam, Jefferson, Lake, Morrow, Sherman and Wheeler counties do not have to meet the work rules because those counties have no WorkSource center. This is a state exemption, not a USDA waiver, and ODHS says the county list can change at the start of each calendar year.

What the waiver means if you live there

• The 3-month time limit does not apply while the waiver is in effect. Months you get SNAP while living in a waived area do not count toward your 3 months, even if you do not work 80 hours.
• It depends on where you live, not where you work. If you live outside the listed areas, the time limit applies to you even if your job or training is inside one.
• The general work rules still apply. A waiver does not cover them. If you are 16 to 59 and not excused, you must still register for work, accept a suitable job offer, not quit a job or cut your hours without good cause, and take part in a job program if your state refers you.
• Your state keeps counting the calendar. USDA tells states to keep tracking the 36-month period even in waived areas so they can restart the time limit when the waiver ends.
• Tribal areas cover everyone who lives there. A waived reservation or trust land area covers all residents, not only Tribal members. American Indian, Alaska Native, Urban Indian and California Indian people are exempt from the time limit wherever they live.

When the waiver ends

The Tribal-area waiver ends December 31, 2026. As of October 31, 2026, USDA had not posted an Oregon request or approval for 2027. ODHS says the no-WorkSource county list can also change in January. Read any notice ODHS sends you in December.

When a waiver ends, months before it ended still do not count. Starting the month after, any full month you get SNAP without meeting the 80-hour rule or an exemption counts toward your 3 months in the current 36-month period. Your state should send you a notice first. To keep benefits, work, volunteer or train 80 hours a month, or check whether an exemption fits you.

Check your own situation

Check if the time limit applies to you Count your months

For start dates, your 36-month period and how to report hours in Oregon, see SNAP work requirements in Oregon. For every state’s list, see all SNAP waived areas.