Food stamps (SNAP) in
Nebraska.

Nebraska's broad-based eligibility began with LB543 in 2011 and runs through the Expanded Resource Program. Statute 68-1017.02 tells DHHS to run a TANF-funded ERP that drops asset limits, except that liquid assets may not top $25,000.

LB108 in 2021 lifted the ERP gross limit from 130% to 165% of poverty. LB227 in 2023 extended it through September 30, 2025, and LB192 in 2025 kept it at 165% with no end date. The same statute says the higher line may not raise the net income limit.

There is no separate ERP form. Every SNAP application tells the household it is authorized for ERP services, so signing it is enough unless someone in the home falls under one of the disqualifications.

On May 19, 2025, USDA approved Nebraska's Healthy Choice Waiver, which it called the first state waiver to restrict soda and energy drinks. From January 1, 2026, SNAP could not buy soda, soft drinks or energy drinks at Nebraska stores. A later change was to add candy on November 1, 2026.

On June 22, 2026, the federal district court in Washington, D.C. vacated USDA's approval in Aragon v. Rollins. DHHS said July 2 it was working with retailers to remove the soda and energy drink block, and that some registers would need time to update. The candy limit never started.

Nebraska filed a new request on September 1, 2026: soda, soft drinks and energy drinks from December 1, 2026, and candy from March 1, 2027. Public comments close November 2. FNA says any approval will come in a separate notice at least 10 days before the start, so nothing is restricted today.

Nearly every Nebraska SNAP case is on simplified reporting. An ERP household reports when gross income climbs past 130% of poverty, then reports no further raises until it reapplies. If income later dips under 130% and climbs back over it, that first crossing must be reported.

Most cases are certified for six months. A household whose adults are all elderly or disabled with no earnings gets 12 months with no midpoint report. Self-employed applicants who show ledgers instead of a tax return get a flat 49% of gross income taken off for business costs.

Adults 16 to 59 must register for work, take a suitable job if offered, and not quit or cut hours without good cause. Nebraska uses the federal minimum penalties of 1, 3 and 6 months, and only the person who broke the rule loses SNAP, not the whole household.

Since October 20, 2025, the time limit reaches adults 18 to 64, and parents become subject to it when their youngest child turns 14. Veterans, people who are homeless and young adults who aged out of foster care lost their exemption, while people eligible for Indian Health Services gained one.

State law forbids DHHS to seek a waiver of the time limit. Its December 2025 report to the Legislature said discretionary exemptions were used for ABAWDs living in Thurston County or on reservations because jobs there are scarce.

Starting November 1, 2026, DHHS automatically blocks EBT purchases made outside Nebraska, to stop thieves who use stolen card data in other states. Online orders with a Nebraska delivery or pickup address still go through.

Shoppers near a border can switch the block off in the ebtEDGE app, on ebtedge.us, or by calling the number on the back of the card. The block turns itself back on at the start of each benefit month, so it has to be switched off again every month you need it.

DHHS also suggests changing your PIN at the end of each month before the new deposit, freezing the card between uses in ebtEDGE, and turning on account alerts. Its EBT guide warns that stolen benefits will not be replaced.

Since October 20, 2025, SNAP in Nebraska is open only to citizens, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and people living here under the Compacts of Free Association. Refugees and people granted asylum lost eligibility, and DHHS points those affected to 211 Nebraska.

Nebraska only partly applies the federal drug felony ban. A person with one or two felony convictions for drug possession or use can get SNAP while in, or after finishing, a licensed treatment program. Three possession convictions, or any conviction for selling, means no SNAP.

Since July 6, 2020, DHHS can disqualify custodial and noncustodial parents who do not cooperate with Child Support Enforcement. Legally owed child support you pay to someone outside the home is subtracted from income as a deduction.

You can ask for a fair hearing, out loud or in writing, on any SNAP action from the past 90 days. The DA-6 Request for Fair Hearing goes to DHHS.Hearingoffice@nebraska.gov, by fax to 402-742-2376, or by mail to P.O. Box 98914, Lincoln, NE 68509-8914.

Ask within 10 days of the date the notice was mailed and your benefits stay the same until the hearing ends, unless you opt out in writing. If you lose, that extra SNAP may have to be paid back.

A hearing officer runs the hearing, which may be by phone or video, and both sides may bring witnesses and documents. DHHS must hold the hearing, decide it and send an order within 60 days of receiving your request.