5.5 Million People Have Lost SNAP — Texas Lost the Most. If Your Food Benefits Stopped, Here’s What to Do in San Antonio

If your Lone Star Card came up short this month — or your SNAP case closed with a letter you barely understood — you are not alone, and it may not be final. New national data published October 22, 2026 by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), built on USDA and state figures, shows about 5.5 million people have lost SNAP food assistance since July 2025 — and Texas lost more people than any other state. This guide explains what happened, how to check why your benefits stopped, how to fight it or reapply, and where to get free food in San Antonio this week while you sort it out.

What happened, in plain numbers

• About 5.5 million people nationwide lost SNAP between July 2025 and July 2026 — a 13% drop. About 2 million are children, even though the law’s new restrictions were not aimed at children.
• Texas lost 709,435 people (−20%) through September 2026 — the largest drop of any state, according to CBPP’s tracker. More than half of the Texans who lost benefits (367,118) are children.
• Texas HHSC counted 2.8 million Texans on SNAP in September 2026 — the fewest since August 2009 — down 20.8% from a year earlier.
• SNAP spending fell nearly $11 billion (−10.3%) in fiscal year 2026 — about double what the Congressional Budget Office predicted.

CBPP’s explanation: the 2025 federal budget law shifts big new SNAP costs onto states (starting in fiscal 2028), expanded work requirements to more adults — including parents of children 14 and older and adults up to age 65 — ended eligibility for many people with lawful immigration status, and made waivers harder to get. States, facing those future costs, have added paperwork and barriers — and many people are being cut for paperwork reasons, not because they stopped qualifying. Figures above are CBPP estimates from USDA and state data, published October 22–23, 2026.

Step 1: Find out exactly why yours stopped

Look for your HHSC notice — Form TF0001, “Notice of Case Action” — in the mail or in your YourTexasBenefits account. It states the reason and the date the change takes effect. The most common fixable reasons right now:

• Missed renewal — your certification period ended and the renewal packet or interview wasn’t completed.
• Missing paperwork — a document HHSC asked for (pay stubs, proof of address, work hours) never arrived or wasn’t matched to your case.
• Work-requirement hours not documented — the expanded rules limit some adults to 3 months of benefits in a 3-year period unless they document about 80 hours a month of work or training. If you work, your hours may simply not be recorded.
• An unreported change — income, household size, or address changed and the case closed instead of adjusting.

No notice, or it never arrived? Call 2-1-1 (or 877-541-7905, choose Option 2) and ask for the exact reason on your case. Our Texas SNAP renewal checklist walks through the renewal paperwork step by step.

Step 2: Appeal it — or reapply

You have the right to a fair hearing. Under Texas rules, you can appeal in writing or by speaking up — at your local HHSC office, by phone through 2-1-1, or in writing to the address on your notice — generally within 90 days of the date on your notice or the date the change takes effect, whichever is later. Two things worth knowing:

• Appeal before the change takes effect and your benefits usually keep going at the old level until a hearings officer decides. Wait until after the date, and they stop while you appeal.
• For a dispute about your benefit amount, you can appeal any time during your certification period.

If the problem is simply a missed renewal or missing documents, reapplying may be faster: apply at YourTexasBenefits.com, in person at an HHSC office, or with free help from the San Antonio Food Bank’s benefits team (210-431-8326). Our how to apply for SNAP in San Antonio guide covers each route. And if you still qualify, benefits can be restored back to when they should have continued if you win a hearing — one reason the appeal is worth filing even if you also reapply.

Step 3: Free food in San Antonio this week

While your case is sorted out, do not stretch groceries — use the free food that’s here now:

• San Antonio Food Bank — markets, curbside pickup, and partner pantries across the city. Find one by ZIP at safoodbank.org or call 210-431-8326 (Mon–Fri 8–6, Sat 9–3).
• San Antonio Free Meals — our sister site, sanantoniofreemeals.com, lists free meals, pantries, and community fridges across San Antonio, updated constantly.
• Our free food listings — 16 free food programs in San Antonio, from church pantries to produce distributions.
• Kids still eat free — losing SNAP can affect free school meal status for some families; ask your campus office, and see our WIC guide if you have a child under 5 — WIC is a separate program and may still cover your family.

You may qualify for other help now

A smaller grocery budget changes the math on everything else. Run our free 2-minute eligibility checker to see what else fits — utility help, rent help, health coverage, child care — or use Apply for Me and we’ll prepare your personalized benefits guide and email it to you, usually within a day.

Helpful links & phone numbers

• YourTexasBenefits: yourtexasbenefits.com — check your case, renew, reapply
• HHSC help line: dial 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 (Option 2) — ask for your case reason or request a fair hearing
• San Antonio Food Bank: 210-431-8326 · safoodbank.org/help
• Free meals near you: sanantoniofreemeals.com
• CBPP SNAP Tracker (source of the numbers above): cbpp.org
• Our eligibility checker: See everything your family may qualify for

San Antonio Benefits is a free community guide, not a government agency. Participation figures are estimates published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on October 22–23, 2026, from USDA and state data. Your notice (Form TF0001) always states your own case’s reason and deadlines. Verified October 25, 2026.