Skip to main content
GrantsPathGrantsPath
Log InSign Up

Policy Watchtower/Proposed rule

USDA proposes ending SNAP manual vouchers; Tribal-area retailer exemption under review

Agriculture DepartmentFood and Nutrition AdministrationProposed ruleOct 23, 2026

Check: USDA's Food and Nutrition Administration proposes to end SNAP manual-voucher sales except during disasters or EBT system outages, and says it will consider exempting retailers in designated Tribal areas; comments are due 2026-12-22.

Read in the Federal Register

What it does

Retailers that rely on manual vouchers (paper redemption without a PIN), including delivery-route and remote-area stores, would need a mobile point-of-sale device or app. The text names Alaska and North Dakota as places where nearly 42% of manual voucher transactions occurred in October 2023. The proposal lists exemptions for Tribal areas and for rural areas without internet as ones it will consider and asks for public comment on the need for them. Tribal leaders were consulted on 2024-03-15 and the text says no concerns were expressed.

Why it matters for tribal funding

Tribes eligible. Tribes or Native organizations are among those who can apply or are covered, alongside others.

Who it covers: Tribal enterprises, Tribal governments.

Rules it touches: 7 CFR 271, 7 CFR 274, 7 CFR 278

What to do next

  1. Identify any Tribally owned or Tribal-area SNAP retailers that still use manual vouchers and tell them about the proposal.
  2. Decide whether to submit comments on the Tribal-area and no-connectivity exceptions by 2026-12-22 at regulations.gov ( FNS-2025-0137, 0584-AE99).
  3. Estimate the cost of mobile point-of-sale equipment for affected retailers to include in comments.

Sources

Every signal is built from public records. The highlighted words appear in the source exactly as shown.

  • Federal Register: tribal termsProposed RuleOct 23, 2026

    Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Electronic Benefits Transfer Card Security Measures

    • Quoted from the source: “Third, the Department will consider exempting retailers in designated Tribal areas from requirements regarding manual vouchers.”
    • Quoted from the source: “During consultation with Tribal leaders on March 15, 2024, a summary of this proposed rule was presented and there were no concerns expressed.”
    • Quoted from the source: “The proposed changes to manual vouchers would primarily impact retailers that conduct business via delivery routes as well as some retailers operating in remote areas”
    Read in the Federal RegisterU.S. government record, public domain.

Terms with a dotted underline open a plain-language definition. This is guidance, not legal advice: the official text always controls. A free public service from GrantsPath, a Native-owned business.