Which states have already announced changes to SNAP recertification notices for 2026 FPL updates?

1. States with explicit, cited notices: Oregon, Georgia, Maryland

Oregon’s Department of Human Services began mailing notices on Oct. 15 to roughly 9,600 households about benefit reductions and other federal SNAP changes under H.R.1, and said implementation of expanded ABAWD rules began Oct. 1 and will expand statewide ^[1]. Georgia’s DHS posted that the time-limited work requirement change for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) took effect in Georgia on Nov. 1, and urged clients to check their Gateway accounts for client-specific notices ^[2]. Maryland’s Department of Human Services published an “Important Changes to SNAP Benefits” advisory describing H.R.1 impacts, cost-shifts to the state and steps recipients must take to comply — an active state notice about changes to benefits and likely administrative processes ^[3].

2. Federal guidance forced statewide notice actions and mass-change rules

USDA Food and Nutrition Service guidance required states to notify households about allotment reductions and follow mass change notice rules under 7 CFR 273.12(e); FNS told states they must notify households of benefit reductions and that reductions apply to November 2025 issuance ^[4]. Another FNS memo instructed states to upgrade systems and prepare to distribute reduced allotments, and FNS said it would issue further guidance on QC sampling and would not hold states accountable for timeliness in November 2025 amid implementation challenges ^[5]. Those federal directives created both legal requirements and operational pressure for states to update notices and recertification communications.

3. On-the-ground variation: states are acting, but not uniformly

Reporting from CNN, Axios and others documents wide variation in how states are implementing the new rules: some are checking all enrollees at once rather than waiting for recertification dates; others began phased mailings by county ^{[6] [7]}. That heterogeneity means the set of states that have "announced changes" depends on the definition: explicit public webpages or press releases (e.g., Oregon, Georgia, Maryland) are documented ^{[1] [2] [3]}, while many states are making operational changes communicated directly to recipients via recertification packets or mass-change notices as required by FNS ^{[4] [5]}.

4. Why recertification notices are changing: legal triggers and system upgrades

Three forces drove the notice changes: new federal law and administrative rules expanding work requirements and time limits (H.R.1 / OBBBA), FNS directives to implement benefit reductions and mass-change notice obligations for November 2025, and operational needs to update state IT and mailing processes to apply new FY2026 benefit levels and income limits. FNS explicitly told states to start upgrading systems to allow rapid distribution of reduced allotments if federal appropriations were insufficient ^{[5] [4]}.

5. What the sources do not say — key gaps

Available sources do not provide a complete roster of every state that has updated its recertification notices for 2026 FPL (not found in current reporting). Many state-level DHHS/agency pages referenced routine recertification timing (two months prior, 45 days prior) for states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and North Carolina, but those pages are general recertification guidance and do not confirm a specific 2026-FPL-related notice change ^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}. There is no consolidated federal list in the provided set showing all states that have modified recertification language for FY2026.

6. Practical takeaway for recipients and advocates

Recipients should check state agency webpages and their mailed recertification packets because FNS required states to notify affected households under mass-change rules and a number of states (Oregon, Georgia, Maryland) have posted targeted notices ^{[4] [1] [2] [3]}. Advocates and legal aid groups should monitor state-specific mailings and system notices because implementation varies and some states are applying changes by broad data checks rather than waiting for scheduled recertifications ^[6].

Limitations: this article uses only the supplied reporting; it cites explicit state announcements in Oregon, Georgia and Maryland and federal FNS directives. A complete, up-to-date list of states that have "announced changes" to recertification notices for 2026 FPL updates is not present in the available sources (not found in current reporting).