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Food and Nutrition Service, Braddock Metro Center, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. DATE: August 29, 2025 SUBJECT: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 – Treatment of Energy Assistance Payments TO: All SNAP State Agencies All Regions On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBB). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is issuing this memorandum to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) State agencies with additional information on implementing Section 10103 of the OBBB, which changes the treatment of certain energy assistance payments for SNAP. Treatment of LIHEAP or Other Similar Energy Assistance Program Payments Section 10103 of the OBBB amends how State agencies treat receipt of a payment under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (LIHEAA) or other similar energy assistance program for the purposes of the Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowance (HCSUA), depending on whether the household contains an elderly1 or disabled member. Prior to the OBBB, State agencies were required to make the HCSUA available to any household that received a payment (or household on behalf of which a payment was made), in the current month or in the immediately preceding 12 months, that was greater than $20 annually under LIHEAA, or other similar energy assistance programs. SNAP considers a payment that meets these criteria as a “qualifying Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or other payment”. Section 10103 of the OBBB now requires that households receiving a qualifying LIHEAP or other payment contain an elderly or disabled member in order to have the HCSUA automatically applied to their case. Therefore, State agencies must no longer automatically confer HCSUA eligibility to households without an elderly or disabled member based on receipt of a qualifying LIHEAP or other payment. This provision made no other changes related to what is considered a qualifying payment or how they are treated. 1 For SNAP purposes, an elderly member means a member of a household who is 60 years of age or older. Guidance documents lack the force and effect of law, unless expressly authorized by statute or incorporated into a contract. USDA may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not available through their guidance portal, except to establish historical facts.