SNAP time-limit waivers for five tribal areas in Oregon, including the Klamath and Siletz reservations, run out on December 31, 2026. After that date, the program’s work rule can start counting against adults who live there, unless they are exempt or the waiver is extended.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the waivers in a March 30, 2026 letter signed by Ronald Ward, acting associate administrator of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. It went to Heather Miles, the SNAP manager at the Oregon Department of Human Services.
The five areas on the list
The letter covers the following areas, with the 12-month unemployment rates USDA cited for each:
- Burns Paiute Indian Colony and Off-Reservation Trust Land, 11.9 percent
- Coquille Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, 10.3 percent
- Cow Creek Reservation, 11.7 percent
- Klamath Reservation, 33.0 percent
- Siletz Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, 26.3 percent
The waiver took effect January 1, 2026 and expires December 31, 2026. The letter says the approval rests on unemployment of over 10 percent, using federal data for September 2024 through August 2025…