Category: News

DHS Creates New Website to Help SNAP Recipients to Navigate Changes in Work Requirements (September 2, 2025)

The new website, dhs.pa.gov/work, will help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients understand upcoming work and reporting requirements put in place by the Republican budget bill that took effect on September 1, 2025.

SNAP recipients who are affected will now need to report their work, education, training, or volunteer hours to continue receiving benefits.

The Shapiro Administration has launched dhs.pa.gov/work, a new website to help Pennsylvanians navigate changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work and reporting requirements that are a result of the Republican budget bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump earlier this summer that went into effect on September 1, 2025. As a result of that federal legislation, certain SNAP recipients must now report work, education, training, or volunteer hours to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to maintain benefits. These requirements will continue to expand throughout Fall 2025.

The website provides details on who is affected, how to meet the work and reporting requirements, and which SNAP recipients may qualify for an exemption and how to obtain one.

The federal budget bill also eliminates flexibilities that previously allowed states to request waivers for work and reporting requirements based on local unemployment rates or job availability.

Currently, under the new law, affected SNAP recipients must report at least 20 hours of work, education, training, or volunteering per week (or 80 hours per month) if they:

  • Are 18–54 years old,
  • Do not have a dependent child under 18, and
  • Are physically and mentally able to work.

Recipients who do not meet these requirements can only receive three months of SNAP benefits within a three-year period. The earliest potential benefit loss in Pennsylvania is December 2025.

Additional requirements taking effect November 1, 2025, will affect other SNAP recipients who were not previously subject to them, including:

  • Adults 55–64 years old
  • Parents of any age whose youngest child is 14 or older
  • Veterans
  • Homeless individuals
  • Current or former foster children aged 24 or younger (starting when they turn 18)

To help SNAP recipients prepare, DHS is sending a voluntary survey to those who may be affected. Responses will help determine exemptions based on medical needs or life circumstances but will not affect eligibility. Recipients should return the survey promptly.

Additional support is available via:

  • DHS Resources: Video and infographic demos at dhs.pa.gov/work
  • Commonwealth’s website: Learn more about the impacts of the federal budget bill on Pennsylvanians at pa.gov/federalbudgetresponse
  • Employment Programs: PA CareerLink® and other programs to help recipients meet the 20-hour/week or 80-hour/month requirement
  • Further Assistance: Contact your local County Assistance Office or the DHS Customer Service Center at 877-395-8930 (Philadelphia: 215-560-7226)

Pennsylvanians should also keep their address up-to-date with DHS by calling the Customer Service Center or updating their address through COMPASS, and with the United States Postal Service so they don’t miss any important mailings about their benefits.

For more information on upcoming SNAP work reporting requirements, visit dhs.pa.gov/work.

Revised PDE 427 Forms Are Now Available (August 31, 2025)

The PDE 427 form is the summative assessment form that an LEA is to complete when an educator is being evaluated to adjust their certification level from an Instructional I to Instructional II or Educational Specialist I to Educational Specialist II. The 427 Form has been revised and split into two separate forms, one specifically for Classroom Teachers and another for Non-Teaching Professionals.

PDE 427A: This form is for Classroom Teachers and uses language from the Classroom Teacher Framework for Observation and Practice. This form is used when a teacher is being evaluated to move from an Instructional I to an Instructional II certification.

PDE 427B: This form is for Non-Teaching Professionals and uses language from the Non-Teaching Professional Framework for Observation and Practice. This form is used when a non-teaching professional is being evaluated to move from an Educational Specialist I to an Educational Specialist II certification.

Both forms are completed by the educator’s evaluator and must be kept in the educator’s personnel file at the LEA.

For additional forms and information, please visit the Certification — Fees and Forms webpage.

PDE Provides PA State Grant Communication Toolkit for Parents and Students (August 30, 2025)

With the 2025-26 academic year upon us, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has been actively monitoring 2025-26 PA State Grant completion rates since the process launched in early . While many PA State Grant applicants have successfully completed their 2025-26 PA State Grant record, a significant number still need to take action. PDE continues to email students regularly to encourage them to act, and PHEAA is now also asking for help in communicating with students who graduated in 2025 to ensure they do not miss out on their PA State Grant.

PDE is excited to announce the PA State Grant Program Communication Toolkit. Schools and partners can use the toolkit items to remind students about the PA State Grant Program and to encourage them to apply. The PA State Grant Program Communication Toolkit includes social media posts and images, newsletter content, email templates, and more! 

Please encourage students to sign in to Account Access to complete their certification signatures or the SGF as soon as possible so their 2025-26 PA State Grant eligibility can be determined.

Grand Opening of PPATEC Training Facility Held (August 30, 2025)

The Pennsylvania Petroleum Association (PPA) recently celebrated the completion of a 12,000+ sq ft building located in Grantville, PA. This location now serves as the association headquarters and operates the training facility of the Pennsylvania Petroleum Association Technical Education Center (PPATEC), a Pennsylvania Private Licensed School. The $2.5 million project features significant building renovations and customized technical training equipment. The move makes PPATEC one of the largest industry-owned and operated trade schools in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Approximately 9,000 sq ft of the existing building is dedicated to training related activities, establishing five (5) live-fire labs and three (3) classrooms in addition to numerous outdoor spaces. In total, the new property triples the capacity of PPATEC’s current offerings and creates expanded space to pursue its core competency of hands-on technical training solutions. The lab designs include a robust expansion of air conditioning, electrical, heat pump, gas-fired systems, oil-fired systems, and propane appliances already offered by PPATEC. Additional lab space is dedicated to the buildout of new training offerings for equipment installation/replacement, light commercial, and plumbing applications.

The facility will position PPATEC to offer more hands-on technical training solutions for individuals employed in the HVAC and energy industry. PPATEC also operates a postsecondary entry-level career training institution licensed by the State Board of Private Licensing Schools and is approved by the VA to accept GI Bill® benefits.

PA Receives IDEA Part B 2025 Determinations Notification (August 29, 2025)

On , 2025, Pennsylvania received notification from the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office of Special Education Programs that the Commonwealth has received a “Meets Requirements” determination, the highest level that the federal government awards to states under Part B of the IDEA.
Pennsylvania was one of only 20 states and territories that received the distinction this year. The Commonwealth’s excellent work in special education has been recognized with the “Meets Requirements” designation for 18 of the 19 years that USDE has been issuing its determinations.
This recognition is a testament to the hard work of educators and staff in delivering high-quality services to students with disabilities and their families.
The “Meets Requirements” determination is based on the Commonwealth’s special education results and compliance data, including information related to the participation of children with disabilities (CWD) on statewide assessments; the participation and performance of CWD on the most recently administered (2024) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); exiting data on CWD who dropped out and CWD who graduated with a regular high school diploma; the state’s federal fiscal year (FFY) 2023 State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR); information from monitoring and other public information, such as Specific Conditions on the state’s grant award under IDEA Part B; and other issues related to state compliance with the IDEA.
Pennsylvania’s Part B SPP/APR is available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website.
The USDE has developed state profiles as a resource for IDEA-related, state-specific information. Persons interested in reviewing IDEA-related files for Pennsylvania may visit the USDE Office of Special Education Program’s state profile website.
Questions regarding this information may be directed to Amy Pastorak, Assistant Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education, at apastorak@pa.gov.