SNAP

Basic Concept:

  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program administered jointly by federal and state governments that offers assistance purchasing healthy foods and receiving nutritional education to low-income households and individuals.

  • It is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and, after unemployment insurance, the most responsive federal program that provides additional assistance during economic downturns.

  • The federal government pays the full cost of SNAP benefits and splits the cost of administering the program with the states, which operate the program.

Eligibility Requirements: 1

  • Those interested in receiving SNAP benefits must apply through their state SNAP agency in order for their household to be considered for eligibility.

    • Households may have $2,250 in countable resources (cash/money in an account) or $3,500 if at least one household member is over 60 or is disabled. These amounts are updated annually. Homes/lots, resources of people who receive SSI, TANF, or retirement/pension plans are not counted resources.

    • Vehicles are counted as a resource if used for solely transportation/daily commute purposes.

    • Households must meet both gross (a household’s total, non-excluded income, before any deductions have been made) and net (gross income minus allowable deductions) monthly income limits:

      • The gross monthly income is currently at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL)

      • The net monthly income is at or below 100% FPL

      • Allowable deductions:

        • 20% deduction from earned income

        • Standard deduction of $160 for sizes of 1-3 people and $170 for a household of four.

        • A dependent care deduction for work, training, or education

        • Medical expenses for elderly or disabled members

        • Legally owned child support payments (in some states)

        • Excess shelter costs (fuel to heat/cook with, electricity, water, basic telephone fee, etc.)

  • In addition to income limits, individuals must meet general work requirements including registering for work, not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing hours, taking a job if offered, or participating in employment and training programs if assigned by the state.

  • Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) between the ages of 18-49 are also eligible, but must be employed for at least 20 hours a week for more than 3 months in a 36-month period or participate in a training/workfare program.

    • If not employed, ABAWDs are restricted to three months of benefits every three years

    • Those not subject to these work requirements include children, seniors, pregnant women, and people who are exempt for physical or mental health reasons

    • Non-citizens are generally not eligible for SNAP, but exceptions are made for non-citizens who are under 18, receiving disability-related assistance or benefits, and/or has resided in the United States for at least 5 years (along with satisfying other income/resource requirements.)

    • If all members of the household are receiving TANF or SSI benefits, the household may be deemed “categorically eligible” for SNAP because members have already been determined eligible for another means-tested program.

How to Apply:

  • SNAP is an entitlement program and serves all eligible people who apply.

  • Individuals must go through an application process through their state’s SNAP welfare office, the mail, or internet.

  • An interview and documentation of finances and identification are required

  • Most SNAP recipients have to re-certify their eligibility every 6 to 12 months

  • Seniors and those with disabilities typically have to reapply every 12 to 24 months

Benefits Provided by SNAP: 2

  • SNAP recipients receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card

    • The EBT card is loaded once a month with benefits to buy food at a number of locations

    • Benefits can be used to purchase healthy food for the household, such as fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, dairy products, bread and cereal, snack foods, and seeds and plants which produce food for the household to eat.

    • Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to purchase alcohol, tobacco products, vitamins or medicine, live animals, hot foods, pet food, cleaning supplies, or hygiene items.

    • The amount of benefits provided is based on a low-priced diet created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture called the “Thrifty Food Plan.”

      • SNAP benefits equal the difference between the cost of the “Thrifty Food Plan” and 30% of a SNAP recipient’s net monthly income (the cost of the “Thrifty Food Plan” being the larger number”)

      • The SNAP benefit formula targets benefits according to need: very poor households receive larger benefits than households closer to the poverty line.

History of the Thrifty Food Plan: 3

  • The USDA began developing basic food plans for different cost levels in the 1930s to provide “consumers with practical and economic advice on healthful eating.” Four plans were created at different cost levels, with the Thrifty Food Plan, the basis of SNAP benefit allotments, defined as the “national standard for a nutritious diet at a minimal cost.” Many organizations take issue with the Thrifty Food Plan simply because it uses dated criteria, making monthly benefits insufficient for families.

  • History of the program:

    • TFP has its origins in the 1930s when the USDA developed food plans for low-income families during the Great Depression.

    • In the 1940s, The Low-Cost Food Plan was created as the minimal cost food plan, but then in 1961 a separate Economy Food Plan was developed at a price lower than the Low-Cost Plan.

    • In 1976, TFP replaced the Economy Food Plan.

    • While other earlier food plans were updated to reflect new consumption behaviors, food price data, and dietary recommendations, TFP still maintained the same minimal cost of food as the EFP. Even when revised in 1983, 1999, and 2006, the same neutral cost was applied to TFP.

    • Thus, although the revised program reflects new data and dietary recommendations, the program has been limited by the same (inflation-adjusted) cost of TFP market baskets* that date back to 1976, making estimations of how much of an individual’s income should go to food inaccurate.

    • Market baskets are part of the USDA’s methodology for creating these food plans. Baskets are based on mathematical models that are intended to account for actual consumption, actual food prices, and current dietary recommendations, all while working within the constraints of maintaining the inflation-adjusted cost of prior plans.

    • According to the Food Research and Action Center, research published since TFP’s 2006 revision shows that the plan is widely impractical and inadequate. Their 2012 report states that the TFP:

      • Includes impractical lists of foods,

      • Lacks the variety called for in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,

      • Unrealistically assumes adequate facilities and time for food prep, food availability, affordability, and adequate, affordable transportation,

      • Underestimates food waste,

      • Costs more than the SNAP allotment in many parts of the country, and

      • Ignores special dietary needs.

  • The FRAC proposes that the Low-Cost Food Plan should be the basis for SNAP allotments because it has a 30% higher budget and is generally in line with what low and moderate income families report that they need to spend on nutritious food. Additionally, the Low-Cost Food Plan allows for a greater food variety of choices to support a more healthy diet. If this change was made, SNAP participants will have more adequate benefits, less food insecurity and overall healthier diets.

SNAP Participants, Costs, & Average Benefits: 4

Fiscal Year

Average Number of Participants

Average Number of Households

Total Federal Dollars Used

Average Monthly Benefit Per Person

Average Monthly Benefit Per Household

2019*

33,391,059

16,761,567

$36,082,736,377*

$135.08

$296.09

2018

39,651,687

19,694,275

$60,407,786,888

$126.96

$255.61

2017

42,173,199

20,868,613

$63,711,051,076

$125.89

$254.41

*Preliminary data only for 2019 (Includes data for ⅔ fiscal year 2019 (Oct 2018- May2019). Data does include totals from North Carolina and Rhode Island. Both are missing data reports due to previous calculation errors.

SNAP Benefits by Household Size, FY 2019: 5

Household Size

Maximum Monthly Benefit (family with no net income)

Estimated Avg. Monthly Benefit

1

$192

$135

2

$353

$239

3

$505

$365

4

$642

$448

5

$762

$506

  • In FY 2018, the federal government spent $68 billion on SNAP and other related food assistance programs (see chart)

  • The federal share of administration includes state costs associated with SNAP operations-- including eligibility determinations, benefit issuance, and quality control, as well as certain services such as employment, training, and nutrition education. Federal administrative costs include the mandatory and discretionary federal costs for administering SNAP.

  • The SNAP budget includes about $2.5 billion in other food assistance programs, including the block grant for food assistance in Puerto Rico and American Samoa, commodity purchases for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and commodities for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.

  • Due to the partial federal government shutdown, the February SNAP benefits were issued early in order to ensure recipients would still receive SNAP benefits for the month of February 2019.

Positive Outcomes of SNAP:

  • In 2017, 42,173,199 people participated in SNAP, which is 13% of the total US population, or 1 in 8 people.

  • In a typical month in 2017, SNAP helped families with nearly 20 million children afford an adequate diet (1 in 4 children.)

  • 44% of SNAP recipients are children, and 21% are adults who live with those children.

  • Most importantly, SNAP has the ability to lift children and their families out of poverty and alleviate food insecurity.

  • SNAP also helps millions of low-income seniors (who live on fixed incomes and may have limited financial means), and almost 1.4 million low-income Veterans.

  • The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that in 2017, SNAP lifted about 3.4 million individuals out of poverty.

  • SNAP benefits can be accessed quickly, making it important for families in temporary crisis (within 30 days or less)

Shortcomings of SNAP:

  • SNAP underestimates the cost of healthy foods, as seen in the average SNAP benefit per person per meal, which is very low for most states.

  • The program assumes that recipients have access to relatively cheap unprocessed ingredients and have time to/the knowledge of how to prepare healthy meals

  • Most unemployed childless adults are restricted to just three months of SNAP benefits

  • Although this may be due to declining poverty rates, SNAP caseloads have decreased dramatically each year. According to the CBPP, 7 million fewer people participated in SNAP in 2018 than 2013. Accordingly, spending for the program has fallen as well.

Endnotes

  1. Information from the USDA FNS, https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility

  2. Information from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/policy-basics-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

  3. Information from the Food Research and Action Center, https://www.frac.org/wp-content/uploads/thrifty_food_plan_2012.pdf

  4. Information from the USDA FNS Data Tables, https://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

  5. Chart from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/policy-basics-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap