As required by federal law, state SNAP agencies verify financial and non-financial information by matching SNAP applicant and participant information to various national and state data sources to ensure they meet the program’s eligibility criteria. Data matching is an important tool for ensuring program integrity and benefit accuracy. However, information on states’ data matching practices and protocols is limited. This study was undertaken to address this knowledge gap.
This study identifies the barriers that SNAP participants face when trying to achieve a healthy diet through a nationally representative survey of SNAP participants. The study identifies the individual, household, and environmental barriers faced by SNAP participants that prevent them from having access to a healthy diet throughout the month; describes the interaction between these barriers; describes the nature of the barriers and the coping strategies used; and identifies any associations with household food insecurity.
This report responds to the requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the states and by local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (PL 108-265) required LEAs to establish systems to directly certify children from households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by school year (SY) 2008-2009. This report presents information on the outcomes of direct certification for SY 2017-2018 and SY 2018-2019.
This study is the fourth in a series that uses the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data to examine the relationship between SNAP participation and indicators of diet quality, nutrition, and health. As in previous studies, this study compares SNAP participants with income-eligible and higher income nonparticipants, by age and gender.
While most Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility parameters are set at the federal level, states may establish their own standard utility allowances (SUAs) which are part of the excess shelter expense deduction. The use of SUAs, including heating and cooling SUAs (HCSUAs) for households with heating and cooling expenses, simplifies the application process for both the applicant and the state agency. However, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has found some variation between established HCSUA values and household utility expenses in some states.