Food Security Policies
This policy inventory compiles some food security policies that states can choose to put into place to support economic security for families with young children. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers state-by-state fact sheets on who benefits from SNAP, levels of benefits, and the impact of SNAP on state economies. This Urban Institute tool offers county-by-county data on the SNAP’s reach. Check out this Child Trends/NCSL presentation for a good primer on state flexibilities and variations in SNAP.
Expanding Access to Free School Meals
- Establishing Universal School Meals programs, either statewide (mandating school districts’ participation) or offering districts the option.
Example: Post-COVID, eight states have so far passed similar legislation
Source:
NCSL: New State and Federal Policies Expand Access to Free School Meals
- Making previously reduced-price meals free for students
Example: Post-COVID, nine states have so far passed similar legislation
Source:
NCSL: New State and Federal Policies Expand Access to Free School Meals
Protecting Family Eligibility for Transitional Food Assistance
- Allowing remaining eligible household members to receive transitional food assistance when a member of a household receiving SNAP benefits has been sanctioned but the household is still receiving benefits.
Example:
Source:
Adjusting SNAP Income and Asset Limits
- Setting gross income eligibility limits at 200% FPL and removing asset limits for SNAP
Sixteen states have adopted this policy.
Example: Texas
Sources:
NCCP: Early Childhood Profiles
NCSL: Targeting Policies that Help Families Stay Afloat
- Using broad-based categorical eligibility policy in federal law to eliminate the benefit cliff for families whose earnings are just above the income threshold and adopt less restrictive asset tests
35 states have taken advantage of this flexibility
Example: Arkansas
Source:
CBPP: Building on SNAP’s Effectiveness in the Farm Bill
NCSL: Targeting Policies that Help Families Stay Afloat
- Providing transitional assistance to reduce benefits cliffs
Example: Missouri
Source:
Modernizing SNAP Technology and Business Practices
- Using SNAP administrative funding to improve the customer experience, streamline access to benefits and services, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of program administration, including policies like 12-month certification periods, simplified reporting, and online case management services
Examples: 10 states use all three of those policy levers
Sources:
Urban: Exploring States’ SNAP Modernization Projects
CLASP: SNAP “Program Integrity” How Racialized Fraud Provisions Criminalize Hunger
PN3 Policy Impact Center: Reduced Administrative Burden for SNAP
SNAP Time Limits
- Waiving SNAP three-month time limits for certain categories of recipients in areas where there are insufficient jobs.
Source:
SNAP for people with prior felonies
- Removing restrictions/requirements for people with prior drug-related felony convictions to access SNAP benefits
Source:
Protect SNAP recipients from skimming
- Collect data on incidents of SNAP benefits skimming and reimburse stolen benefits to recipients who have fallen victim to skimming, with a proof process that is not too burdensome
Sources:
Bloomberg: Scammers Rip Off SNAP Benefits, Keeping Americans Hungry
CLASP: Congress and states must do more to address EBT skimming
Increasing WIC Enrollment Through Targeted Outreach
- Leveraging data from Medicaid and SNAP to measure enrollment gaps
- Increasing enrollment using tools to plan, launch, and/or strengthen data matching and targeted outreach to eligible families who may be enrolled in other programs like Medicaid but are not receiving WIC benefits
- Routinely and automatically referring to WIC every Medicaid applicant who is pregnant, postpartum, or is a child under age 5 and simplify their enrollment in WIC
- Ensuring that managed care organizations (MCOs), health care providers, and community-based health workers refer Medicaid enrollees to WIC
- Requiring MCOs to report on meeting WIC-related quality goals, enrollment goals, or both, and rewarding MCOs that improve
Sources:
CBPP Toolkit: Increasing WIC Coverage Through Cross-Program Data Matching and Targeted Outreach
Georgetown CCF: State Medicaid Agencies Can Partner With WIC Agencies to Improve the Health of Pregnant and Postpartum People, Infants, and Young Children
Removing Child Support Cooperation Requirements
- Removing cooperation with child support from requirements for food (and child care) assistance eligibility
Example:
Source:
Increasing SNAP Flexibility During a Health Pandemic or Other Emergencies
- Providing emergency benefits supplements
- Providing benefits for children missing school meals
- Easing program administrative burdens.
States were allowed a host of SNAP flexibilities during the pandemic and could choose to access any of these flexibilities that the federal government elects to continue.
Source:
CBPP: States Are Using Much-Needed Temporary Flexibility in SNAP to Respond to COVID-19 Challenges
