REDUCED ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR SNAP
WHAT IS ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Administrative burden refers to the barriers that increase the costs—time, money, and psychological distress—of applying for and maintaining enrollment in any public assistance program. Reducing the administrative burden can help more caregivers and children access the assistance and benefits they need to keep their families healthy. The research presented here focuses on administrative burden for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but policies to reduce administrative burden apply to any public assistance and benefit program that states implement.
SNAP Serves Millions of Children Yearly and Reduces Child Poverty
Known as the Food Stamp program until 2008, SNAP is the largest nutrition program in the United States.1 The program is available to low-income households2 and serves millions of families each year. SNAP is not targeted toward a particular subpopulation, but the majority of SNAP recipients are in households with children. In 2019, nearly one-quarter of all children under age 3 (22.2%) were living in households that reported receiving SNAP in the prior 12 months—totaling almost 2.5 million children.3 SNAP lifted 2.5 million people in the United States out of poverty in 2019 and decreased the poverty rate for children by 2 percentage points, on average, in 2018.4,5,6
SNAP Receipt Is Associated With Short- and Long-Term Benefits
Access to SNAP has been shown to reduce childhood food insecurity by up to 36%.7 Receipt of SNAP is associated with improved birth outcomes,8 increased health care access among children,9 and improved long-term child health.10 A 2020 analysis found that access to SNAP between conception and age 5 was associated with later-in-life increases in human capital, economic self-sufficiency, life expectancy, and neighborhood quality, as well as a decrease in the likelihood of incarceration.11
Variation in SNAP Take-Up Rates Across States Demonstrate the Impact Administrative Burden has on Program Participation
SNAP benefit levels and general eligibility criteria are set at the federal level, but states have flexibility to implement their SNAP programs within those criteria, including the administrative burden associated with program participation. Participation in SNAP among those eligible has risen in recent years from 53% in 2001 to 84% in 2017, but this percentage still varies considerably by state—highlighting the effect that state policies have on the proportion of eligible households that are served.12,13
Burdensome State Policies Decrease SNAP Participation, but Accommodative Policies Boost Participation and Could Save Costs
Onerous application requirements like in-person interviews or frequent recertifications require participants to take time away from work and arrange transportation or child care, increasing the time and cost of program participation. In contrast, longer recertification intervals, online application materials, or simplified income reporting can reduce administrative burden and thus increase participation.
According to a large national study, changes in administrative policies taken as a whole explained 28.5% of the increase in SNAP participation between 2007 and 2011.14 The caseload rose 68.7% over that period.15 Similarly, implementing a combination of multiple state SNAP policies increased SNAP enrollment by 20.4% from 1996 to 2015, nearly twice the effect size on participation compared to that of any individual policy.16 A USDA report published in 2019 found that states with streamlined administrative policies decreased their per-case costs.17
WHAT IMPACT DOES REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR SNAP HAVE?
Policies that reduce administrative burden for SNAP increase participation rates among eligible households. Authorization of longer recertification intervals is the most effective individual policy for increasing participation. However, implementing one policy alone is not as effective as implementing a set of policies that work together to reduce administrative burden related to SNAP enrollment and recertification. Across the strong causal studies reviewed, three of these policies—longer recertification periods, simplified income reporting (whereby participants only report their income if it increases above the eligibility threshold, as an alternative to monthly reporting), and the availability of online services—were most commonly included in effective low-burden policy combinations.
More Research Is Needed to Determine the Potential of Reduced Administrative Burden for SNAP to Decrease Disparities
Among eligible families with children, 4.2% of Black families and 8.1% of White families do not receive the benefit, whereas 19.1% of Hispanic families go without.18 Despite these substantial disparities in SNAP participation among those who are eligible, none of the strong causal studies reviewed examined the differential impact of reduced administrative burden across racial or ethnic groups. However, evidence from two studies examining effects on participation in other public assistance programs (Medicaid and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC) suggests that the administrative burden of public safety net programs falls disproportionately on communities of color and low-income communities, and that reducing the administrative burden can have a positive impact on their enrollment rates in programs that support health and nutrition.19,20 These findings would likely be applicable to SNAP participation as well, but more research specific to the disparate impact of SNAP administrative burden would be necessary to understand the true effect of such policies.
WHAT PROGRESS HAVE STATES MADE IN THE LAST YEAR TO REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR SNAP?
An Updated Methodology for Assessing State Progress Establishes 2021 as the New Baseline Year for Assessing State Progress
In the 2020 State Policy Roadmap, we assessed states’ progress toward adopting and implementing reduced administrative burden for SNAP based on whether states allowed and implemented a recertification interval of at least 12 months for SNAP-eligible households with children. To be consistent with the growing evidence base for SNAP, which shows that a combination of low-burden policies for SNAP is more effective at increasing SNAP participation than any single policy, we have developed a ranking methodology that gives states credit for implementing multiple evidence-based policies to reduce administrative burden for SNAP for families with children:
- A 12-month recertification period;
- Simplified income reporting; and
- The availability of online services, including the initial application, change reporting, and renewal.
Based on this new methodology, 26 states have policies in place that reduce the administrative burden to accessing SNAP that eligible families may experience.
Tracking State Policy Progress
Policy adoption does not typically happen quickly. States may introduce legislation several times before adopting a policy and take even more time to fully implement it. Every year we track states’ efforts toward adopting and fully implementing each of the five effective policies in this State Policy Roadmap. We also describe how states vary in their policies to reduce administrative burden for SNAP.
To Date, 26 States Have Reduced Administrative Burden for SNAP
Policies to reduce administrative burden for SNAP vary considerably across states. 18 states offer a 12-month recertification interval, simplified income reporting, and all three online services, including the application, change reporting, and renewal to all households with children. An additional eight states provide a 12-month recertification interval, simplified income reporting, and at least some of the online services that facilitate access among those who are eligible.
Nine states provide a combination of 12-month recertification intervals and simplified income reporting to some, but not all eligible families with children, and these states offer a range of online services. More eligible families could benefit if these policies were extended to all families.
In 16 states, no eligible families with children have a 12-month recertification interval, although some families may have simplified reporting and some of the online services.
2 States Considered Legislation Regarding Recertification Intervals, but There Was Little Policy Activity Beyond That
In 2021 there was not a lot of legislative activity regarding reducing administrative burden for SNAP. Only two states considered legislation regarding recertification intervals. Minnesota passed legislation that codifies the state’s existing 12-month recertification interval into state statute, and Texas introduced, but did not pass, legislation to extend the state’s 6-month recertification interval to 12 months.
How Does Colorado Compare to Other States in Making Progress Toward Reducing Administrative Burden for SNAP?
The figures below show how states compare to one another in making progress toward reducing administrative burden for SNAP.
HOW DO STATES VARY IN ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR SNAP?
States Implement a Variety of Policies to Reduce Administrative Burden
The table below illustrates the variation across states in policies to reduce administrative burden for eligible families to access SNAP benefits. The recertification intervals range from 3 to 12 months, with 30 states having a recertification interval of 12 months. All but seven states have simplified income reporting for all eligible families with children, and all states except Idaho and Wyoming have an online application process. States vary more with regard to their provision of online services for change reporting and renewal.
The Percentage of Eligible Families with Children Who Do Not Receive SNAP Varies Considerably by State
States vary considerably in the percentage of eligible families with children who do not receive SNAP benefits. Ten states do a relatively strong job in connecting eligible families with SNAP benefits; in these states, 5% or fewer of families with children do not receive the benefits for which they are eligible. Tennessee has the lowest percentage, at 2%, of eligible families who do not receive SNAP.
By contrast, in five states, the percentage of eligible families with children who do not receive SNAP is greater than 15%. These five states include Texas (19.8%) and California (26.7%), which are the two most populous states, thus the US average of eligible families with children who do not receive SNAP is quite high at 11.8%.