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 administrative burden can allow more individuals and families access to the assistance and benefits they are eligible for and need to keep their families healthy.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal program that provides food vouchers to low-income households. 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.
About 6.2% of children under age 3 are food insecure.1 Implementing policies that reduce administrative burden can increase access to SNAP, which in turn can promote health and wellbeing and bolster family resources.
WHAT PROGRESS HAVE STATES MADE SINCE THE 2020 ROADMAP TO REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR SNAP?
At Least 4 States Extended Certification Periods for SNAP to 12 Months for Families
Since the 2020 Roadmap, states have slowly continued to extend SNAP certification periods through administrative action. These administrative changes brought the total number of states offering 12-month certifications to all families to 18 in 2024, with an additional 16 offering 12-month certifications to most families.
- At least four states (Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, and Maryland) have extended certification periods for families from 6 to 12 months over the past 5 years through action taken by state agencies.
- Several other states including Arizona, Connecticut, Montana, and Oregon, updated certification period regulations to remove provisions that allowed families with unstable circumstances, such as those experiencing homelessness or including seasonal workers, to receive shorter certifications. These changes ensure all families with children, regardless of circumstances, receive the longest possible certification period.
States Have Expanded the Availability of SNAP-Related Services Online
Since the 2020 Roadmap, states have made more SNAP case management functions available online, likely in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most states already offered online applications for SNAP in 2020, and with Alaska’s announcement of an online application in 2024 only two states (Idaho and Wyoming) still do not offer this service.
However, many states are moving beyond offering online applications, renewals, and document uploads, to offer robust online case management service portals.
- Several states, including Alabama, North Dakota, and West Virginia, allow families to schedule appointments and conduct interviews online.
- Kentucky’s portal even allows for families to complete virtual appointments with caseworkers on the kynect platform.
- Other states allow families to request new EBT cards (Electronic Benefit Transfer cards which can be used to spend SNAP benefits), check balances, and report stolen benefits.
The emergence of new online tools, when paired with in-person opportunities, can make services more accessible to all SNAP recipients. Designing resources to be accessible via mobile devices and in multiple languages can also ensure equitable access.
For more information on state progress to reduce administrative burden for SNAP, check out the 2024 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap.
Moving Forward: States May Reflect on the Temporary Changes Made During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Can Consider Ways to Reduce Administrative Burden Across Programs
The US Department of Agriculture issued several waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic that eased the administration of SNAP as caseloads rose during the pandemic.2 Notably, states were allowed to extend certification periods and to waive interviews for SNAP recipients. The extensions expired in 2022, but the interview waivers lasted into 2023.
The expiration of waivers coincided with decreases in timely processing of SNAP applications across the country.3 Moving forward, states may look to evaluate the temporary changes made during the pandemic and their options to implement similar changes moving forward.
Beyond the pandemic, states continue to look at administrative burdens both within and across programs. States have started to implement policies that connect families receiving other programs with SNAP and vice versa. Beyond outreach, these efforts include implementing combined applications, which allow families to apply for multiple state programs at the same time, and broad-based categorical eligibility, which allows states to confer SNAP eligibility based on a family’s eligibility for a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funded state program. Data sharing across programs may present an additional opportunity for states to reduce burdens on both families and state agency workers.
More research is needed to understand how these different policy choices combine to reduce administrative burden for families. Additional guidance from the federal government on data sharing across programs will also be necessary to help states move forward with cross-program efforts to reduce administrative burdens.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- 2020-2022 Current Population Survey (CPS), Food Security Supplement Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS).
- S. Department of Agriculture. (2024, June 24). PL 116 -159 – Continuing Resolution SNAP State Options. https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/cr-state-options
- S. Department of Agriculture. (2024, February 8). Agriculture Secretary Calls on States to Take Action to Improve SNAP Administration for Families in Need [Press release]. https://www.fns.usda.gov/news-item/fns-001.24
