FNS is conducting a study, Understanding Risk Assessment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Payment Accuracy, to develop a comprehensive picture of whether and how SNAP state agencies use RA tools and determine if these tools create disparate impacts on protected classes.
This study will conduct case studies in up to five states to understand the challenges with improving program coordination and highlight the best practices that could be shared with other states.
Through this rulemaking, FNS aims to improve the quality of race and ethnicity data collected and to ensure program benefits are distributed without regard to race, color, or national origin.
This memo clarifies business integrity requirements and factors that FNS may and may not consider when determining a firm’s participation in SNAP.
States annually update Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs) to reflect changes in utility costs. When determining a household’s eligibility, states consider a household’s total shelter costs, including the cost of utilities. Since actual utility costs are often hard to determine, states can use SUAs, which are standard amounts that represent low-income household utility costs in the state or local area. SUAs may be used in lieu of the household's actual costs when determining eligibility and benefit amount.
USDA is issuing this notice of proposed rulemaking to improve SNAP's quality control system as required in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
This communication is intended to provide states with information about a change in the FNS accounting process for obligating SNAP funds.
The purpose of this memorandum is to advise state agencies on the steps the Food and Nutrition Service will take to monitor and engage state agencies with poor SNAP initial application processing timeliness rates.
FNS will collect and approve information from state agencies on how the various state SNAP agencies develop, update, change and implement options will be determined for SUAs for household.
This is a new collection for the contract Assessment of Mobile Technologies for Using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits (Mobile Payment Pilot evaluation). The purpose of the Mobile Payment Pilot evaluation is to assess the effects of five pilot projects that will allow SNAP participants to use mobile payments to purchase food as an alternate option to a physical electronic benefit transfer card.