This is a new information collection for the contract of the study titled “Evaluating the Interview Requirement for SNAP Certification.” The purpose of this collection is to help FNS describe the effects of waiving the interview requirement, including SNAP agency processes and staff experiences with implementing the no-interview demonstration, analyzing the differences in outcomes for SNAP applicants and recipients, and identifying key lessons to inform future policy or implementation.
SNAP benefit amounts are updated each year based on the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in June and take effect on Oct. 1. The Thrifty Food Plan is the cost of groceries needed to provide a healthy, budget-conscious diet for a family of four.
Congress directed USDA to re-evaluate the Thrifty Food Plan based on “current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance.” The 2021 TFP reflects the latest available data and is designed to meet the needs of low-income Americans in a cost-conscious way.
As a result of the Thrifty Food Plan re-evaluation, SNAP-participating households will receive an increase in benefits of , on average, $36 per person – or about $1.20 per day.
FNS intends to issue updated SNAP – Emergency Allotments guidance to provide benefits to certain eligible households, including those receiving SNAP benefits at the statutory maximum, that were previously deemed ineligible for emergency allotments by USDA.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 increases SNAP benefits by raising maximum allotments to 115 percent of the June 2020 value of the Thrifty Food Plan; effective from Jan. 1, 2021 until June 30, 2021.
The attached questions and answers are intended to address state agency concerns about the effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on SNAP.
Some state agencies have adopted a version of simplified reporting for other programs, such as Medicaid and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, and are using multi-program report forms for the various programs, including SNAP.
The national office recently has received several questions from regional offices concerning what should be considered "known to the state agency" for SNAP reporting purposes.
Attached are additional questions and answers in response to issues raised by state agencies on SNAP certification and eligibility provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.