FNS Documents & Resources

On Dec. 29, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Division HH, Title IV, Section 503(b), of the Act ends SNAP EA that were provided by Section 2302(a)(1) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The law terminates EA after the issuance of February 2023 benefits. Therefore, the last benefit month that may include EA is February 2023.

This memorandum provides guidance to SNAP state agencies on the end of the temporary student exemptions as described in Section 702(e) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). This expands upon the SNAP Student Provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 - Questions and Answers – Section 702(e) memorandum issued on Feb. 2, 2021. 

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.

SNAP Questions and Answers Concerning the Trafficking Controls and Fraud Investigations Final Rule

In February, 2013, FNS published final regulations revising the definition of trafficking. It subsequently came to our attention that some states were not clear that upon its effective date, federal law takes precedence and states were expected to implement the new federal trafficking definition.

Strengthening SNAP integrity, rooting out waste, fraud and abuse so that federal dollars are used appropriately.

This memorandum is to reiterate and clarify current policy governing intentional program violations as set forth in the Food Stamp Program regulations.

The following memo represents our position on the question of whether the head of household may be held responsible for an IPV when the household member that committed the IPV cannot be determined.

Cooperación del Programa de Cupones para Alimentos con investigaciones de fraude.

After a further review of this matter, and upon advice of our legal counsel, we have reconsidered our position on the use of the Request for Contact (RFC) to facilitate household cooperation with fraud investigations. We have decided that the RFC may only be issued by state eligibility workers and only when the state agency learns of a change in the household’s circumstances that calls into question the household’s continued eligibility for the program or its current level of benefits.