States Have Increased Flexibility to Develop Policies Affecting the Food Stamp Program

Application | Costs and Caseloads | Program Interactions | Immigrants | Waste, Fraud, and Abuse | Asset Limits | Cash Out | Dynamics | Participation

Federal welfare reform and other legislative changes have given states unprecedented flexibility to tailor their Food Stamp programs to suit their state-specific needs. These trends are reflected in the growing use of federal waiver authorities that allow states to modify their programs to streamline applications, alter benefit structures, and consolidate requirements of multiple assistance programs. Yet many uncertainties exist about eligibility, program operations, and costs. Mathematica Policy Research has a long track record of helping state and federal officials get the information they need to make sound decisions about the Food Stamp Program. In addition to revealing how programs can operate more efficiently, we have shown how proposed changes would affect benefit levels and income and eligibility requirements.

Simplifying the Application Process and Program Operations

The search for program improvements often involves streamlining administrative and operational procedures. Mathematica conducted a national study of the Food Stamp Program to help states improve how the program operates. We have also looked at how simplifying the application process and method for determining benefits affects administrative costs, participation in the program, and collection of other benefits.

Determining Costs and Caseloads for Different Program Designs

Building on sophisticated computer models that we pioneered more than 30 years ago, we can quickly project the costs of changes in food stamp benefit rules as well as the effects on food stamps of changes in cash assistance programs. These powerful and easy-to-use modeling tools can look at the impact of federal or state reforms on food stamp eligibility, expected participation, and costs.

Identifying Program Interactions

Information about program interactions helps show whether reducing participation in one program will generate increases in another, as well as whether making it easier to apply for different services will cause caseloads to spike. We have looked at how the Food Stamp Program interacts with other programs to see how benefits, participation, and costs change.

Addressing Benefits for Immigrants

Immigrants' use of the Food Stamp Program has been a policy issue for some time. We have studied how the disqualification of certain immigrant groups under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) and the later restoration of benefits to many immigrants under the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA) and the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 affected the number of immigrants eligible for food stamps.

Eliminating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

Concern about the misuse of public funds has escalated in recent years. We have studied ways to identify food stamp overpayments and suggested cost-effective techniques for states to use to recoup them. We have also studied sensitive issues, such as how people misuse food stamps in activities like trafficking.

Setting Asset Limits

What can people own and still be eligible for assistance? We have contributed to the debate by looking at how ownership of an automobile and other assets would help food stamp recipients find and hold a job and become self-sufficient. We also looked at how changes in this policy would affect caseloads.

Measuring the Benefits of Cash Out

Our studies have shown that when food stamps are replaced with cash, people are less likely to use their benefits for food. These findings figured prominently in the legislative debate about cashout.

Assessing Caseload Dynamics

Events that trigger participation in the Food Stamp Program have been the subject of several of our studies. We have looked at how long people collect food stamps, why they stop collecting them, and how often those who stop collecting return to the program.

Understanding Low Participation in Food Stamps

Many families eligible for food stamps do not participate. When TANF recipients leave assistance for employment, they can continue to receive food stamps and Medicaid benefits for a transition period, but many do not. Mathematica has assessed the factors that affect participation and identified promising practices for encouraging use of benefits when families really need them.

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