Published: September 2022

ID #: CAS063

Journal: JAMA Netw Open

Authors: Kenney EL, Soto MJ, Fubini M, Carleton A, Lee M, Bleich SN

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In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), families may temporarily lose benefits for which they are still eligible because of administrative issues. This lapse in benefits, referred to as churning, increases the risk of food insecurity for families, which is linked with poorer health. This study examined the rate of churning among SNAP participants with young children and evaluated the association of administrative policy changes with churning risk. In this cross-sectional study of 70 799 Massachusetts SNAP participants with young children, 40.9% of participants experienced benefit losses that lasted up to 30 days because of administrative reasons, including missed deadlines for submitting recertification forms, completing certification interviews, or providing eligibility verifications. Policies that simplified caseworker assignments and reduced the burden of interim eligibility reporting requirements were associated with significant decreases in churning.

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