USDA Releases Proposed Rule To Disallow Automatic SNAP Eligibility

On July 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Nutrition Service released a proposed rule to end the automatic eligibility provision of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Currently, the law authorizing SNAP allows states to confer “categorical eligibility” on those who have already been certified for similar means-tested programs which check income, assets, and other circumstances to assure eligibility. In these states, households already certified for these programs are often given SNAP benefits without again going through income or asset determination.

If the proposed rule is adopted without changes this will mean . . .