Understanding the Rates, Causes, and Costs of Churning in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Understanding the Rates, Causes, and Costs of Churning in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Final Report Nutrition Assistance Program Report September 2014 Food and Nutrition Service Office of Policy Support Non-Discrimination Policy The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex (including gender identity and expression), marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410; or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Understanding the Rates, Causes, and Costs of Churning in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Final Report Authors: Gregory Mills Tracy Vericker Heather Koball Kye Lippold Laura Wheaton Sam Elkin (MEF Associates) Submitted by: Urban Institute 2100 M Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 www.urban.org Project Director: Gregory Mills Project Manager: Tracy Vericker Submitted to: Office of Policy Support Food and Nutrition Service 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302-1500 Project Officer: Sangeetha Malaiyandi This study was conducted under Contract number AG-3198-D-11-0049 with the Food and Nutrition Service, United States Department of Agriculture. This report is available on the Food and Nutrition Service website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/research-and-analysis Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support September 2014 Suggested Citation: Mills, Gregory, Tracy Vericker, Heather Koball, Kye Lippold, Laura Wheaton, Sam Elkin. Understanding the Rates, Causes, and Costs of Churning in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - Final Report. Prepared by Urban Institute for the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, September 2014. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors extend their gratitude to Caroline Ratcliffe of the Urban Institute and Mary Farrell of MEF Associates for their thoughtful analytic advice, as well as other key members of the research team: Lina Breslav, Brigette Courtot, Lindsay Giesen, Sandra Huerta, William Monson, Carolyn O’Brien, and Allison Stolte of the Urban Institute and Sheida Elmi of MEF Associates. The authors also thank the team at the University of Missouri—Colleen Heflin, Peter Mueser, and Kyung-Seong Jeon—for their comprehensive analysis of linked SNAP and Unemployment Insurance wage records for Florida. We are also thankful for the technical direction and support of our project officer, Sangeetha Malaiyandi, and for the assistance of others in the Office of Policy Support of FNS, including Kathryn Law and Kelly Kinnison, who provided senior guidance throughout the course of this study. iii Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ........................................................................................................... vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... ix 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 14 Understanding the issue of SNAP participant churn ................................................................ 14 1.1 Study objectives ....................................................................................................................... 19 1.2 Organization of this report ....................................................................................................... 21 1.32 STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS .................................................................................................. 22