SNAP Program

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Farm Bill policies remain some of the most impactful regulations in the US considering their influence on various elements of the Department of Agriculture. Superficially, the Farm Bill policies are legislative packages that the US Congress passes after defined time frames to regulate specific aspects of the US agriculture industry (Kimuyu, 2018). Some of the industry aspects regulated by such policies include rural development, food security, and various nutrition programs. The nature of the policies changes after every five years as per the Congressional orders. One of the most considerable of such programs is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which aims at addressing various issues anchored around food security. In this project, emphasis will be put on exploring the SNAP program through understanding the principle elements of the policy (policy description) associated with budgetary outlays, economic analysis, and a proposal of changes to make the policy more impactful. A detailed exploration of the SNAP Program should be vital in outlining the future trajectory of the policy in terms of what it intends to achieve and how it will meet its objectives. Section 1: Policy Description SNAP is the largest federal nutrition assistance program in the US bearing the impacts that it has. This program focuses on reducing food insecurity by offering nutritional support to low-income individuals or families. To achieve such an objective, the policy is structured to provide low-income households with funds that they can use to purchase food. SNAP is a program that was authorized under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (Bleich et al. 2020). Following its implementation, it was considered a safety net for approximately 42.1 million Americans, or 12.6% of the nation’s population as of 2018 (Kimuyu, 2018). Further, it is notable that the policy is administered by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Bearing its federal nature, the policy is operational in all 50 states as a federal entitlement program. Those who are eligible for this program have the legal right to receive the benefits. The government has implemented an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card that it uses to distribute the benefits to qualified members. Those who hold EBT cards can access the products in specified farmers’ markets, grocery stores, and various online retail outlets. Cardholders can use them to receive benefits for most food items. However, there are exemptions for purchases like tobacco, alcohol, vitamins, hot foods, and non-food items. Put simply, the program is structured to provide access to essential foods for the beneficiaries. The other prospect for consideration in understanding SNAP is an exploration of how people could be eligible for the program. To be considered for inclusion in SNAP, households must qualify for various asset and income tests. Principally, individuals can be considered for SNAP if their gross monthly income is at 130% or below that rate of the poverty line (Kimuyu, 2018). The gross monthly income is exclusive of deductions like housing and childcare. The second consideration for SNAP eligibility is the asset limits. Most households applying for this program are restricted to $2,500 in countable resources. However, households with elderly or disabled members have an asset limit of up to $3,750 (Kimuyu, 2018). Table 1 below summarizes SNAP benefits by household size. Table 1: SNAP Benefits by Household Size Thirdly, SNAP attracts some notable operational requirements. The requirements are developed, implemented, and reviewed consistently to ensure that the program aligns with the federal food assistance goals at all times. As noted, the legislative references and regulations that guide the operationalization of SNAP are confined within the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Within some specific time frames, the Food and Nutrition Act is updated and re-authorized through the Farm Bill. The changes to the act are normally geared toward matching the changes in the needs environment. For instance, a decrease in the purchasing power of a particular section of the population over a defined period could trigger amendments to ensure that deserving individuals access the benefits at all times. Some of the other considerations during the revision of the act include adjusting the benefit amounts to reflect the prevalent economic trends such as the rates of inflation, reflection on the broad agricultural and budgetary priorities, changes in eligibility verification processes, as well as the implementation of stricter work requirements. The operationalization requirements are principally set to anchor its adherence to the law besides ensuring that all the deserving people benefit from the program. Other operational requirements define the basic understanding of the SNAP program. One of such requirements is funding and benefit calculation. As will be explored further in this section, SNAP funding is executed through the channels of the Farm Bill. The bill provides the necessary budgetary threshold for food assistance and program administration. The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is used to determine the benefit amounts as well as a federal guideline for low-cost nutritious eating. Factors like the cost of living and food prices can trigger changes to the funding and benefit calculation almost on an annual basis. The other operational requirement for this program is the legislative reference prices. The prices refer to the minimum funding levels that are needed to ensure that the program matches the set obligations. The prices are also revised periodically to ensure their suitability to the financial demands of the targeted households. The final operationalization requirement for this program is the benefit limits allotment that vary based on the characteristics of the household such as size, income, and expenses. Often, households without any countable income are subject to maximum SNAP benefits. Able-bodied adults without dependants, immigrants, and college students are some of the demographic groups and attributes considered for this program. Finally, understanding this policy must come with a detailed exploration of how the benefits are calculated and the work requirements and participation for this program. USDA depends on the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) to calculate SNAP benefits. TFP works by estimating the cost of a minimally adequate and nutritious diet for specific household sizes. Upon establishing variables such as household sizes, the benefits rendered reflect the difference between 30% of the beneficiaries’ net income and their TFP. The application of TFP in the calculations is steered to ensure that people from low-income households benefit the most from the funds. There are also considerable work requirements...