Skip to main content

The Inner Workings of SNAP

In the clinic we have learned about and discussed several government-funded programs that aid those who are in need. The most recent program we have discussed is SNAP (Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program). According to Snap to Health, a website that discusses SNAP, the first food assistance program was established in 1939. Snap to Health states that this program was implemented under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration; specifically, it was enacted along with President Franklin’s New Deal program. In 1964, the Food Stamp Act was passed. Since this time, there have been various changes including an increase in monetary support in the 1970s , and a decrease in monetary support in the 1980s. In 2008, the program was renamed SNAP. What is interesting about this program is that there is a high likelihood that the next person you see walking down the street may be on SNAP because this program assists many people. For example, according to Building a Healthy America: A Profile of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, by the United States Department of Agriculture, 45 million people used SNAP benefits in the fiscal year 2011. This means that during that time period, one in seven Americans received SNAP funding.

There are basic requirements an individual has to meet in order to qualify for SNAP benefits. First, there are citizenship requirements. Both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens can qualify for the SNAP program. If an individual is a non-U.S. citizen, there are several categories in which a non-U.S. citizen could qualify. Second, SNAP calculates benefits based on one’s household. According to the United States Department of Health Food and Nutrition Service, a household is all of the people who buy and prepare meals and live together. Last, there is a work requirement that mandates that an individual who is not exempted from working must actively seek a job and accept a job offer.

Emergency benefits are a significant advantage in the SNAP program. If an individual is in need of SNAP benefits immediately, emergency SNAP benefits can be expedited within five days of applying for benefits. However, emergency benefits are granted when an individual meets certain program requirements. According to the Department of Human Services’ website, in order to qualify for emergency benefits, one’s monthly income has to be less than $150 and the assets in an individual’s bank accounts cannot equal more than $100.

Once an individual is qualified to receive SNAP funding, the individual can then use the SNAP benefits for food items. Most food items in a grocery store can be bought with SNAP benefits, including nutritious foods such as breads, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and non-nutritious foods. Non-food items and prepared food cannot be purchased under the SNAP program, such as cigarettes, alcohol, and animal food. In addition to these food restrictions, participants must report their income every month.

One of the more controversial issues is that there is no asset requirement in order to be eligible for SNAP. Notwithstanding two minor exceptions, asset limits have been eliminated in all households in the State of Illinois. This characteristic of SNAP increases the likelihood that one could abuse the SNAP program. For example, even if someone is not working and can qualify for SNAP, he or she may have assets of two million dollars. While this is not likely to happen, it is a risk that can be withstood. The right to food is a basic right. People cannot and should not starve, and, moreover, the government has an obligation to fulfill this right. It would be difficult to comprehend a program that could better serve the thousands of Americans who are in need of food. Moreover, would we not rather ensure that most people have access to food? The concerns surrounding SNAP are present and are owed deference, but at this point in time, what is the alternative? A person’s ability to access food outweighs the negative implications of the program because the risk of depriving those who are in actual need of the system is too great. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Serving Lunch

One day Kelli, Jason, Colleen, and I volunteered to help serve lunch at Hesed House after our class period. We went into the PADS dining room around 11 a.m. Walking in, there were a bunch of guests sitting at the tables. They were watching T.V., reading, doing crossword puzzles or word searches, and talking to each other. As lunch did not start until noon, we were each given a task to complete before we started to serve. I was put in charge of making sure that Hesed House guests checked in when they came in. I would let people through the door when they knocked, ask them if they had checked in already, and if not, confirm their ID. After that Colleen and I went to hand out mail. People would show us their identification card, and we would look to see if they received any mail. Before it was time for lunch, we introduced ourselves and told everyone about the Health Advocacy Clinic and the types of cases we handle. Some people came up to us to ask us specific questions about the types of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Expungements and Sealings

On February 19 th , 2016, a fellow student and I gave a presentation to Aunt Martha’s about an expansion of the NIU Health Advocacy Clinic into an area of the law we have never ventured before:  criminal expungements and sealings. It appeared everyone who was working that day at Aunt Martha’s HOC or NIU Health Advocacy Clinic was in attendance, including Professor Boraca and Dr. Sun. Because Professor Boraca, my fellow student partner, and I had all talked about how to best format the PowerPoint presentation, we began with a case example of “Rob,” a person whose life is difficult because he has a 2010 criminal conviction of destruction of property on his record. Rob is a 26 year-old man living at Hesed House’s Transitional Living Community who has saved up enough money for a down payment on an apartment. Because of his criminal record, no one wants to rent to him. Likewise, Rob has also been looking for work but because of his criminal record, no one wants to hire him. Because of all t...
Post a Comment
Read more
It was Friday morning and I was waiting for a client to come fill out her Power of Attorney (POA) for Health Care. I was really excited for this because I had not had the opportunity to do an initial client interview yet, and this would be my first time assisting a client with completing a POA. I was also grateful I was able to have the experience of doing one, since POA Day was Wednesday, and I am scheduled Fridays at the clinic. Going into the situation I was very nervous. I had never done a POA before and I reviewed the POA documents, but actually doing interviews is always different than preparing for them. I definitely have seen that play out a lot this semester. You can prepare all you want for client interactions, but often they go nothing like you planned. Going into this experience I expected the client to have a lot of questions. This document is for long- term planning, and the population we work with at the Health Advocacy Clinic often does not have a lot of long-term plans...
Post a Comment
Read more