Question

Outline and describe the US food assistance programs including assistance provided, population served, agency providing the program, legislation the program is authorized under (if applicable), and income eligibility for the following programs: SNAP & CSFP

Answer 1

In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly yet still commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people.

The amount of SNAP benefits received by a household depends on the household's size, income, and expenses. For most of its history, the program used paper-denominated "stamps" or coupons – worth $1 (brown), $5 (blue), and $10 (green) – bound into booklets of various denominations, to be torn out individually and used in single-use exchange.

Per CSFP regulations at 7 CFR 247.19, participants are prohibited from receiving CSFP benefits and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) benefits at the same time. However, there is no prohibition against simultaneous participation in CSFP and other FNS programs including but not limited to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, provided the eligibility requirements for these programs are met.

Per 7 CFR 247.9(b)(l), women, infants, and children who are certified as eligible to receive SNAP benefits automatically meet CSFP income eligibility requirements. Nevertheless, these applicants must still meet all other CSFP eligibility requirements, including categorical and residency requirements.

For senior applicants age 60 years and over, eligibility for SNAP benefits does not create automatic income eligibility for CSFP. Senior applicants must separately meet CSFP income eligibility requirements in order to participate in the program. It is important to note that, in accordance with section 8(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of2008, which reads that SNAP benefits are "not considered income or resources for any purpose under any federal, state, or local laws," senior applicants who meet all other CSFP eligibility requirements cannot be denied CSFP benefits because they participate in SNAP.

Finally, 7 CFR 247.14(c) prohibits the value of benefits received under CSFP from being considered as income or resources when determining eligibility for other public assistance programs, including other FNS nutrition assistance programs.