group claims Interview requirements are onerous and prevent people who are eligible for food assistance from receiving it. The National Student Legal Defense Network, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the California Student Aid Council are among the organizations calling for its removal. A Department of Agriculture spokesperson said the agency is considering the proposal.
snap I will help Low-income households supplement their household budget You will be able to purchase groceries, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. An estimated 42 million Americans Currently, each person receives an average of $212 in benefits, or $401 per household.
Currently, within 30 days of applying for SNAP, state agencies must complete an applicant's initial certification interview, either by phone or in person.
Emergency interviews may be held within seven days for particularly needy people who meet certain income criteria. Seasonal farm workers, immigrants, and certain other households are also eligible for expedited interviews.
Eligible households will then receive a notice indicating the qualification period, or period during which they will receive SNAP benefits. Before the end of that period, participants will be contacted by their local SNAP office with information on how to recertify.
Aviana Kimani, 24, a student at West Los Angeles College, received SNAP benefits for a year and a half before leaving the program, in part because she had difficulty scheduling her mandatory recertification interview. She said she received benefits.
Initially, Kimani registered for food assistance through a local food bank, but due to work and school obligations, she had to go directly to the social services office to renew her eligibility during office hours. I found it difficult to go. She said she was moving at the time and everything in her SNAP assistance program was paper-based. In other words, there were additional challenges in going through procedures such as changing her address after she moved.
„You can't choose the time; it's just given to you. And it's usually during the day, which can be inconvenient if you're working or going to school,“ Kimani says. said. „Also, I don't know how long the call time will be. If I didn't have to go through the screening process, I definitely would have been receiving benefits for longer. But if I couldn't keep up, I would be dropped.“
When SNAP was established in 1978, the USDA maintained interview requirements inherited from previous food stamp programs, with interviews helping officials understand households' circumstances and also helping households understand the program. Said it was helpful.
„Based on past experience, we believe that interviews are critical to the accreditation process and need to be carefully monitored and regulated,“ the agency said at the time.
However, the federal law governing the SNAP program does not require an interview, petition groups wrote in a memo to the government. They argue that current regulatory requirements are outdated bureaucratic hurdles.
One-third of applicants were rejected
A 2021 review of California enrollment data found that 31% of SNAP applicants in Los Angeles County were denied SNAP because they missed an interview, while only a few were denied because they did not meet eligibility requirements. It turned out to be 6%. Among working families and university applicants, the failure rate was even higher for those who missed the interview, affecting 40% of eligible candidates.
USDA spokesman Alan Rodriguez said 78% of people eligible for SNAP participated in the program and received benefits from October 2019 to February 2020, the last pre-pandemic period for which data is available. He said he received it.
During the pandemic, when interview and other requirements were relaxed, the USDA recommended that states use online or telephone SNAP applications or allow participants to continue receiving SNAP without applying for the maximum amount. encouraged the use of existing program flexibilities to improve access to SNAP, including: time allowed.
According to Ty Jones Cox, vice president of food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this change did not contribute to hunger levels in 2020; Increased in the early stages of the pandemic. This compares with an increase from 11.1 percent to 14.7 percent during the 2008 recession.
“While hunger was poised to skyrocket early in the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to SNAP structure and policy have made it easier for families to access SNAP during this time,” she said.
Kimani also said the pandemic has proven that policy changes are possible.
„During the COVID-19 pandemic, we allowed people to automatically recertify to continue benefits, instead of having an in-person interview to determine eligibility,“ she said. said. “I wonder why we can’t continue this way to make sure people don’t lose their benefits.”
In a recent report, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said interview requirements „can be an important way for states to gather accurate information and get applicants to answer questions, but they can be labor-intensive and We have discovered that there may be delays. ”
Aaron Ament, president of Student Defense, said his organization frequently hears about the obstacles students face in scheduling mandatory government SNAP interviews while juggling school, work, and child care. Then he said.