Summary

When seeking government services, the poor often confront fragmented delivery systems. Too often, those most in need have no idea what services are available to them or how to obtain them; many take advantage of only those services offered by the first agency they contact. To boost the use of food stamps by eligible Social Security clients, Congress passed the Food Stamp Act of 1977. This legislation requires government agencies to work together to make food stamp services readily available at Social Security Administration (SSA) offices. SSA has not, however, adequately carried out its responsibilities. It has taken relatively few food stamp applications from the Social Security clients that Congress sought to help. Currently, SSA uses posters and brochures in its offices to inform the public of food stamp availability. Yet many offices do not have such displays. Moreover, this approach will not reach the millions of people who apply for benefits by telephone. In addition, the use of unnecessarily complex food stamp application forms impede the delivery of services. In GAO's view, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture need to develop jointly a plan for dealing with the shortcomings in how food stamps are offered to Social Security clients. Further, the two agencies need to update Congress on their progress and any need for legislation to remove obstacles to providing quality service.

GAO found that: (1) SSA has taken few applications in relation to the number of clients served due to the lack of a strong commitment by to carry out tasks assigned under the Food Stamp Act and the joint application process; (2) the current Food Stamp program design results in duplication of effort, poor service to clients, and unnecessarily complex and lengthy food stamp applications; (3) SSA attempts to inform clients of food stamp availability by displaying posters and making brochures and applications available, but SSA efforts have been inadequate because many offices do not have such displays; (4) this approach ignores the millions of clients that apply by telephone; (5) the current role of taking applications should not be expanded to include all Social Security program clients, because the Supplemental Security Income and Food Stamp programs are needs-based but the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program is not and does not collect information common to the other two programs; and (6) the development of a joint SSI/food stamp application form is feasible, but combining a food-stamp-only application with the longer Supplemental Security Income application would provide little benefit.