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Elderly
Nutrition Pilot Projects
Overview
Nationwide, only three out of 10
persons who are age 60 and older and
eligible for food stamp benefits
participate in the Food Stamp Program
(FSP). These low rates have persisted
overtime, regardless of economic
changes. Although a significant
proportion of elderly nonparticipants
are eligible for a small benefit,
research suggests that most are
foregoing substantial food stamp
benefits.
In response to this issue, the Food
and Nutrition Service provided $2.4
million in grants to 6 States--Arizona,
Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Michigan,
and North Carolina--to test ways of
reducing application barriers and
encouraging food stamp participation
among eligible elderly persons. The
pilots tested three different approaches
at the county level:
-
Simpler eligibility
determination rules - Florida
-
One-on-one application
assistance - Maine, Michigan and
Arizona, and
-
A commodity alternative instead
of food stamps - Connecticut and
North Carolina.
The projects operated under
time-limited demonstration authority and
were funded to operate at least two
years over the period 2002 to 2004.
In May 2005, the Economic Research
Service (ERS) released the findings of
the independent evaluation of the pilots
conducted by Mathematica Policy
Research, Inc. The results indicated
that most of the demonstrations had
relatively large increases in elderly
FSP participation after 21 months.
Successful impacts were seen in each
approach. Elderly participation rose by:
- more than 20 percent in Florida's
simplified eligibility
demonstration,
- almost 31 percent in Maine and 37
percent in one Arizona site where
they tested one-on-one application
assistance, and
- almost 36 percent in North
Carolina's commodity demonstration.
The remaining two demonstrations -
Michigan and Connecticut -- had little
or no effect with increases of 4 to 5
percent during the evaluation period.
The Michigan pilot, one of the two urban
demonstrations, has continued to operate
and in a variety of new sites.
The evaluation attributed the impacts
to either the reduced cost (including
effort) of applying for benefits or the
enhanced benefit provided to the client.
Overall, the impacts suggest that low
FSP participation rates by elderly can
be increased. The report can be found at
ERS'
website.
Project
Descriptions
Florida - Simplified Eligibility
Determination
Grantee: Florida
Department of Children and Family
Services
Florida's simplified eligibility
demonstration was implemented in
February 2002 in Gadsden and Leon
counties which are located in the
panhandle section of the State. The
simplified eligibility model was
intended to encourage elderly
participation by making it easier to
apply for food stamps. Under the
demonstration, elderly applicants did
not have to provide documentation
verifying earnings, SSI or social
security income, medical expenses, or
asset holdings. (Florida continued to
require that applicants verify their
citizenship status.) In addition to the
simplified rules, the State also created
simplified one-page applications for
elderly clients. A televised public
service announcement promoting the FSP
to elderly clients was aired in the
pilot counties starting in March 2003.
The demonstration ran until the end of
December 2003. Florida Impact, a
non-profit agency, was the community
partner.
Arizona - Individual Application
Assistance
Grantee: Arizona
Department of Economic Security
Arizona's application assistance
program--the Food Assistance and
Nutrition to Seniors (FANS)
demonstration--used paid application
assistants to work one-on-one with
elderly applicants. The demonstration
operated in two counties: Pinal and
Yavapai (located south and north of
Phoenix). While some demonstration
activities began in Yavapai County in
July 2002, the demonstration was not
fully operational until September 2002.
Application assistants provided
information about the FSP and nutrition
education materials to low-income
seniors, prescreened them for food stamp
eligibility, and informed them about
other community resources. Assistance
often took place in senior centers,
although outreach posts were also
established within faith-based
organizations, libraries, alternative
food assistance sites, and county health
departments. A small percentage of
homebound FANS clients were served
through home visits. The Arizona
Nutrition Network served as the
community partner and provided support
and nutrition education materials. The
application assistants were employed
through the Senior Community Service
Employment Program which is funded by
Title V of the Older Americans Act.
Maine - Individual Application
Assistance
Grantee:
Maine Department of Human Services
Maine's application assistance
demonstration - Food Assistance
Connecting Eligible Seniors (FACES) -
was implemented in Waldo County (a rural
coastal county) in February 2002 and
concluded two years later. The FACES
program employed three part-time
application assistants who helped
low-income seniors complete applications
for the FSP. Most often, the assistance
was provided in the seniors' homes, and
the application assistant took
responsibility for submitting the
completed FSP application and supporting
documentation. The Waldo County
Committee for Social Action, a community
action organization, was a major partner
involved in the administration of the
pilot. Support was also provided by the
Institute for Public Sector Innovation
at the Muskie School for Public Service
at the University of Southern Maine. The
three application assistants were
employed through the Senior Community
Service Employment Program.
Michigan- Individual Application
Assistance
Grantee:
Michigan Department of Human Services
(formerly the Michigan Family
Independence Agency)
Michigan's application assistance
pilot featured an on-line application
form that could be accessed at all
senior centers in Genesee County, an
urban site located north of Detroit.
Senior center staff assisted elderly
applicants in understanding FSP
eligibility rules and helped them
complete a FSP application. The on-line
application is referred to as Michigan's
Coordinated Access to Food for the
Elderly (MiCAFE). To make the process
easier for the applicant, senior center
staff entered the applicant data into
the on-line system. This USDA pilot was
implemented November 2002 and officially
ended January 2005. Elder Law of
Michigan, Inc., a non-profit
organization, was the community partner
that administered the project with the
support of the Michigan Office of
Services to the Aging. Michigan has
continued to operate the project in this
and other counties across the State.
Connecticut - Commodity
Alternative Benefit
Grantee:
Connecticut Department of Social
Services
Connecticut's commodity pilot--The
Food Connection--offered commodity
packages to elderly households residing
in ten towns in the Hartford area. The
packages were assembled and distributed
by the Community Renewal Team (CRT), a
local food distribution organization.
Clients received their packages at local
congregate meals sites, or, if they
participated in the Meals on Wheels
program, in their homes with the
delivery of their meals. To reduce the
weight of the commodity packages for
elderly participants who walked or used
mass transportation to their pickup
sites, CRT distributed packages twice a
month, with each package containing half
of the monthly contents. Three types of
packages were offered: regular, Latino
and Meals on Wheals. The Food Connection
began serving clients in this
predominately urban area in November
2002 and operated for 2 years. At its
conclusion, participants were shifted
back to the Food Stamp Program.
North Carolina - Commodity
Alternative Benefit
Grantee:
North Carolina Department of Social
Services
North Carolina's commodity
demonstration, called the Commodity
Alternative Benefit (CAB) Program, was
implemented in Alamance County (a rural
county located northwest of Raleigh) in
November 2002. Food stamp participants
were given the option of receiving once
a month a pre-defined package of
commodity items instead of food stamp
benefits. The packages were prepared and
distributed under the direction of the
Alamance County Community Service Agency
(ACCSA) and with staff from the
Vocational Trades of Alamance (VTA), a
nonprofit training facility for adults
with disabilities. Most participating
seniors picked up their packages at
VTA's centrally located distribution
warehouse. About a third of the clients
had the packages delivered to their
homes by ACCSA staff. The county's
Department of Social Service played an
integral role in supporting the pilot.
In 2003, VTA won a 2003 Excellence Award
from the North Carolina Council of
Community Program for their
participation in this project, which
provided disabled adults work experience
and interactions with their community.
At its conclusion in August 2005,
participants were shifted back to the
Food Stamp Program.
Last modified: 12/04/2008
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