Determinants of the Food Stamp Program Caseload
By Jacob Alex Klerman and Caroline Danielson. ERS project representative: Michele Ver Ploeg
Contractor and Cooperator Report No. (CCR-50) 113 pp,
January 2009
The Food Stamp Program (FSP) is intended to help low-income households afford a nutritionally adequate diet. Welfare (cash assistance) and FSP policies have changed significantly since the 1990s. This report examines 1990-2004 data to consider how the policy changes and the changing economic climate have affected the FSP caseload over time. Results show that the FSP caseload shifted sharply from nearly half receiving cash benefits from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to less than a fifth. The share of the FSP caseload not receiving cash benefits from either TANF or Supplemental Security Income (nonpublic assistance, or NPA) increased sharply. The NPA caseload rose when the economy was weak and was sensitive to reporting requirements for the FSP (for example, how often participants must be recertified as eligible). The decline in the share of the FSP caseload that receives TANF is not well-explained by the changes in the economy or program policies. The Food Stamp Program was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in October 2008.
Disclaimer: This study was conducted by RAND under Cooperative Agreement number 43-3AEM-5-80090 with the Economic Research Service. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or USDA.
Keywords: Food Stamp Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, cash assistance, caseload modeling, Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, FANRP, ERS, USDA
In this report ... Chapters are
in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Updated date: January 30, 2009
|
