Food Stamp Programs Elderly Nutrition Pilots

1
Food Stamp ProgramsElderly Nutrition Pilots

• Food and Nutrition Service
• Economic Research Service
• Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

2
The Issue

• Historically, less than 1 out of every three
  elderly persons who are eligible for food stamp
  benefits participate.
• 2003 participation rate for elderly is 28
  compared to 56 for all eligible persons.
• Low-income elderly have higher chronic health
  problems and often face choosing between food and
  medicine.

3
Food Stamp ProgramBackground

• In FY 2004, 2.3 million elderly persons (about
  10 of all FS participants) in 1.7 million
  households
• Majority are one-person households and their
  average food stamp benefit is 64 month.
• About 18 get minimum benefit of 10
• 14 get maximum of 141.

4
Elderly FSP Rules

• Elderly Age 60 and older.
• Eligibility Net income less than 130
  poverty level.
• Countable assets less
  than
• 3,000.
• Deductions - Special deductions
• Application - substitute telephone interview
  for face-to-face interview

5
Reasons for not participating

• - Lack of information
• - Low expected benefits
• - Application burden
• - Stigma
• - Perceived lack of need

6
Test of Three Models

• Simplified Eligibility reduce burden and less
  intrusive
• One-on-One Application Assistance reduce burden
  and increase understanding of program
• Commodity Alternative - reduce stigma of program
  participation

7
Demonstrations

• Implemented in 6 States
• February 2002 October 2002.
• Ran 2- 3 years
• Grants ranging from 100,000 to over 600,000

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Simplified Eligibility
9
Application Assistance
10
Commodity Alternative
11
Evaluation Objectives

• Impact on participation
• Examine who is drawn in by pilots
• Examine satisfaction with demonstrations
• Understanding process
• Examine costs

12
Methodology

• Pre-post comparison group
• Administrative participation data
• Focus groups and survey
• Site visits and administrative interviews

13
Participation Impacts 21 Months
14
Gadsden County, FL
Net Impact 22.3 Percent
15
Leon County, FL
Net Impact 23.5 Percent
16
Yavapai County, AZ
Net Impact 38.9 Percent
17
Pinal County, AZ
Net Impact 0.2 Percent
18
Waldo County, ME
Net Impact 32.5 Percent
19
Genesee County, MI
Net Impact 8.2 Percent
20
Hartford Region, CT
Net Impact 3.8 Percent
21
Alamance County, NC
Net Impact 35.8 Percent
22
Participation Impacts 21 Months
23
Client Perceptions and Satisfaction

• Overall demonstration satisfaction
• Assistants respect clients
• FSP barriers include
• Lack of awareness
• Application burden
• Stigma
• EBT more convenient, less stigma

24
Estimated Replication Costs
25
Demonstration Cost-Effectiveness
Ongoing Costs
Florida
402
Simplified
Startup Costs
Eligibility
Arizona
1,607
1,745
Maine
Application
Assistance
Michigan
2,738
Connecticut
2,825
Commodity
Alternative Benefit
North Carolina
1,719
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
Costs per Net New Client
26
Percent of Elderly Households with 10 FSP
Benefit
27
Percent of Households with Someone Age 70 or
Older
28
Policy Implications

• Elderly Participation Can Be Increased
• Efforts increase participation among populations
  most sensitive to barriers
• Impacts are sensitive to staff, outreach