The following was originally submitted as a homework assignment:
Choose one of the public policy issues discussed in Lesson 7 (poverty, corporate welfare, or outsourcing), do some additional research on your chosen topic, and present your findings here.
How did your chosen public policy come about?
What crisis created it?
Has this policy been effective?
How would you modify it if you were the president?
Remember to present facts, not opinion, and include citations or URLs for your work to receive full credit. Provide substantive replies to the posts of at least two of your classmates.
In an attempt to combat some of the issues of poverty and guarantee a certain quality of life among the impoverished various governmental policies agencies and resources have been established. The bulk of these public welfare policies and resources have roots in the programs created in Roosevelt’s New Deal response to the effects of the Great Depression. One such program is SNAP–the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
During the depression era two issues had risen relating to the consumption of agriculturally based goods; there were many families that were incapable of purchasing as many goods; accordingly, there had grown a surplus of goods in some areas as there were too few consumers making these purchases. In response, a Food Stamp Program–FSP– had been established where consumers could purchase an orange colored stamp for $1 redeemable as the equivilent value in cash for any food product.1 Upon the purchase of the orange stamp, the patron would receive a blue stamp valued at $0.50 redeemable on the purchase of food goods which had been deemed as being in excess supply.2 This program stimulated the purchase of goods that had been going to waste, and was doing so at a discounted rate, making the foods more easily available to those struggling to make grocery purchases.
This intial Food Stamp Program ceased in 1943 as the surplus had vanished and employment rates had once again risen.3 Another program did not come into being until 1961. The direction of this verison of the program was limited to certain areas; additionally the surplus stamp was now redeemable for certain perishable goods. In 1964 this smaller pilot program was revised to make food stamps available for use on all consumable food/drink items–excluding spirits and imports–and bring about clear definitions as to which governmental bodies were responsible for the funding and distribution of the stamps.4
During the 70s era, FSP was revised numerous times. Some of the changes which took place were the establishment of certain eligibility requirements and partial reimbursement from the federal government to the state agencies to defray the costs of administering the costs on a state level. More changes to FSP came throughout the 1980s and 1990s with additional changes to eligibility–with regard to the calculations of the family or individual’s income–and the change from a paper based system to an Electronic Benefit Transfer system similar to that of ATM/debit cards.5 In 2008 the program’s name was changed to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to better reflect the current program and remove some of the stigma surrounding "Food Stamps".6 SNAP benefits may be referred to by varying names, dependant upon the state government.7
Some of the current eligibility requirements for receiving SNAP benefits are an income falling below predetermined levels according to family size; household members able to work must be employed–otherwise certain disability, educational, or caregiving requirements must be met. Certain aditional eligibility requirements–especially that of income and owned property–vary by state. [See Table 1 below for size/income eligibility. See Tables 2.1 & 2.2 for formulae used for benefits calculation.]8
SNAP benefits are an invaluable resource for America’s impoverished; helping to supply our nation’s families–most notably our nation’s children–with the means necessary to ensure a healthy diet free from hunger is of great importance. As with any assitance program, however, there are those who take advantage of the opportunity; therefore there is always room for improvement. Through the constant monitoring and review of SNAP transactions, as well as the frequent review of SNAP beneficiaries, we can keep the system open and freely available to those of need.
Table 1 — Household size vs. Income Eligibility
|
Household size
|
Gross monthly income
(130 percent of poverty)
|
Net monthly income
(100 percent of poverty)
|
|
1
|
$1,180 |
$ 908 |
|
2
|
1,594 |
1,226 |
|
3
|
2,008 |
1,545 |
|
4
|
2,422 |
1,863 |
|
5
|
2,836 |
2,181 |
|
6
|
3,249 |
2,500 |
|
7
|
3,663 |
2,818 |
|
8
|
4,077 |
3,136 |
|
Each additional member
|
+414 |
+319 |
[Table Source – USDA FNS SNAP Eligibilty
9]
Table 2.1 — Maximum SNAP benefits according to Household Size
| People in Household |
Maximum Monthly Allotment |
| 1 |
$ 200
|
| 2 |
$ 367
|
| 3 |
$ 526
|
| 4 |
$ 668
|
| 5 |
$ 793
|
| 6 |
$ 952
|
| 7 |
$ 1,052
|
| 8 |
$ 1,202
|
| Each additional person |
$
|
[Table Source – USDA FNS SNAP Eligibilty10]
Table 2.2 — Formulae used to calculate SNAP benefits received. (Other deductions may be eligible before arriving at net monthly income. These deduction very by state.)
|
Benefit Computation
|
Example
|
|
Multiply net income by 30%…
(Round up)
Subtract 30% of net income from the maximum
allotment for the household size…
|
$1,154 net monthly income
x .3 = $346.20 (round up to $347)
$668 maximum allotment for 4 – $347 (30% of
net income) = $321, SNAP Allotment
for a full month
|
[Table Source – USDA FNS SNAP Eligibilty11]
[…I refrained from going into personal opinion on this post as the instructions asked me to; a personal opinion may come later, however, if time allows…]
References
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service. "About SNAP." 12 Oct 2011. Web. Retrieved 17 Oct 2011 from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/Legislation/about.htm
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service. "Applicants and Recipients." 12 Oct 2011. Web. Retrieved 17 Oct 2011 from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/default.htm
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service. "Eligibility". 13 Oct 2011. Web. Retrieved 17 Oct 2011 from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility.htm
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
[EDITED 11/8/2011 to include comments received from classroom since intial post.]
The following comments were received:
Prof. Keith Carlson:
Great job on the topic.
Ryan McFarland:
Jeremiah, you really did a great job explaining the SNAP program. I must say the program has come a long way from when it first began, but as in all programs things need to be changed still. I am all about helping people put food on the table, but there are always some who use the money for other things. I have seen people spend the money on beer and food for themselves, not the family. I do not agree with the way the money is allotted. I have seen some families get a few hundred dollars and other familes get a great deal less. That family that got less help is STILL struggling to survive.
Great use of the charts to help us visualize the stats.
Cristopher Walker:
Jeremiah,
First off, thank you. That was a great post that really taught me more about the program than I learned through my own research. The SNAP program is one of the programs that I think our government does a pretty good job on. This program does help countless families across the country by fulfilling a basic need of nourishment. I also really enjoyed the graphs because they helped put into context the amount given per family of a specific size. The only improvement of the SNAP program that I can really see is to become more strict in the enforcement of the program. Many times people will not use the supplement in a intended way. basically selling the “supplement” for other non-authorized products. Usually this is done at the detriment of the individual abusing the systems family. Though this isn’t so much a policy change as more of a local law enforcement issue. Again, great posts.
Chris
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