Giving Compass' Take:

• Elaine Waxman and Laura Wheaton at Urban Institute report on a recent proposal from the USDA would change the way states consider utility costs, which can include winter heating bills, when determining eligibility for SNAP.

• How can funders work to avoid benefits cliffs?  

• Here’s why the food industry itself has a SNAP problem.

When Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill almost one year ago, it chose to make minimal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food assistance program, which helps millions of low-income Americans purchase food. Over the past year, however, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed a series of regulatory changes that could significantly alter eligibility and benefits for millions of households.

The most recent of these proposed rules would change the way states consider utility costs, which can include winter heating bills, when determining household eligibility for SNAP benefits, as well as the monthly amount they receive. The proposed rule is open for public comment until December 2, 2019.

At first glance, the proposed modifications to SNAP’s standard utility allowance (SUA) might not seem like a significant policy change. States currently have flexibility in the data and methods used to set standard utility allowances when calculating expense deductions from a family’s gross income limit to determine SNAP benefits.

The proposed rule would standardize the methodology for calculating utility allowances, setting it at the USDA’s estimate of the 80th percentile for low-income households’ utility costs within the state, based on national survey data.

Read the full article about losing SNAP benefits by Elaine Waxman and Laura Wheaton at Urban Institute.