USDA’s Food Stamp Program (FSP) is designed to
enable low-income Americans to buy nutritious foods. However, not
all who are eligible to participate do so. Just over half (54 percent)
of all eligible people participated in fiscal year 2002, and only
about one in four eligible elderly people participate. These low
participation rates might signal that barriers exist for elderly
people in accessing the FSP. In 2002, USDA and six States tested
approaches to increasing participation by low-income elderly through
three demonstration projects. Simplifying the application process,
helping the elderly complete the process, and substituting food
packages for food stamps boosted participation.
In the first demonstration project, two counties in
Florida simplified the application process by using a one-page,
large-print application form. Applicants were required to prove
their citizenship, but many other FSP documentation requirements
were eliminated. Face-to-face interviews were waived, and social
security income was verified electronically using existing databases.
In the second project, special application assistants
in four counties in Arizona, Maine, and Michigan worked one-on-one
with elderly applicants to help them understand program requirements,
assemble required documents, and complete the application.
The final demonstration project offered elderly households
without nonelderly members the choice of receiving packages of USDA-supplied
foods in place of food stamps. Local nonprofit organizations in
the Hartford, CT, area and Alamance County, NC, assembled the packages
and delivered them to demonstration project participants at congregate
meal sites, food banks, and other places where low-income elderly
are likely to gather. Participants with disabilities or transportation
difficulties could have their packages delivered to their homes.
To estimate the impact of the demonstration projects,
growth in participation at the demonstration sites was compared
with participation growth at demographically similar comparison
sites and the difference was attributed entirely to the demonstration
projects. Preliminary findings show that growth in FSP participation
by eligible elderly at the demonstration sites outpaced participation
growth at the comparison sites, although differences varied by project
and by State. For example, providing one-on-one assistance to elderly
applicants boosted participation 33 percentage points more at the
demonstration site than at the comparison sites in Maine, 22 points
more in Arizona, and 6 points more in Michigan. Future analyses
will refine and test the validity of these preliminary estimates.
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