Do state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program policies influence program participation among seniors?

Abstract

Senior participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has traditionally been lower than other groups among those eligible, with historical estimates below 50%. We examine the impacts of state SNAP policies on program participation among low‐income senior (age 60 and older) and nonsenior households using data from the 2001 to 2014 December Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. Our results suggest that policies designed to expand SNAP eligibility modestly increased participation among seniors but led to larger increases among nonseniors. In contrast, we find little evidence of effects of policies related to transaction costs, stigma, or outreach on either group.

Introduction to senior hunger special issue

“…Jones et al (2022) provide the most comprehensive update on the earlier work of Haider et al (2003) to examine the determinants of participation in SNAP, and in particular the role of state‐level SNAP policies related to the eligibility, transaction costs, stigma, and outreach on the probability of participation. The ultimate goal of their research is to identify the causal effect of SNAP on the food security of seniors, but there is widespread interest in the first‐stage model of who chooses to participate in SNAP, which is the focus of their paper in the volume.…”

Age differences in expenditure responses to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits

“…Finally, Table A2 addresses the endogeneity in SNAP participation using a control function approach to instrumental variables estimation of the effects of the 2009 ARRA on food spending. Following prior literature (Jones et al, 2022; Miller & Morrissey, 2021; Moellman, 2020), we use the CPS‐FSS and yearly data on a SNAP Policy Index (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2022) and the index interaction with the post‐ARRA period as instruments in two first‐stage regressions of SNAP participation and its interaction with the post‐ARRA period 12 . As described in Stacy et al (2018), the SNAP policy index represents states' approach toward SNAP benefits and program eligibility, ease of application and recertification for SNAP, outreach efforts, and perceived stigma associated with SNAP with higher index values indicating a more favorable climate for enrollment in SNAP.…”

“…Aging is associated with changes in metabolism and reduced taste and smell that can alter eating habits and lower energy intake compared to younger age groups (e.g., Drewnowski & Evans, 2001). Such differences may contribute to lower rates of SNAP participation for seniors compared to adults aged 18–59 years (48% vs. 83%) (Lauffer & Vigil, 2021) and help explain why seniors appear significantly less responsive than younger adults to expansions in SNAP eligibility (Jones et al, 2022).…”

Churn in the older adult SNAP population

“…Food insecurity is defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate food because of limited economic resources for food. The consequences of elderly persons' food insecurity are far‐reaching, affecting their health and well‐being (Gundersen et al, 2011; Gundersen & Ziliak, 2015; Jones et al, 2022).…”

“…Yet, SNAP participation among eligible adults 60 or older is roughly half that of the general population: 48% compared with 84% overall in 2017 (Vigil, 2019). Recent studies of policies designed to expand SNAP eligibility find only modest impacts for the older adult population (Jones et al, 2022).…”