In 2020, the National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) became a sub-grantee for a multi-year national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training (E&T) research cohort project. MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership is a critical service provider for people who earn low incomes, working to build community and eradicate poverty in Mahnomen, Hubbard, Becker, Otter Tail and Wadena (MAHUBE-OTWA) counties. Through NCAP’s webinars, one-on-one meetings, and intensive coaching sessions, the MAHUBE-OTWA team learned how a SNAP E&T Partnership could align with organizational goals and position an agency with workforce development tools to better facilitate economic mobility for clients. MAHUBE-OTWA then worked closely with the Minnesota state SNAP E&T office and officially became a new SNAP E&T third-party provider in October 2022. NCAP’s Q&A with the MAHUBE-OTWA team captures their E&T partnership journey.

With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, states are now required to provide case management to all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program participants. The purpose of this study was to help the Food and Nutrition Service better understand how states are implementing the SNAP E&T case management requirement. The study had four objectives: describe states' approaches to SNAP E&T case management; describe states' responses to the new program requirement for case management; provide a comprehensive picture of states' approaches to SNAP E&T assessment; and document states' approaches to offering participant reimbursements. This report summarizes state survey and case study findings and highlights promising practices and lessons learned that can be used to support states as they work to provide case management services aligned with their participants' needs, available resources, and program priorities.

Case management is an important and required element of SNAP E&T programs. This session from the SNAP E&T 2022 National Forum shared findings from the Food and Nutrition Service’s Survey of SNAP E&T Case Management study, which included a national survey of SNAP agencies and four case studies to learn about case management implementation and best practices. In the presentation from the session, representatives from Arkansas’ Division of Workforce Services, Adult Education Section and Oregon’s Department of Human Services shared how they provide case management to SNAP E&T participants and discussed their best practices and lessons learned.

When people struggle to make ends meet, public benefit programs have the potential to help them meet their basic needs for food, housing, health care, and cash. Yet many families and individuals do not participate in the programs that could help meet their needs and for which they are eligible. This report presents a menu of strategies that have the potential to increase access to individual public benefit programs or a package of benefits. Strategies for improving public benefit access can involve revising service delivery practices and processes, changing state or local policies, or using or improving technology. The report focuses on Illinois, but the strategies identified are relevant throughout the country.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is announcing a call for applications for the FY 2023 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) E&T State Institute, which will take place on September 20 and 21, 2023 at the Westin Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia. The Institute, “SNAP Mind the Gap: Building a Bridge from Vision to Outcomes in your SNAP E&T Program,” will provide an opportunity for State SNAP agencies to build a vision for their SNAP E&T program and begin developing a strategic plan to accomplish their long-term E&T goals. The goals of this year’s Institute will be for states to carefully review the status of their SNAP E&T program, to acknowledge what is working well, and to identify key program gaps and action steps that can be taken to achieve program goals. FNS will cover transportation, lodging, and per diem costs associated with participating in the SNAP E&T State Institute for all individuals from a State agency.

Applicants should submit a letter of interest to the SNAP to Skills Project, Office of Employment and Training, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture by 5 p.m. ET on February 10, 2023. Letters should be sent as a PDF or Word attachment to SNAPtoSkillsProject@seattlejobsinit.com.

The Agricultural Act of 2014 authorized $200 million for the development, implementation, and evaluation of pilot projects to test innovative strategies to reduce dependency on and increase employment among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. California, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington received grants in March 2015 and began implementing their pilots between January and April 2016. Resource materials in this post include a summary of findings from these 10 pilots and a set of four issue briefs. These issue briefs present cross-pilot findings that cover participation patterns in selected Employment and Training (E&T) activities, effectiveness of work-based learning, employment patterns after occupational skills training, and how sanctions affect participants in mandatory SNAP E&T programs.

There are more than 2.5 million children in the U.S. growing up in “grandfamilies,” meaning they are being raised by relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc.) or close family friends without their parents in the home. Research shows grandfamilies are the best option for children who cannot be raised by their parents. This report includes the latest findings on grandfamilies facing high rates of hunger and food insecurity, as well as policy recommendations to help feed grandfamilies.

Successful reintegration into society following engagement with the criminal justice system depends on being able to meet basic needs including those for food, shelter, and medical care, as well as having access to employment and training programs. According to this brief, TANF and SNAP are critical programs that help people meet their basic needs. However, people who have been incarcerated usually face significant challenges and are frequently disqualified from receiving benefits from these programs. Public assistance such as TANF and SNAP consistently reduces recidivism, while banning access to assistance has been linked to increases in recidivism. Lifting the ban on safety net supports reduces material hardship for formerly incarcerated people, who are exceedingly paid low earnings, and also helps their families. The brief includes a discussion of which states have lifted or modified the ban and highlights one state that had previously lifted the ban and then partially reinstated it.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) are aware of increasing reports of benefit theft through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card skimming schemes. These agencies are also aware of the devastating impact the loss of benefits can have on participating households. FNS and ACF encourage states to use fraud prevention options by informing and enabling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) households to opt into card security services that proactively protect their cards and PINs. This FNS resource identifies prevention measures that can be adopted to improve EBT card security while working towards longer-term strategies. Included in the resource are a list of card security services for client households, and a recommended list of actions state agencies can take to protect clients.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal nutrition program that offers nourishing foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health care for nutritionally at-risk infants, children up to 5 years old, and pregnant and postpartum women from households with low income. WIC enhances individuals' nutritional consumption, birth and health outcomes, and general health. The program also promotes learning and growth, lessens food insecurity, and aids in the fight against poverty. This brief details the change in WIC participation and benefit redemption food costs during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 through February 2022) and provides recommendations to strengthen WIC now and beyond the pandemic.