FRAC Chat

Although it seems like 2023 has just begun, the Maryland legislative session for this year has already concluded. With only 90 days in the session, Maryland state legislators and advocates had to move quickly to introduce, negotiate, and pass key policies to avoid the risk of having to wait until the next legislative session. Maryland Hunger Solutions (MDHS) worked closely with our colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly and our advocacy partners on several anti-hunger- and anti-poverty-related bills this year, including legislation related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the School Breakfast and National School Lunch programs.We are excited about the passage of three key anti-hunger bills this session.

For the past few years, states were allowed to temporarily stop eligibility reviews for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This kept people from losing their health coverage during a public health crisis. With the ending of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Condition on March 31, 2023, states are returning to normal operations. As a result, these eligibility reviews are starting, and families need support to navigate anticipated state timelines for initiating unwinding-related renewals. and information on how to maintain coverage.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) changes that worsen time limits on food benefits for certain unemployed and underemployed adults were attached to the debt limit package (H.R. 2811) that cleared the House on April 26.

As the Senate takes up debt limit legislation, and Members of Congress continue working toward a 2023 Farm Bill, we need to set the record straight on the current SNAP time limit rules, how they were enacted and implemented, and why, instead of worsening them, Congress should pass legislation, the Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2023 (H.R. 1510), to end SNAP time limits entirely.

The American Society on Aging’s annual conference drew thousands of attendees to Atlanta, Georgia, last month to participate in sessions on topics ranging from how to be anti-ageist to developing age-friendly and climate-smart communities.

I presented a poster session on how the pandemic only worsened food insecurity and the health of millions of older adults. Black, Latinx, and Native American older adults disproportionately faced struggles putting food on the table due to underlying structural discrimination and other inequities.
During the conference, I had the chance to meet with aging experts from across the country and learn more about how their organizational work intersects with efforts to address hunger among older adults.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides a lifeline of cash assistance –at a maximum amount of $914 per month – for millions of people who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or over, and have low incomes and limited resources.
However, woefully outdated and punitive financial rules mean SSI participants struggle to put food on the table. One such rule, the in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) rule, means that recipients can see their SSI checks cut by one-third (to $609 or less a month) if they get help from friends or family with paying rent or buying groceries. Not surprisingly, food insecurity rates are most prevalent among SSI recipients compared to recipients of other disability assistance programs.
Anti-hunger advocates can weigh in before Monday, April 17, to oppose one harmful aspect of the current ISM rule, as well as continue to advocate for broader improvements to SSI.