Published March 3, 2025
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is crucial in supporting millions of individuals and families with low incomes across the U.S. Though benefits average only about $6 per person per day, SNAP significantly reduces food insecurity, alleviates poverty, and promotes health and stability. By offering food assistance that can be redeemed for groceries at authorized stores, SNAP not only helps individuals but also injects millions of federal dollars into state economies, supporting local businesses and municipalities.
SNAP is jointly administered by federal and state agencies, each adhering to specific federal guidelines to ensure the effective distribution of benefits. To qualify for SNAP, applicants must meet strict income requirements and undergo a thorough application process, including an interview, verification steps, and ongoing monitoring.
While the federal government sets the basic program requirements, states have the flexibility to modify certain aspects of SNAP administration to improve efficiency. One such flexibility is the “broad-based” categorical eligibility (BBCE) program. BBCE streamlines the application process by eliminating the need for a separate financial eligibility determination for households already deemed eligible for other assistance programs.
Since the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, states have had the option to use BBCE to allow more families that get services funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to qualify for SNAP benefits if their net incomes are at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL). BBCE also allows states to streamline eligibility determinations for individuals up to 200 percent of FPL by eliminating the asset test.
This provision was designed to streamline access to food assistance for families with low wages and incomes, especially in an economy with rising costs for essentials such as housing, food, and child care. Since then, 44 states have adopted this approach to simplify the enrollment process for families participating in federal nutrition programs.
BBCE has a profound, positive impact on families with low wages and incomes. These families often struggle to meet the combined costs of housing, food, child care, and other basic needs. BBCE allows these families to receive the vital food assistance they need, helping to reduce economic strain and prevent deeper poverty.
The Harmful Effects of Eliminating Categorical Eligibility
Congress is currently working on a budget resolution, with Republicans aiming to cut up to $230 billion from SNAP, $880 billion from Medicaid, and $330 billion from federal student aid to extend tax breaks for millionaires. Earlier this year, a “menu” of potential cuts was leaked to the press, one of which includes eliminating or restricting BBCE. This proposal would severely harm families with low incomes by undermining their access to essential support services.
- Streamlined application process: By eliminating the need for multiple financial eligibility checks, categorical eligibility makes the application process more efficient. Families already receiving assistance from other assistance programs can automatically qualify for SNAP, saving time and reducing administrative barriers. This is particularly important for working families, older adults, and people with disabilities, who may not have the time or resources to navigate complex eligibility processes. Removing categorical eligibility would require families with low incomes to undergo separate, often redundant, financial eligibility determinations. This would add unnecessary complexity to the application process, potentially discouraging families from applying for SNAP. As a result, many eligible families may go without food assistance.
- Administrative costs: Research has shown that broad-based categorical eligibility reduces administrative costs by up to 7 percent per case, helping states manage their resources more efficiently. Eliminating categorical eligibility would create additional administrative burdens for both states and households. States would need to process more applications and conduct multiple eligibility determinations, increasing costs and delays. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2019 analysis of the impact of ending categorical eligibility found that an additional 43.75 minutes would be added per case at initial application certification and 26.25 minutes per case in recertification. It also estimated that states’ spending for administrative costs would also have increased by $1.157 billion over five years. At a time when states nationwide are facing challenges with timeliness, limited workforces, and tight budgets, any increase in workforce requirements to reverse a well-established policy would be disastrous.
- Access to free school meals: Categorical eligibility connects families with low incomes to free school meals via direct certification, automatically enrolling children in SNAP households into meal programs to ensure proper nutrition. Children not automatically eligible must apply if their household income is at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line for free meals, or between 130 percent and 185 percent for reduced-price meals. Families above 185 percent of the poverty line pay full price. SNAP eligibility considers both gross and net income. In states using the BBCE option, households with gross incomes between 130 percent and 200 percent of the poverty line but net incomes at or below 100 percent can still qualify for SNAP, allowing children to be directly certified for free meals without additional paperwork. In 2019, the Trump administration proposed to eliminate BBCE. The proposal would have removed automatic meal eligibility for 1 million children, with 497,000 qualifying only for reduced-price meals and 40,000 losing access to both free and reduced meals. Since then, four more states have adopted categorical eligibility, meaning its removal would have a greater impact. Eliminating categorical eligibility could also affect high-needs schools’ ability to offer free meals through community eligibility, which relies on SNAP direct certification to determine eligibility and federal funding. Without BBCE, some schools may no longer qualify or find it financially unfeasible to offer the program.
- Health and development support through WIC: BBCE also connects families to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC provides vital nutrition support for pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children. By using SNAP participation as a gateway, BBCE streamlines access to WIC, ensuring that vulnerable populations receive the nutrition they need during critical stages of development. Eliminating BBCE would require families to provide alternative proof of income. This added administrative burden could discourage families in need from accessing WIC’s valuable services. The National WIC Association analyzed USDA fiscal year 2022 data for preschool-aged children (0–4 years old) who would be adjunctively eligible for WIC. It found that if the 3.1 million people expected to lose SNAP benefits under the 2019 Trump proposal have the same distribution of preschool-aged children as the overall SNAP population, at least 359,600 infants and young children could lose their automatic eligibility for WIC due to the proposed SNAP BBCE elimination policy. This estimate does not account for the additional four states that have adopted categorical eligibility, making the potential impact of any cuts even greater.
No Cuts to SNAP
BBCE is a crucial part of SNAP, helping millions of taxpayers with low incomes access food assistance by simplifying the application process, reducing administrative costs, and ensuring vulnerable populations — like children and pregnant women — get the nutrition they need. Congress has consistently recognized its importance by not altering the categorical eligibility rules during the 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2018 Farm Bills. BBCE was a good policy when adopted in 1996 under PRWORA and it is a good policy today. Preserving BBCE is vital for maintaining a strong support net, enabling families to continue working toward economic stability and independence.
