Resource Library

The federal Summer EBT Program helps to ensure that more children from households with low incomes have access to adequate nutrition during the summer months. Learn how schools and school nutrition staff can play a critical part in ensuring the success of the program, along with outreach best practices from schools across the country. 

Download this practical checklist to help transition‑age youth with foster care experience and/or housing insecurity keep or apply for SNAP as new time limits from the budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) take effect. It equips advocates and caseworkers with clear guidance to support young people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table while navigating the adult world of work, training, and housing.

Discover model state policies and best practices to help SNAP agencies better support transition‑age youth (TAY) who have experience in foster care and/or are homeless—including strategies to mitigate the harm of expanded SNAP time limits.

When natural disasters strike, such as, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and tornados, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can employ special “alternative procedures” to help WIC clients and those newly eligible receive timely access to WIC benefits and services. Explore this resource to learn more about how WIC responds.

Direct certification has transformed the process of certifying eligible children for free school meals. States can now apply to participate in the Medicaid Direct Certification Demonstration Project and bring the same benefits of direct certification to children, families, and schools that are connected to Medicaid participation. Read this resource to learn more about Medicaid Direct Certification, why your state should apply for the Medicaid Direct Certification Demonstration Project, key deadlines and information, and what states are saying about the positive impacts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires states to describe how they will serve groups with potential access problems in their P-EBT state plan for the 2020–2021 school year. This document includes strategies states can implement to ensure all eligible children can access P-EBT this school year.

Schools and community sponsors operating the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Afterschool Meal Program can receive federal funding for providing meals on weekends, school holidays, and school breaks during this school year. As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact families with children, this remains an important but currently underutilized opportunity to reduce hunger and support good nutrition during COVID-19 and to support program operations while drawing down additional federal reimbursements.

Food banks play a critical role in expanding the reach of the federally funded child nutrition programs to meet the growing need, including during COVID-19 and beyond. With vast networks and programmatic expertise, food banks are natural leaders in promoting and providing summer and afterschool meals and working with program providers and partners to serve meals at sites across the country.

States can elect to stagger issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits throughout the month, instead of issuing SNAP benefits for all SNAP households on the same day or couple of days of the month. Benefits are still issued once a month for each household, but not all households receive their benefits on the first day or couple of days of the month.

States can adopt a simplified method of estimating self-employment costs that are deducted from earned income in the SNAP benefit calculation. Most states establish a flat deduction of gross income, typically between 40 percent and 50 percent.

State agencies should adopt processes to allow for telephonic signatures for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications and recertifications for use by state agency staff and third-party partners, such as community-based organizations that are contracted to help clients apply or recertify for SNAP.

Work with the state agency to create a standard medical deduction (SMD) to simplify the collection of medical expense information from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants who are elderly (60+) or are non-elderly and living with disabilities. Doing so requires the state SNAP agency to request a demonstration waiver — from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) — to develop an SMD in lieu of calculating actual medical expenses.

State agencies and their community nonprofit and local government partners can receive matching federal funds to create and implement Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach and application assistance plans. The federal funds cover up to 50 percent of the cost of approved activities. State SNAP agencies must submit plans for U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service’s (USDA-FNS) approval.

Stakeholders can work with the state SNAP agency to ensure that eligible older adults (age 60 and older) and people with disabilities can deduct from income all allowable unreimbursed medical expenses when calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Advocates should educate older adults and people with disabilities — and the families and organizations that support them — about allowable medical expense deductions that can result in a more adequate and accurate SNAP benefit that reflects the real value of out-of-pocket medical expenses.

States can request a SNAP waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) for households with seniors and/or people with disabilities that have no earned income. ESAP allows states to streamline the application and recertification process, helping more seniors (age 60 and older) and people with disabilities benefit from SNAP.