Advocacy groups seek to eliminate the interview requirement for SNAP applicants. They argue that it is an unnecessary burden that prevents those eligible from receiving food assistance. Organizations such as the National Student Legal Defense Network, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the California Student Aid Commission support this request. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reviewing the proposal.
The SNAP program, which benefits approximately 42 million Americans, helps low-income families supplement their food expenses with a monthly average of $212 per person or $401 per household. Currently, applicants must complete a certification interview within 30 days of applying, either by phone or in person.
This requirement, considered onerous, is proposed to be eliminated to facilitate access to assistance. Review of the proposal is ongoing, and advocacy groups are seeking to improve the process to benefit those who need it most. However, the process can present difficulties, as experienced by Aviana Kimani, a 24-year-old student at West Los Angeles College.
Kimani, who received SNAP benefits for a year and a half, dropped out of the program in part because of complications in scheduling her recertification interview. Although she initially enrolled through a local food bank, the need to go in person to the social services office during business hours made it difficult to renew her eligibility. With work and academic responsibilities, and in the midst of a move, the paper-based process of the SNAP program presented an additional challenge to keep up with and update her address after the change of residence.
"You don't get to choose the time, they just give it to you, and, usually, since it's during the day, it can be inconvenient if you work or go to school," Kimani said. "You also don't know how long the call will last. If I didn't have to go through the selection process, I definitely would have received benefits for longer. But if you don't keep up, you're eliminated," he said.
When SNAP was established in 1978, the Department of Agriculture maintained the interview requirement, inherited from the previous SNAP program, arguing that the interview provides a deeper understanding of the household's circumstances and helps the household understand the program. Although the agency maintained that the interview was vital, the organizations seeking the change point out that it is not a federal requirement under the law governing SNAP. They consider the current requirement an outdated bureaucratic barrier.
A 2021 analysis of California enrollment data revealed that 31% of SNAP applicants in Los Angeles County were denied due to missed interviews, compared to 6% who were denied for not meeting eligibility requirements. Denials related to missed interviews especially affected working families and college applicants, impacting up to 40% of otherwise eligible applicants.
Allan Rodriguez, USDA spokesperson, reported that 78% of SNAP-eligible individuals participated in the program and received benefits from October 2019 through February 2020, the latest pre-pandemic period with available data.
During the pandemic, with the relaxation of interviews and requirements, USDA encouraged states to improve access to SNAP by using online or telephone methods and allowing participants to remain in the program without reapplying for the maximum amount of time allowed.
Ty Jones Cox, vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, notes that these changes helped keep food insecurity stable in 2020, unlike the 2008 recession, when it increased from 11.1% to 14.7%. "Hunger was on the verge of skyrocketing at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the SNAP structure and policy changes made it easier for families to access SNAP during this period," he added.
Kimani stresses that the pandemic demonstrated that policy changes can be made, "During COVID-19 they allowed people to be automatically recertified to continue their benefits, rather than using an in-person appointment to determine eligibility." "I wonder why we can't continue that way to ensure that people don't lose benefits," he explains.
According to a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the interview requirement can be valuable for gathering accurate information, but it can also be a laborious task that delays approval. Student Advocacy President Aaron Ament notes that students often face obstacles in scheduling SNAP interviews while balancing school work, employment and caregiving responsibilities.