Food Stamps

The Food Stamp Program was introduced as a pilot program during the Great Depression from 1939 through 1943. The program ended when the conditions that brought it into being, widespread unemployment and unmarketable food surpluses, no longer existed. In 1961 the Food Stamp program was revived as a pilot project and by 1964 it had expanded to 22 states.

In 1964 the Food Stamp Act passed creating a permanent Food Stamp program. Its purpose was to strengthen the U.S. agricultural economy, as well as to increase the food purchasing power of low-income households to improve levels of nutrition. Under this Act families were required to purchase food stamp vouchers, receiving coupons of a higher value than their cash contribution. By July 1, 1974, the program was operating nationwide.

In 1977 the Food Stamp Reform Act passed, which made the program more accessible to the low-income by eliminating the requirement that participants pay for a portion of their stamps.

In 2008, the Food Stamp Program officially changed its name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and renamed the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. The federal government is allowing state agencies to use state-specific program names. Currently NYS continues to use the Food Stamp program name.

SNAP is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); within the USDA the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is responsible for establishing the regulations that carry out the law and providing states with direction in running the program. The Food and Nutrition Act requires the USDA to have uniform national standards of eligibility throughout the entire country, except for separate income standards for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

In New York State, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) oversee the local administration of the SNAP Program. New York State policy is detailed in the Food Stamp Source Book and can be accessed at http://otda.ny.gov/main/programs/food-stamps/FSSB.pdf. Most administrative functions are delegated to the counties throughout NYS. In New York City, the Human Resource Administration (HRA) has local administrative responsibility for the program, and is the point of access for NYC residents. In other counties the local departments of social services are the point of access. Local FS offices process the applications and determine whether households qualify for the benefit.

The federal government pays 100% of the food stamp benefits. Federal and state governments share the administrative costs, with both the federal and state governments contributing 50%.

The Food Stamp Program is designed to enable households with limited incomes increase their ability to purchase food. Eligible households receive a benefit card with the amount of food stamps encoded on the card; each month the household receive the food stamp benefit. Eligibility and benefit levels are based on household size, income, and other factors, which are detailed below under Qualifying for Food Stamp Benefits. Income guidelines and benefit amounts are annually adjusted in October. In NYC, households typically apply for Food Stamps at a local Food Stamp center, although there are different avenues of application depending on a household’s circumstances; see below, Applying for Food Stamps, Where to Apply. Households must periodically prove their continued eligibility for Food Stamps through a recertification process; see below Recertifying for Food Stamps.

Food stamps are issued to an applying household before full Food Stamp eligibility has been established. See below Applying for Food Stamps, Emergency Food Stamps – Expedited Processing, for a description of expedited issuance.

5 months of food stamp benefits automatically provided to families with children transitioning off New York’s Cash Assistance program. See below, Transitional Benefit Alternative, for a description of this benefit, application and recertification procedures.

Automatically provides Food Stamps to all SSI recipients who receive SSI benefits in the “living alone” category without the SSI recipient having to go through the Food Stamp application, interview or verification process. See below, New York State Nutrition Improvement Project, for a description of this benefit, application and recertification procedures.

The Food Stamp program maintains a nutrition education program called Eat Smart New York. The program is free and is available to Food Stamp participants and those eligible for food stamps. See below, Eat Smart New York.

	Note: The Food Stamps Program has a specific definition for people with disabilities and the aged, these are defined below.

• Individuals with Disabilities: to be considered “disabled” under the Food Stamp Program rules, an individual must be in receipt of one of the following benefits: SSI-Disability/Blind, Social Security Disability Insurance, Railroad Retirement Disability, veterans with a service-connected or non-service connected disability rated 100% by the VA, federal or state disability retirement benefits for a disability considered permanent under Social Security, or disability-related Medicaid.
• Older Adults: to be considered an older adult or “aged” under the Food Stamp rules, an individual must be 60 or over.