PathWays PA Policy Blog

Did you know that PathWays PA provides SNAP application assistance? Our SNAP Benefits Specialist can assist you in accessing SNAP and other workforce supports to help you make ends meet while you're between jobs and provide assistance to ensure you remain employed and are able to move toward self-sufficiency. To participate in an eligibility screening for SNAP benefits and other workforce supports contact Emily at (610) 543-5022.

In July, the USDA announced proposed changes to the SNAP (food stamp) program that would cut food assistance from 3 million people nationally, including 200,000 people in PA .  These changes would restrict families with incomes above 130% of the federal poverty level from accessing food stamps and free school meals . Currently 40 states, including Pennsylvania, use categorical eligibility to determine if a family qualifies for SNAP. In PA, families with incomes up to 160% of the federal poverty level remain eligible for some amount of benefits if their child care, housing, or other expenses bring their income below 130% of the federal poverty level. Categorical eligibility allows families to phase out their SNAP benefits slowly as their income rises. It also allows low-income families to put money into savings, and it saves money by simplifying administration of the program.  Take Action - your voice can make a difference: Register for a webinar to learn how t...

Several government agencies are proposing regulations that you can comment on. Let the federal government know what you think! SNAP (food stamps) - Federal law currently requires that childless adults can only receive three months of food assistance over a three year period unless they can document working at least 20 hours per week. However, states can waive these rules in times of high unemployment. New USDA rules would eliminate those waivers, ending SNAP for about 755,000 adults.  Take Action:  Feeding America, the Food Research & Action Center, the Center for American Progress, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities are helping coordinate a campaign to oppose the rule. For additional resources and details about the campaign, please visit http://bit.ly/SNAPRuleCampaign . Social Security - The Social Security Administration is proposing a rule change that would eliminate "inability to communicate in English" from the list of categories considered whe...

The government shutdown that began in December 2018 is now the longest in US history . Over 800,000 federal workers are missing paychecks, while millions more contract employees continue to go without work . The New York Times has an ongoing list of people and departments affected by the shutdown, including workers who have been called back to their government jobs to work without pay. CBS News reports that the shutdown has already done $1.2 billion in damage to the national economy.  You can find more information on the impact from the Coalition for Human Needs (CHN). Among those affected by the shutdown are SNAP (food stamp) recipients. While they received their February payments early , there is currently no guarantee that March benefits will be available. People relying on HUD for housing are also being affected, as over 1,000 contracts with housing facilities have not been renewed due to the shutdown. Take Action: CHN has information on the shutdown and a sample scr...

UPDATE (1/16/19): Many people are receiving their benefits BEFORE Friday. Please note - these are not additional or bonus. They are your benefits for February. If you live in PA and receive SNAP (food stamp) benefits, please read and share this message. You will be receiving your February benefits EARLY. Thanks to our friends at the Coalition Against Hunger for sharing this information. Download a flyer here . DUE TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, YOUR FEBRUARY SNAP BENEFITS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON YOUR EBT (PA ACCESS) CARD by the end of the day on Friday, JANUARY 18, 2019. These are your February benefits coming early – they are not a bonus. You WILL NOT receive additional benefits in the month of February. USDA has directed all states to issue February benefits early – you will not be getting additional SNAP benefits until March at the earliest. New applications for SNAP are still being accepted and processed during the rest of January and during February. Eligible applicants...

Updated 11/13/18 - Remember to take action before December 10! New resources below! On October 10, the Department of Homeland Security issued a new change to the public charge rule, which looks at how using public benefits affects a person's application to become a legal permanent resident (LPR) of the US. Essentially, this change means that using public benefits programs could make someone ineligible for legal residency in the country. Under the proposed rule, use of programs such as Medicaid along with other health, nutrition, and housing benefits would now play a factor in residency decisions. Also, DHS could consider someone having lower income (under 125% of the Federal Poverty Level, or $25,975 for a family of three) as a negative factor. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation , nearly 94% of all noncitizens who came to the US without LPR status have at least one "negative factor" under the new guidelines. Between 2.1 million and 4.9 million adults and ch...

The full PA Senate is moving quickly to pass work requirement bills that would place a serious burden on low-income Pennsylvanians. A vote could happen as early as Wednesday, October 17. HB 1659, which we discussed back in May , would expand work requirements on SNAP and cause nearly 100,000 people to lose access to food stamps. In most cases, people on SNAP must already work or participate in a training program if they are between the ages of 8-50, non-disabled, and not considered vulnerable individuals. HB 2138 would put new work requirements on the Medicaid program , which helps low-income Pennsylvanians access health insurance. "Able-bodied" adults (which includes people who lose their job or have reduced hours because they are in treatment or recovering from surgery) would have to work 20 hours per week, look for a job, or participate in job training to qualify for Medicaid. Take Action! Our friends at Project Home put together an action alert , including a...

Lauren Rodino, PathWays PA's SNAP Outreach and IDA coordinator, put together a great list of food banks in Delaware County. Please check it out and let us know what we are missing in the comments. Also, if you or someone you know would like to learn more about the SNAP (food stamp) program and see if you qualify, please contact PathWays PA.

The Senate is expected to take up the Farm Bill this week, with a vote likely tomorrow. S. 3042 protects current SNAP benefit levels and eligibility rather than adding burdensome requirements (including additional work requirements) to the law. At the same time as SNAP is being debated in Congress, rules changes are rumored from the Administration. These changes could mean that immigrants would not be eligible for green cards if they or their children use benefits such as Medicaid, CHIP, or even the ACA marketplace - even though the immigrants in question have entered the country legally and are legally allowed to use the programs. Take Action:  Call your Senators at 202-224-3121 to share your thoughts on S. 3042.  Here's a sample script: "Hello, my name is _________ and I am a constituent of Senator __________. My zip code is __________. I am calling today in support of S. 3042, the Farm Bill, as it is currently written. Please support this bill but do not allow...

From our friends at the Coalition Against Hunger: We know we've been calling on you in recent months for your help with the federal Farm Bill, and we’re grateful for your impactful action. Now, we need your help on a horrible SNAP bill that will be voted on in the Pennsylvania Senate on Monday. HB 1659, which already passed in the PA House of Representatives, would bring SNAP work requirements to ALL "able-bodied adults without children" (those age 18-49) throughout Pennsylvania - even in areas of high unemployment. HB 1659 will require spending millions of STATE dollars for monitoring and compliance in order to turn away FEDERAL SNAP funds that help those struggling to put food on the table. Call your State Senator ( click here to look up his/her phone number) and say: “I urge you to vote no on HB 1659. It is bad for people who are trying their best to make ends meet; bad for communities; and, does nothing to help people find jobs.” Our partners at Hunger-fr...

After the House rejected a Farm Bill last month that would add work requirements and make other changes to SNAP, a new version may be coming up for a vote this week in the Senate. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities , the new bill will give states the opportunity to try new methods of helping SNAP recipients find and keep jobs, but it will not add any work requirements. The Food Research and Action Center ( FRAC ) reports that the bill will reduce paperwork for some households (although they are also concerned that states will no longer receive bonuses for improved SNAP participation and payment accuracy). A committee vote on the new Senate bill is expected this week, after which the bill will move to the floor. Senators try to add harmful work requirements back to the bill once it comes out of committee. Meanwhile, House leaders have scheduled another vote on their Farm Bill for June 22. Take Action: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has talki...

The House of Representatives is taking calls this week about the latest draft of the Farm Bill, which includes many changes to the SNAP (food stamp) program. A vote is expected sometime this week. Under the proposed law , parents of children 6 and up will be required to work at least 25 hours per week in order to qualify for SNAP. Adults age 50-59 will face the same work requirements (currently, adults age 18-49 who are not raising minor children must work 20 hours per week to meet SNAP requirements). Adults would need to certify their work status monthly, creating and expensive and unnecessary bureaucracy in each state. Income eligibility will also decrease so that SNAP will only be available to families earning 130% or less of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, this means earning around $33,000 per year. According to the  Center on Budget and Policy Priorities , these changes will cause over 1 million households (including over 2 million people) to lose acces...

From our friends at PHAN The PA House passed HB 2138, the bill that would force families and individuals who rely on Medicaid to file endless paperwork to prove that they work or are exempt from the law. If there's an error, people could be locked out of Medicaid for months at a time. Not only would this cruel bill strip more than 85,000 of their health coverage, it would cost Pennsylvania taxpayers $3.4 billion over 6 years just to create new red tape for folks who rely on Medicaid. ( You can read more about the bill in our post from mid-April .) Take Action: May 2nd is a statewide Day of Action to protect Medicaid. PHAN will be in Harrisburg from 11-3: sign up to join them here . Call your state Senator to show your opposition to Medicaid cuts and work requirements. PHAN has a sample script: I'm calling today to ask Senator _____________ to oppose adding work requirements and making cuts to Medicaid. The latest attack on Medicaid, House Bill 2138, creates expen...

HB 1659, which would expand work requirements on SNAP and cause nearly 100,000 people to lose access to food stamps, went back to the Appropriations Committee yesterday. But even though it is off the table for now, there is a good chance it will come back. [EDIT 5/2/18: This bill came back out of Appropriations yesterday and was voted on by the full House. It now moves on to the Senate.] In most cases, SNAP recipients must already work or participate in a training program if they are ages 18-50, non-disabled, and not considered "vulnerable individuals" (one example of a vulnerable individual would be someone living in an area with a high-unemployment rate).   According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the work rate for people receiving SNAP is and has been growing . More than 80 percent of SNAP households work the year before or after receiving SNAP. SNAP works to keep children, families, and individuals fed, and to bridge the gap between jobs. It suppleme...

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a bill that would establish work requirements on Medicaid recipients. If this bill passes the Senate, "able-bodied" adults receiving Medicaid would need to work for at least 20 hours per week, look for a job, or participate in job training to qualify for Medicaid. The "able-bodied" definition excludes full-time high school students, pregnant women, people receiving long-term disability benefits, people under 19 or older than 64, prisoners, and residents of mental health institutions. Under this definition, however, people who lose their job or hours while getting treatment or recovering from surgery would not be covered. Neither would people who can't find a job because they can't access childcare or transportation. Qualified workers and people exempted from the requirements would still have to submit paperwork and medical verification, which will take time and cost money to the Commonwealth...

Our friends at Community Legal Services are reminding SNAP (food stamp) recipients that if you lose food because of a power outage, fire, or flood, you might be eligible to get it replaced. You have to act fast, though - notify your welfare office or customer service center within 10 days of when the food is spoiled. Read more about what to do from CLS here .

Last week, President Trump released his plans for the 2019 federal budget. It includes cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and energy assistance along with the elimination of funding for public broadcasting and loan forgiveness for students who enter public service. Here's a more in-depth look at some items: Healthcare: The budget cuts Medicaid and subsidies for the health insurance marketplace by $763 billion over 10 years. It also embraces the Graham-Cassidy proposal to eliminate the ACA and replace it with a block grant to states. The block grants would be less than what states receive currently to assist families with healthcare, leaving them with additional, unfunded costs. Housing: Under this budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would see a cut of $8.8 billion . Rental assistance programs are among those that would see cuts, while LIHEAP would be completely eliminated . Nutrition: Perhaps the most talked about cuts so far are those made to nutrition progra...

Yesterday,  Community Legal Services  issued a report looking at the TANF caseload decline in Pennsylvania. Timed around the 20th anniversary of welfare reform (aka The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, or PRWORA ), CLS looks at the reasons for caseload decline and makes recommendations on how Pennsylvania can ensure TANF actually helps poor families. Here are some of the findings: The PA TANF max grant (approx. $403/month) hasn't increased since 1990 In 2014, at least 35,000 PA families with children receiving SNAP (food stamps) were poor enough to qualify for TANF but didn't receive it Unless exempt because of disability or good cause, TANF recipients MUST spend 20/30 hours per week working or in a work program TANF cash grants may be small, but they can help pay the rent, cover utilities, or buy diapers - all things SNAP can't do The TANF caseload in PA has declined by over 300,000 adults and children since 1996, but since 2008, the number of p...

The  Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)  has released new research on the  Importance of Early Childhood Nutrition, WIC, and CACFP . Here are some of the highlights: Prenatal nutrition is critical to the development of children's bodies and minds Poor iron and folic acid status in pregnant mothers is linked to preterm birth and fetal growth issues Food insecurity in pregnant mothers puts children at increased risk of cleft palate, spina bifida, and other birth defects The first years of a child's life requires adequate food and nutrition to sustain the rapid growth and development required for school readiness and adult well-being. Household food insecurity is linked to physical health and developmental risk during early childhood. Participation in the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC) leads to better maternal and child outcomes. Mothers participating in WIC while pregnant were more likely to stay connected as their children got older and had "hig...

Did you know that PathWays PA provides SNAP application assistance? Our SNAP Benefits Specialist can assist you in accessing SNAP and other workforce supports to help you make ends meet while you're between jobs and provide assistance to ensure you remain employed and are able to move toward self-sufficiency. To participate in an eligibility screening for SNAP benefits and other workforce supports contact Lauren Rodino at (610) 543-5022. Interested in PathWays PA posts on similar topics? 8/26/15 - Who really uses SNAP? 9/1/15 - PathWays PA's Basic Center Program Helps Homeless Teen Girls Go Back to School 7/7/15 -Summer Food News