QUESTION
What are the current denial rates for SNAP and cash assistance, and how do they compare to pre-pandemic levels?
1:17:42
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133 sec
The denial rate for SNAP assistance is 52.8% and for cash assistance, it's 64%, with the cash assistance rate seeing a significant increase from pre-pandemic levels.
- SNAP's denial rate is marginally higher than pre-COVID rates, while cash assistance's denial rate is approximately 33% higher.
- The increase in denial rates is attributed to more people applying earlier in the process but not completing their applications, primarily due to not completing their interviews.
- SNAP’s relatively stable denial rate compared to pre-COVID times is likely because the online application system was already in place before the pandemic.
- The Department of Social Services (DSS) enforces state and federal regulations for these federal benefits, and the increase in denial rates is not due to changes in DSS policies.
Diana I. Ayala
1:17:42
So we've been hearing I mean, this is this is all great, but we've been hearing from clients that is really hard to get through HRA on the phone and that we have seen reports of increase in IO rates.
1:17:53
What is the current in IO rate for each snap and cache assistance?
1:17:56
And how does that compare to pre pandemic rates?
Molly Wasow Park
1:18:00
Sure.
1:18:00
Thank you.
1:18:02
As of December, which is the most recent data that I have, the denial rate for SNAP was 52.8% and for cash it was 64%.
1:18:14
For SNAP, it's marginally higher than the pre COVID rate, but it is about 33% higher for COVID.
1:18:23
Couple of things or sorry for cash.
1:18:25
Couple of things that I wanna point out here.
1:18:27
First of all, as I know you're aware, we aren't setting the rules and regulations for and snap.
1:18:34
These are federal benefits, and what we are doing is is enforcing the state and federal regulations.
1:18:40
But I also want to call back to what I talked about a bit in my testimony about lowering barriers to access, which is absolutely the right thing to do.
1:18:49
But what we found is that many people apply earlier on in in their journey.
1:18:54
Right?
1:18:55
When you had to physically go into an office and deal with all the complications of physically doing going in, people were much more likely to have had every piece of documentation assembled to have really done their own personal calculation now of the trade offs and whether or not they were gonna qualify for benefits.
1:19:13
People now are much more likely to start the process early on.
1:19:17
That's fine, but it does mean that they there are fewer people who are completing their interview, and that is the primary reason for for denial.
1:19:25
I think this is very consistent with what you see in other kinds of government benefits that when it's easier to access more people started, not necessarily more people completed.
1:19:35
And I think part of the reason why you're not seeing much of a change in the denial rate relative to pre COVID for SNAP is that we had the online application for SNAP before COVID.
1:19:46
For cash, it's really where the change is.
1:19:48
And so that's where I why I think you're seeing that change.
Diana I. Ayala
1:19:50
So just what I understand.
1:19:52
People are starting an application but not completing it?
Molly Wasow Park
1:19:54
Correct.
