A Roadmap for Building a More Effective, Resilient, and Customer-Centered SNAP Program

As the membership association for state, county, and city human services agencies, APHSA is committed to promoting recommendations for the 2023 Farm Bill that focus on smart policy that improves customer experience and reduces gaps in participation, while mitigating administrative burden for agencies that administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The Farm Bill is reauthorized every five years, and in 2023, over 80% of the spending in the Farm Bill is estimated to be focused on nutrition programs—including SNAP.

SNAP is the largest federal program dedicated to advancing food and nutrition security, which are both critical social determinants of health and well-being. Through the economic nutrition supports that SNAP provides, to its programs including SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T), SNAP Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed), and SNAP Outreach, SNAP is working to support families on their path to better their health outcomes for the long term.

Over the 2023 calendar year, APHSA will release a series of policy briefs as part of The Path Forward: State and Local Policy Priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill , sharing recommendations that have been guided by our members and have received consensus across the country.

Read the first publication in this series that touches on all seven of our recommendations, as well as our latest release which dives deeper into the the first recommendation to establish a Customer Experience Demonstration Project:


A Roadmap for Building a More Effective, Resilient, and Customer-Centered SNAP Program (March 2023)

Customer Experience Demonstration Project: Understanding What Works for Individuals and Families (April 2023)

Navigating the SNAP Cliff (Part 1): Building Bridges to Scale High Impact SNAP E&T Programming (July 2023)




Just Released! Payment Error Rates: Understanding What They Are and How to Support SNAP Agencies in Reducing Them (August 2023)

 


Over the next several months, APHSA will continue to publish policy briefs that dive deeper into additional policy areas highlighted in our roadmap. Additionally, APHSA will bring in perspectives from communities, partners, and members through our new blog series, Making the Sauce: Ingredients for People-Powered Policymaking in the Farm Bill . Across both series, we will focus on the following :

Organizational Effectiveness

Improving Customer Experience in Benefits Access

Organizational Effectiveness

Creating Pathways for Economic Mobility through SNAP E&T and Work Supports

Organizational Effectiveness

Advancing Equity in
SNAP Policy

Organizational Effectiveness

Strengthening
Program Identity

Organizational Effectiveness

Improving SNAP Technology and
EBT Infrastructure

Organizational Effectiveness

Enhancing Nutrition Security
through SNAP-Ed

Organizational Effectiveness

Streamlining Administrative
Policies and Procedures

The Path Forward: State and Local Policy Priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill Making the Sauce: Ingredients for People-Powered Policymaking
Brief 1: 2023 Farm Bill: A Roadmap for Building a More Effective, Resilient, and Customer-Centered SNAP Program Post 1: SNAP Agency Priorities for Program Success 
By: Linda Schroeder, Benefits Support Team Administrator for the Arizona Department of Economic Services and Chair of the American Association of SNAP Directors (AASD)
Brief 2: Customer Experience Demonstration Project: Understanding What Works for Individuals and Families
Post 2: Reflections from a Reentry Journey
By: Quiana Brifu, Federal Policy Associate, Center for Employment Opportunities
Brief 3: Navigating the SNAP Cliff (Part 1): Building Bridges to Scale High Impact SNAP E&T Programming Post 3: The Critical Role of SNAP for College Students: Spotlight on University of California, Irvine
By: Sandra Cuyuch, CalFresh Manager, University of California, Irvine (UCI) Basic Needs Center
Brief 4: Payment Error Rates: Understanding What They Are and How to Support SNAP Agencies in Reducing Them


As mentioned, additional policy briefs and blog posts will follow throughout the year.
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