Search & Filter

Switch View
  • Best Practice

    When natural disasters strike, such as, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and tornados, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can employ special “alternative procedures” to help WIC clients and those newly eligible receive timely access to WIC benefits and services. Explore this resource to learn more about how WIC responds.

    Explore the Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    Direct certification has transformed the process of certifying eligible children for free school meals. States can now apply to participate in the Medicaid Direct Certification Demonstration Project and bring the same benefits of direct certification to children, families, and schools that are connected to Medicaid participation. Read this resource to learn more about Medicaid Direct Certification, why your state should apply for the Medicaid Direct Certification Demonstration Project, key deadlines and information, and what states are saying about the positive impacts.

    Explore the Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires states to describe how they will serve groups with potential access problems in their P-EBT state plan for the 2020–2021 school year. This document includes strategies states can implement to ensure all eligible children can access P-EBT this school year.

    Use this Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    Schools and community sponsors operating the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Afterschool Meal Program can receive federal funding for providing meals on weekends, school holidays, and school breaks during this school year. As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact families with children, this remains an important but currently underutilized opportunity to reduce hunger and support good nutrition during COVID-19 and to support program operations while drawing down additional federal reimbursements.

    Explore the Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    Food banks play a critical role in expanding the reach of the federally funded child nutrition programs to meet the growing need, including during COVID-19 and beyond. With vast networks and programmatic expertise, food banks are natural leaders in promoting and providing summer and afterschool meals and working with program providers and partners to serve meals at sites across the country.

    Explore the Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    States can elect to stagger issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits throughout the month, instead of issuing SNAP benefits for all SNAP households on the same day or couple of days of the month. Benefits are still issued once a month for each household, but not all households receive their benefits on the first day or couple of days of the month.

    Read more
  • Best Practice

    States can adopt a simplified method of estimating self-employment costs that are deducted from earned income in the SNAP benefit calculation. Most states establish a flat deduction of gross income, typically between 40 percent and 50 percent.

    Read more
  • Best Practice

    State agencies should adopt processes to allow for telephonic signatures for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications and recertifications for use by state agency staff and third-party partners, such as community-based organizations that are contracted to help clients apply or recertify for SNAP.

    Read the report
  • Best Practice

    Work with the state agency to create a standard medical deduction (SMD) to simplify the collection of medical expense information from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants who are elderly (60+) or are non-elderly and living with disabilities. Doing so requires the state SNAP agency to request a demonstration waiver — from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) — to develop an SMD in lieu of calculating actual medical expenses.

    Read the report
  • Best Practice

    State agencies and their community nonprofit and local government partners can receive matching federal funds to create and implement Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach and application assistance plans. The federal funds cover up to 50 percent of the cost of approved activities. State SNAP agencies must submit plans for U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service’s (USDA-FNS) approval.

    Read the report
  • Best Practice

    Stakeholders can work with the state SNAP agency to ensure that eligible older adults (age 60 and older) and people with disabilities can deduct from income all allowable unreimbursed medical expenses when calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Advocates should educate older adults and people with disabilities — and the families and organizations that support them — about allowable medical expense deductions that can result in a more adequate and accurate SNAP benefit that reflects the real value of out-of-pocket medical expenses.

    Download the Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    States can request a SNAP waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) for households with seniors and/or people with disabilities that have no earned income. ESAP allows states to streamline the application and recertification process, helping more seniors (age 60 and older) and people with disabilities benefit from SNAP.

    Download the Best Practice
  • Best Practice

    Many school districts and a number of state policies include providing a reimbursable school lunch to students regardless of their ability to pay. These districts can take important steps to reduce or eliminate the school meal debt that this approach can incur. Strategies include offering school breakfast, school lunch or breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students when it is financially viable; taking steps to ensure that all students who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals are certified to receive them; implementing USDA policies that can help reduce school meal debt; and responding quickly when students begin to accrue debt.

    Read more
  • Best Practice

    School meals programs provide children with the opportunity to receive the nutrition they need throughout the school day. Many households participate in school meals programs to ensure that their children are fed when they are away from home. There are various instances, however, when a household that is not certified for free or reduced-price school meals may not be able to pay for school meals. Reasons for the lack of money on the school lunch account can vary from a change in household income status, a misunderstanding of school meal procedures, or simply forgetting to refill the account. When this occurs, school districts should ensure that communication about the debt is held with the households and not the students. There are several effective strategies for outreach and engagement with households that have school meal debt.

    Read more
  • Best Practice

    Best practices from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in states across the country, from West Virginia to California.

    Learn more