Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration

"The Only Thing They Haven’t Asked Me for Is a Blood Sample"

Exploring Barriers to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Emily K. Loveland

California State University San Bernardino

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2107-0652

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v4i2.6944

Keywords: food insecurity, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), administrative burden, human rights, policy implementation

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Abstract

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is America’s most important antihunger program, but program participation varies by state. Administrative burdens, or the onerous experiences of individuals applying for public services, disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic SNAP applicants, making administrative burdens an equity issue. These burdens are products of state actions that may be formal, informal, intentional, or unintentional. This study applies an administrative burden framework to a qualitative case study of Connecticut’s SNAP, exploring barriers to program use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who were eligible but not using SNAP benefits (n = 15) and advocates/volunteers who assist with SNAP eligibility (n = 4) to explore barriers to SNAP participation. Results indicate that formal state actions are burdensome as they are inconsistent with low-income families’ lived experiences. Burdens that result from informal actions are largely dependent on the flexibility afforded by SNAP eligibility staff as they process these applications. A human rights approach to research and evaluation of human service programs, which demands that individuals eligible for social welfare programs participate in decision-making of policy implementation, can help shift this burden to the states and contribute to a more equitable approach to public service.

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Author Biography

Emily K. Loveland, California State University San Bernardino

Emily K. Loveland (she/they) (emily.loveland@csusb.edu) is an Assistant Professor at California State University San Bernardino School of Social Work. Her research interests include examining food insecurity using a human rights lens, particularly how Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy implementation impacts access to food for vulnerable communities.

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