AARP Hearing Center
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamp program, is the nation’s largest federal nutrition program and an important safety net for adults ages 50 and older. In 2016, over 40 percent of SNAP households had at least one adult ages 50 or older. This Fact Sheet provides an overview of the SNAP program’s eligibility criteria and provides state-level data on average benefit amounts, household composition and size, and participation levels among SNAP households with older adults.
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Do SNAP Eligibility and Benefit Determinations Sufficiently Reflect Expenses of Older Households?
In this report, we evaluate whether SNAP eligibility assessments meet the needs and reflect the circumstances of low-income households with adults ages 50 and older by examining household spending to determine whether the assessments adequately account for housing, health care, and work-related costs, as well as other expenses.
