A trio of bills before the Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday would improve access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which would have a number of positive impacts for Nebraskans and our state as a whole.
Likely benefits from the measures include critical infrastructure workers being able to advance in their careers while still being able to feed their families, long-term reduced reliance on public assistance for many Nebraskans and a possible reduction in state health care costs.
Offsetting the SNAP “cliff effect”
LB 108 would expand access to SNAP benefits to those with incomes of 185% of the federal poverty level, which is just slightly below the living wage for the average Nebraska family.[1] This benefit expansion would help alleviate the cliff effect that occurs when Nebraskans receive raises and promotions that move them above the current state SNAP threshold of 130% of the FPL but that are still below the living wage. The loss of SNAP benefits can wipe out the increase in income from promotions and this can serve as a disincentive for Nebraskans to seek or accept raises and advancement opportunities. LB 108 would help ensure Nebraskans can continue to put food on the table as they advance in the workplace, thus incentivizing Nebraska workers to continue to strive for self-sufficiency.
Helping critical infrastructure workers
LB 108 would be particularly helpful for thousands of Nebraska’s critical infrastructure workers who are threatened by the SNAP cliff effect. Nebraska’s critical infrastructure workers, as federally defined, are considered vital not only to the state Nebraska, but the nation’s public health and economic security.[2] These workers have helped keep us healthy during the pandemic, and 360,000[3] of them are Nebraskans working in industries where the average wage would put their family between 130 and 185% of the poverty line.[4] Among these workers are many who work in health care and social assistance, which is the fastest growing industry in the state. Although some careers in this industry are well-paying, doctors and registered nurses only make up 20% of essential health care workers nationally.[5] The remaining workers serve a number of roles, including as pharmacy technicians, EMTs and paramedics or Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurses, all of which have much lower average incomes that often leave them vulnerable to the SNAP cliff effect.[6] LB 108 would help ensure critical workers can advance in their careers and continue to provide essential services without worrying about losing the ability to feed their families.
LB 121 would help create a bridge to self-sufficiency, assist vulnerable families
LB 121 would remove the lifetime ban on SNAP benefits for Nebraskans who served time for felony drug convictions. Economic instability often defines the lives of the previously incarcerated. Not only do 91% percent of returning citizens report being food insecure after they’re released,[7] but they also face unemployment at a rate five times higher than the general U.S. population.[8] SNAP, however, can help lower both statistics. SNAP has a work requirement that requires unemployed participants to participate in an Employment and Training program for at least 80 hours a month, and failure to comply results in a loss of benefits[9]. The SNAP Employment and Training program strategies include building the skills of less job-ready work registrants, with the goal of promoting long-term self-sufficiency of SNAP participants.[10] Allowing full access to SNAP will help newly released individuals get the tools they need to become gainfully employed.
Helping children in deep poverty
LB 121 and LB 356, another bill that will be heard on Wednesday, would help ensure children who live in deep poverty[11] — those who live in households with incomes below 50 percent of the FPL — have their nutritional needs met. Living in deep poverty results in hunger, food insecurity, and nutritional deficiency,[12] which contributes to poor mental health and educational performance.[13]
By providing benefits to the previously incarcerated, LB 121 helps their children, who are statistically more likely to live in deep poverty.[14] LB 356 would have Nebraska join 39 other states in not disqualifying parents from SNAP benefits if they do something that makes them ineligible for another means-tested public assistance program. This would prevent many children who live in deep poverty from losing access to SNAP benefits.
Studies have shown that children receiving SNAP or prior iterations of the program are more likely to be economically self-sufficient as adults[15], meaning they were less likely to be incarcerated, more likely to own their own homes and much less likely to be accessing government support.[16] But when faced with a reduction in SNAP benefits, the risk of food insecurity and poor health increased for children[17], further perpetuating rather than combating obstacles to economic self-sufficiency in adulthood. Receiving the full benefit of SNAP is especially important for those children in deep poverty, as they are already substantially more likely to experience poverty as an adult[18] and more likely to experience food insecurity and health issues that follow them into adulthood.[19]
SNAP can help reduce state health care costs
Deep poverty and food insecurity come at a considerable cost to the state, as well. Poverty and food insecurity are associated with some of the most costly health problems in the U.S.[20] In fact, in 2016 the total health care cost associated with food insecurity exceeded $250 million in Nebraska.[21] Given that many SNAP beneficiaries receive Medicaid,[22] blocking or reducing SNAP benefits would likely increase the cost of Medicaid in Nebraska in the short term and increase reliance on government programs over the long term.
Conclusion
The benefits of SNAP for low-income families as well as for the communities in which they live are extensive and well documented. The bills discussed above will help more Nebraskans make use of this powerful program and this will have positive impacts for our state now and into the future.
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