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In the News: Colleen Heflin

The Limits of SNAP in Addressing Older Adult Food Insecurity

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer
This brief describes how SNAP is currently not well designed for older adults in three respects: (1) the high levels of administrative burden associated with eligibility, certification, and benefit-determination processes, (2) the low value of SNAP benefits compared with the high costs associated with redeeming them, and (3) the high levels of state variation in SNAP policies that produce substantially different conditions for SNAP depending on where one lives.
September 30, 2025

Nonfinancial Factors Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
Nonfinancial factors such as poor physical and mental health, lack of access to healthy food, and transportation challenges make it more difficult for older adults to obtain, prepare, and consume healthy food. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes how nonfinancial factors function as both causes and consequences of food insecurity in old age. 
September 23, 2025

Heflin Weighs In on Trump Admin’s Cancellation of Annual Hunger Survey in Wall Street Journal Piece

“Not having this measure for 2025 is particularly troubling given the current rise in inflation and deterioration of labor market conditions, two conditions known to increase food insecurity,” ” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

September 20, 2025

Budget Tradeoffs Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
For low-income older adults, it may be difficult to meet basic needs on a fixed monthly income.  This brief summarizes how budget tradeoffs between food and other essential expenses—housing, utilities, medical care, transportation, and personal and cleaning supplies—shape food insecurity among older adults. 
September 16, 2025

See related: United States

Policy Recommendations to Reduce Old Age Food Insecurity in the United States

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer

The current policy responses to old age food insecurity are complex, costly, and not nearly effective enough. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes five policy recommendations to improve food insecurity among U.S. older adults. 

September 10, 2025

See related: United States

How is Food Insecurity Measured in the US and What Share of Older Adults are Food Insecure?

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer
Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes the limitations of food insecurity measurements, noting that existing measures do not account for barriers that are common among older adults, such as mobility, physical distance, and transportation barriers.
September 9, 2025

See related: United States

Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adult Food Insecurity

Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer

Written by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer, the book examines the issue of food insecurity among older adults in the United States. 

September 4, 2025

Maxwell Partners With VA Medical Center, Instacart to Bring Healthy Food to Local Veterans

With a grant-funded study, Colleen Heflin and the Maxwell X Lab are hoping to determine whether greater access to nutritious food leads to health improvements over time.

September 4, 2025

Trends in Breast Cancer Screening between Medicare Beneficiaries with and without Food Insecurity

Yeunkyung Kim, Jihye Kim, Sungchul Park, Colleen Heflin, Hyunjee Kim, Yue Li

Published in AJPM Focus, the study was co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

August 13, 2025

Colleen Heflin - Studying Hunger in America

Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, is a leading authority on food insecurity, which, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), negatively impacts more than 47 million Americans.

June 2, 2025

Heflin Speaks to Reuters About Federal Pass-Through Grants

Today, pass-through funding allows federal agencies to tap into local expertise and knowledge as well as help the federal government keep its own staffing levels down, says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

April 3, 2025

Heflin Speaks With WTVR-TV About the Economic Impact of Richmond’s Water Crisis

Low income-households will need a month or more to recover financially and that will lead to more issues and needs, says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs. “I would suspect to see increased need for food from food banks. Most likely going to have more utilities going unpaid,” she says.

January 16, 2025

Heflin Weighs In on Whether or Not RFK Jr. Can ‘Make America Healthy Again’ in BBC Interview

“RFK simply doesn't have jurisdiction over most of the policy levers that he would need to make America healthy again,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

January 6, 2025

Waiving Physical Presence Requirements During the COVID-19 Pandemic Increased WIC Caseloads

Colleen Heflin, William Clay Fannin, Leonard Lopoo, and Camille Barbin
This brief summarizes findings from a study that compared WIC caseload data collected across 738 counties in 10 U.S. states between January 2019 and May 2021 to determine how these waives affected WIC participation.
November 19, 2024

Does the Reference Period Matter When Evaluating the Effect of SNAP on Food Insecurity?

Colleen Heflin, James P. Ziliak

In this paper, Colleen Heflin and co-author examine if protective effects of SNAP against food insecurity are obtained whether using the 30-day or 12-month food insecurity scale. Results indicate comparable average treatment effects across both reference periods. Published in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy.

November 15, 2024

Colleen Heflin Appointed to Committee on National Statistics

The committee is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and provides guidance to the federal government.

November 8, 2024

How Does the Reauthorization of the Farm Bill Impact SNAP?

Colleen Heflin and Camille Barbin
Negotiations on a new Farm Bill have included SNAP proposals to limit state discretion on work requirements during periods of low job availability, indefinitely freeze the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, and lift the ban on prepared meals. This brief describes how these proposals could increase food insecurity and suggests way the new Farm Bill could better serve the nutritional needs of low-income households.
October 16, 2024

Heflin Quoted in Newsweek Article on the Farm Bill Reauthorization and Its Impact on SNAP Benefits

“If the appropriations bills are not passed by the end of December, January benefits will still go out because SNAP benefits are obligated in the prior month (December),” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

October 2, 2024

The Effects of Waiving WIC Physical Presence Requirements on Program Caseloads

W. Clay Fannin, Colleen Heflin, Leonard M. Lopoo

“The Effects of Waiving WIC Physical Presence Requirements on Program Caseloads,” co-authored by Maxwell professors Colleen Heflin and Leonard Lopoo, and Ph.D. student W. Clay Fannin, was published in Social Service Review.

September 11, 2024

Participating in Childcare Subsidy Programs Increases Employment and Annual Earnings for Parents

William Clay Fannin, Colleen Heflin, Taryn Morrissey, Siobhan O’Keefe
This brief describes associations between childcare subsidy program participation and household employment and earnings outcomes among low-income families in Virginia. 
July 31, 2024

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