Churn in the older adult SNAP population

Jun 1, 2022

Churn in the older adult SNAP population

Colleen Heflin, Leslie Hodges, Irma Arteaga, Chinedum O. Ojinnaka

Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, May 2022

Colleen Heflin

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Center for Policy Research

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Health Policy

Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy

Colleen Heflin

Using administrative records from Missouri, we investigate the characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants aged 60 and older who experience administrative churn. Among these adults, one in four experienced administrative churn, and one in five experienced more than one spell of churn. Risk of churn, frequency, duration of churn spells, and the value of foregone SNAP benefits varied with individual, household, and geographic characteristics, and was more common among non-Whites, members of larger households, and those living in urban areas. Our findings suggest that a significant portion of older adults experience gaps in SNAP benefit receipt.