According to a recent Legislative Analyst's Office report, allowing Supplemental Security Income recipients to apply for food stamps would yield about $125 million in additional nutrition benefits for the state — a boost for the economy. The increase in the food stamp caseload would cost the state an additional $17.4 million to administer in the first year and $6.8 million a year thereafter, the report said.
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State's food stamp cash-out policy no longer the best option for many aid recipients
A recent increase in food stamp benefits and cuts to the cash assistance program have raised concern that some of the state's residents are now being shortchanged by the policy.
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To help elderly and disabled people access food stamps, the report recommends simplifying the qualification process for Supplementary Security Income recipients, including considering making them automatically eligible.
Wagner wrote to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in April to ask whether the federal government would allow California to open the food stamp program only to those Supplemental Security Income recipients who would benefit. State legislators want to know the answer before reconsidering the policy.
Kevin Concannon, USDA undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, told Wagner in May that his office needs to consult with the Social Security Administration. When asked in the past, federal officials have said that states must apply the same rules to all Supplemental Security Income recipients.
Gardner is hoping that this administration will take a different position. She knows exactly what she would do with food stamps.
"I would just go to Trader Joe's," she said, her face brightening. "I would buy fruit, vegetables, yogurt."
