Cook County Public Health and Human Services Director Alison McIntyre reported that a proposed federal rule change could impact the number of people who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). An estimated 45 Cook County residents could lose eligibility for the program following the change to Broad Based Categorical Eligibility. Statewide, nearly 35,000 Minnesotans would lose SNAP eligibility if the income and asset requirements to qualify for the program are changed.
Alison gave her report at the Tuesday, September 17 Public Health and Human Services board meeting.
SNAP is a county-run, state supervised program that helps Minnesotans with low incomes get the food they need for nutritious and well-balanced meals.
Under a proposed rule change, nearly 35,000 Minnesotans earning between 130 and 165 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) would lose their SNAP benefits. A single parent with two children earning between $13-$16 per hour would no longer qualify for SNAP under this change, said McIntyre.
While the loss of SNAP to many families and individuals would be great, Alison said there would be a ripple effect in the county because the food shelf would be affected as well as other nutrition programs. And those that now qualify for free or reduced school lunches might not qualify for those benefits under the new proposal.
McIntyre said Hunger Solutions Minnesota is an advocacy group that is fighting this rule change. She suggested board members and members of the public go to the website to learn how to submit comments to the USDA Food and Nutrition Services Department on how this proposal would affect them, their friends, neighbors, and the people they may work with.
The USDA gave 60 days to comment on the proposal with the last day September 23, 2019.
Commissioner Dave Mills called for a motion to contact U.S. congressional representative Pete Stauber by letter to ask him for his support in asking the USDA to keep Broad Based Categorical Eligibility.
Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk asked that Mills’ motion be amended so the letter was also sent to representatives Tom Bakk and Rob Ecklund.
Doo-Kirk’s amended motion carried unanimously and the letter will be reviewed and sent to the county’s representatives, with the request that they inform the USDA to stick with the current SNAP policy.
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