Programs to help children in poverty overlap to supplement their needs

In 2017, approximately 92 percent of children who received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits also utilized other government assistance including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, WIC, TANF, SSI, and Social Security. Most commonly, children received Medicaid/CHIP benefits in addition to SNAP (89 percent of SNAP recipients here), while only one in ten also received TANF. The piece suggests that the substantial overlap in program participation stems in part from similar income-eligibility requirements for each program, although program size and reach do not allow complete overlap. At the time these data were collected through the 2018 Survey of Income and Program Participation, an estimated 14.6 million U.S. children—or one in five—utilized SNAP benefits. These numbers are sure to increase in the pandemic, as overall SNAP participation has increased by around 13 percent. #covid-19 #foodsecurity