America's food aid gap, mapped
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Nearly three-quarters of older Americans eligible for a key federal food assistance program are not taking part, a new report finds.
Why it matters: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, can help low-income Americans afford today's sky-high grocery bills — but those qualifying need to apply.
The big picture: 70.2% of Americans 65 and older who qualify for SNAP aren't participating in the program, per a new report from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
- That's about 9 million people who may be struggling to afford groceries but haven't tapped this major source of government aid.
Zoom in: SNAP participation varies greatly by state, with only 17% of eligible Californians 65-and-up receiving benefits, compared with 51% in Rhode Island.
- SNAP is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture but operated by states at the local level.
Meanwhile, only 49% of older Americans eligible for Supplemental Security Income — that's Social Security payments — are enrolled.
- And only 46% of those eligible for Medicare Savings Programs are taking part.
What they're saying: "It's shocking and unacceptable to have 9 million eligible older adults not enrolled in benefits that can make the difference between them affording food or health care each month," NCOA President and CEO Ramsey Alwin said in a statement accompanying the report.
- "These individuals are struggling to afford basic necessities, and they are missing out on critical assistance."
The bottom line: Education and assistance is key — Americans who are eligible for these programs but not enrolled may not know about them, may not realize they can take part, or may need help getting signed up.
Editor's note: This map's pop-up data was corrected to reflects the percentage of SNAP-eligible older adults who are not enrolled in the program (not the percentage who are eligible).
