Virginia's food aid gap, mapped
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More than 100,000 older Virginians 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: Virginians 65 and over have a better participation rate than the national average. But still, 62.6% of Virginian seniors who could be receiving benefits aren't.
- SNAP participation varies greatly by region. Some counties in the southeast part of the state have the highest participation levels, but still hover near around just 50% of eligible seniors participating.
By the numbers: Locally, 4,773 seniors in Henrico are eligible for SNAP benefits but not enrolled.
- In Richmond, 3,274 eligible elders are missing out, and 3,247 in Chesterfield.
Meanwhile, only 49% of older Americans eligible for Supplemental Security Income — that's Social Security payments — are enrolled.
- In Virginia, only 34.8% are.
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.
To learn more and see if you qualify, visit the state Department of Social Services.
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).