Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
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The study's objective was to examine the impact of reinstated SNAP work requirements on employment and SNAP participation for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs).
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The study used a difference-in-differences analysis to examine the impact of reinstated work requirements on employment and SNAP participation. The study used a statistical model to compare employment and SNAP participation over time and across U.S. states due to the staggered reinstatement of SNAP work requirements between 2010 and 2017. The study used data from the ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) from 2010 to 2017 and SNAP Quality Control (QC) data.
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The study found that the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements was associated with increased employment and decreased SNAP participation for able-bodied adults without dependents.
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The study receives a low evidence rating. The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Reinstatement of SNAP work requirements
Features of the Intervention
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food purchasing assistance to eligible, low-income households. Typically, individuals who are considered able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) are required to work at least 20 hours per week to receive SNAP benefits. In response to high unemployment rates caused by the Great Recession, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) waived the SNAP work requirement for ABAWDs for all states in fiscal year 2010. In subsequent years, states that continued to experience high levels of unemployment or other labor market challenges could apply to have their work requirement waivers extended. However, not all eligible states opted to renew their waivers. Across the period 2011 to 2017, SNAP work requirements were reinstated in some states, either because labor market conditions in those states improved, or because states declined to renew their waivers. Using this state-level variation in the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements, this study evaluated the impact of work requirements on rates of employment and SNAP participation among ABAWDs.
Features of the Study
This study used a difference-in-differences analysis to compare rates of employment and SNAP participation before and after the reinstatement of work requirements for ABADWs. Intervention and comparison conditions were constructed using the staggered reinstatement of SNAP work requirements across the period 2011 to 2017. Individuals experiencing the treatment condition were those observed in states where SNAP work requirements were reinstated. Individuals in the comparison condition were those observed in states where SNAP work requirements were not reinstated. Results were estimated using a statistical model that controlled for individual demographic characteristics, county-level labor market characteristics, and state-level political characteristics.
The study used individual-level data from the American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) across the period 2010 to 2017. SNAP Quality Control (QC) Data were used to reweight the ACS data to generate a sample that more accurately reflected the characteristics of SNAP participants. The analysis sample was restricted to prime working-age individuals, aged 25 to 49, who were U.S. citizens residing in the continental United States, and who were not institutionalized, students, active-duty military, or in foster care. Individuals with disabilities and individuals with minors living in their households were also excluded from the analysis.
Findings
Employment
- The study found that the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements was associated with a statistically significant, 1.4 percentage point increase in the employment rate for ABAWDs aged 25 to 49.
Public Benefits Receipt
- The study found that the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements was associated with a statistically significant, 1.9 percentage point decrease in the SNAP participation rate for ABAWDs aged 25 to 49.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Results from this study indicate that the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements was associated with increased employment and decreased SNAP participation among ABAWDs. It is important to note that individuals who gain employment often continue to receive SNAP benefits. Likewise, individuals may lose their SNAP benefits without necessarily gaining employment. Accordingly, the author notes that study results do not necessarily provide a clear picture of “positive exits” from SNAP participation into employment.
The study relies on public-use, individual-level microdata (PUMS) from the American Community Survey (ACS). ACS respondents are asked directly about their current employment status. With respect to SNAP participation, ACS respondents are only asked to report whether anyone in their household received SNAP benefits within the past 12 months. The author notes that imprecision in the ACS measure of SNAP participation may impede efforts to accurately estimate the impact of work requirement reinstatement on SNAP benefits receipt.
Causal Evidence Rating
The study receives a low evidence rating. The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the reinstatement of SNAP work requirements; other factors are likely to have contributed.