Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Rowe, G., Mabli, J., Hartnack, J., & Monzella, K. (2022). Expanding opportunities & reducing barriers to work: Final summary report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/SNAP-ET-FinalReport.pdf [Delaware SNAP E&T pilot]
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) pilots on employment, earnings, and public benefits receipt. This profile focuses on the Delaware SNAP E&T pilot, known as the Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness (WONDER) program. The authors investigated similar research questions for SNAP E&T pilots in other states, the profiles of which can be found here:
- The study was a randomized controlled trial at the Delaware site. The authors conducted statistical analyses of participant surveys and administrative data to compare the outcomes of the treatment and control group participants.
- The study found that WONDER participants had higher SNAP benefits receipt than control group participants. The study found no statistically significant differences in employment and earnings between WONDER and control group participants.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to WONDER, and not to other factors.
Intervention Examined
Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness (WONDER)
Features of the Intervention
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a Food and Nutrition Service initiative for individuals and families with low incomes. SNAP participants receive monthly benefits to access food. Some participants also receive work supports through SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) programs, such as assessment, support services, job search assistance, occupational skills training, and basic education. To expand the knowledge base on effective approaches for helping SNAP participants gain skills and find employment, Congress funded ten state SNAP agencies in 2015, including Delaware, to implement SNAP E&T pilots that tested innovative strategies for connecting participants with jobs that boost their incomes and reduce their reliance on public assistance benefits.
Delaware's SNAP E&T pilot, Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness (WONDER), provided case management, financial literacy counseling, job readiness preparation, job search assistance, occupational skills training, subsidized employment, and support services. The program was designed to serve new work registrants, who are required to comply with SNAP work requirements.
Features of the Study
The study was a randomized controlled trial at the Delaware site that assigned 6,814 individuals to the treatment or control group. Half of the participants were Black, about 6 in 10 were male, and the average age was 34. A quarter of study participants did not have a high school diploma or equivalent education. Nearly all study participants had worked at some point, but just 12 percent were employed at the point of random assignment. Nearly three-quarters of study participants had participated in SNAP in the year before enrolling.
Treatment group members were eligible to receive the enhanced set of E&T services developed under the pilot, which included case management, financial literacy counseling, job readiness preparation, job search assistance, occupational skills training, subsidized employment, and support services. Control group members were eligible for existing SNAP E&T services and programs as well as any other services available in the community.
The authors used administrative service use data, unemployment insurance (UI) wage records, SNAP administrative data, and follow-up survey data. Follow-up surveys were conducted at 12 months and 36 months. The authors used statistical models to compare the outcomes of the treatment and control group members. The authors’ regression models controlled for participants’ baseline characteristics, and incorporated weights to ensure the results represented all participants in the pilot program.
Findings
Employment
- Based on administrative data, the study found no statistically significant differences in employment rates between WONDER and control group participants.
Earnings
- Based on administrative data, the study found no statistically significant differences in earnings between WONDER and control group participants.
Public benefits receipt
- Based on administrative data, the study found that WONDER participants had higher SNAP participation rates than control group participants in Year 1 and Year 2. The difference in Year 1 SNAP participation was statistically significant. However, the study found no statistically significant differences between the two groups in Year 3 or Years 2 and 3 combined.
- Based on administrative data, the study found that WONDER participants had higher SNAP benefit amounts than control group participants in Year 1. The difference in Year 1 SNAP benefit amounts was statistically significant. However, the study found no significant differences between the groups in Year 2, Year 3, or Years 2 and 3 combined.
- Based on administrative data, the study also found that WONDER participants received higher SNAP benefits as a percentage of maximum benefit amounts than control group participants in Year 1 and Year 2. The differences in Year 1 and Year 2 SNAP benefits as a percentage of maximum income were statistically significant. However, the study found no statistically significant differences between the groups in Year 3 or Years 2 and 3 combined.
- The study found no statistically significant differences in SNAP exit rates between WONDER and control group participants.
- The study found that WONDER participants had a longer duration of SNAP participation than control group participants. The difference in duration of SNAP participation was statistically significant.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
This profile summarizes study findings for outcomes measured using administrative data. Because they were measured using administrative data, these outcomes had low attrition and the analyses of these outcomes received a high causal evidence rating. The study authors also conducted analyses of outcomes measured using survey data. Outcomes measured using survey data had high attrition but analyses of these outcomes received a moderate causal evidence rating since the authors ensured that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention.
The study authors estimated multiple, related impacts on outcomes related to employment, earnings, and public benefits receipt. Performing multiple statistical tests on related outcomes makes it more likely that some impacts will be found statistically significant purely by chance and not because they reflect program effectiveness. However, to address multiple comparisons bias, the authors selected two primary confirmatory outcomes before analyzing the data: (1) earnings (based on both the UI wage records and survey data) and (2) SNAP participation in the two years after random assignment.
The study authors report p-values of less than 0.10 as statistically significant. When assessing the statistical significance of study findings, CLEAR reviews use a p-value threshold of less than 0.05. Thus, only results that demonstrated a p-value of less than 0.05 are considered statistically significant in this profile.
Due to reporting and data collection timelines, the authors did not have a full three years of UI wage data for all participants. However, the authors conducted sensitivity analyses to assess the exclusion of individuals without complete data and found their findings robust to this restriction.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness (WONDER), and not to other factors.