At a Glance

Funder:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service

Project Time Frame:

2009-2010

Puerto Rico SNAP Feasibility Study

In 1982, the federal government eliminated the Food Stamp Program in Puerto Rico and replaced it with a block grant which funds the Nutrition Assistance Program. Through this program, eligible families receive benefits on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card to be used for the purchase of food. Recently, Congress began assessing the feasibility of bringing Puerto Rico back into the federal Food Stamp Program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As a subcontractor to Insight Policy Research, Inc., Mathematica was selected to help evaluate this possibility. The purpose of the study is to:

Inform Congress of the similarities and differences between Puerto Rico’s program and SNAP with respect to policies, operations, and performance
Identify changes that would be necessary if Puerto Rico rejoined SNAP
Identify the potential impact of the changes on low-income Puerto Ricans
Estimate the benefit and administrative costs involved

Through document review and site visits, Mathematica is examining the eligibility and the benefit determination process. We are also using microsimulation analysis to assess the impact of changes on eligibility and benefits among low-income Puerto Ricans. A combination of microsimulation analysis and administrative cost data analysis are being used to assess program costs.