SNAP benefits need closer look

An increasing number of Hawaii households are struggling to pay the grocery bill tied to putting nutritious food on the table. For them, the Hawaii system that administers federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars, formerly called food stamps, can be a godsend.

In fiscal year 2016, SNAP helped 1 in 8 state residents stock their pantries with staples, such as milk, bread, meats and fruits and vegetables. The average monthly benefit for each household member was $228, with the average meal costing $2.54. Most participating households nationwide are known to redeem their benefits within a few weeks of receiving them.

That’s why a local store receipt showing that one recipient had accumulated more than $20,000 in unused benefits is raising eyebrows.

In response to Honolulu Star-Advertiser questions about the Aug. 7 store receipt, Keopu Reelitz, spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services (DHS), which oversees our SNAP system, said the accrued funds figure that appeared on an electronic balance transfer card was authentic, but called the case “unusual.” Let’s hope so.

While the case may well be an outlier of some sort, it should prompt DHS to swiftly organize a hard look at its system to further substantiate efficient administration of SNAP funds. Also, tighter scrutiny of benefits could help fend off a federal administration call for a systemwide overhaul aimed at reducing waste.

In its first full budget proposal, President Donald Trump’s team is seeking to shift 25 percent of SNAP’s cost, which is now entirely federally funded, to states. That would cost Hawaii an estimated $100 million a year.

Stacy Dean, vice president of food assistance policy at the Washington D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which fought against severe budget cuts for the food stamps program during President Ronald Reagan’s administration, rightly pointed out: “State budgets are strained and the notion that they could take over is ill-informed.”

In Hawaii, unused SNAP benefits roll forward and there’s no cap on carryover balances. However, in compliance with federal law, cards with 12 months of inactivity are expunged and returned back to the state. SNAP also offers states an option to take accounts offline after six months of non-use. A household could retrieve those benefits with a satisfactory explanation regarding why they had gone untouched.

When Massachusetts put in place the six-month option, it found the bulk of its high-balance holders were seniors and people with disabilities. Given Hawaii’s demographics, we should follow suit. In fiscal 2016, nearly 29 percent of Hawaii’s SNAP recipients were in families with members who are elderly or have disabilities.

SNAP benefits are calculated according to household size and there is no cap on what a household can receive. Very poor households receive more benefits than those closer to the poverty line. In fiscal 2015, the average monthly benefit among participating Hawaii households with children was $721; households with seniors, $244; and those with non-elderly disabled individuals, $350.

Further supplementing grocery needs here — and quantifying the rise in that need — are organizations such as the Hawaii Foodbank. Statewide, 118,000 individuals needed food bank assistance three years ago. Currently, the tally is 287,000.

State Sen. Josh Green, chairman of the Committee on Human Services, said that a growing SNAP account balance could flag an incapacitated recipient contending with health problems. And it could, of course, also flag cases of misuse or fraud.

The bottom line, Green said, is that “SNAP is meant to be a safety net. If some people aren’t using it, let’s find a way to get it to those in need.” Agreed. With Hawaii’s high cost of living, and the poverty rate among Hawaii’s children rising to 15 percent, there’s a lot of immediate need for food assistance.