Do State Snap Policies Influence Program Participation Among Seniors?

Senior participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has traditionally been lower than other groups among those eligible, with historical estimates below 50 percent. We examine impacts of state SNAP policies on program low-income senior (age 60 and older) non-senior households using data from 2001-2014 December Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. Our results suggest that designed to expand eligibility modestly increased seniors but led larger increases non-seniors. In contrast, we find little evidence effects related transaction costs, stigma, or outreach either group. Institutional subscribers NBER working paper series, residents developing countries may download this without additional charge at www.nber.org.