Common App Campaign VICTORY and Next SNAP Coalition Meeting

Our next Coalition meeting is this upcoming Tuesday! We look forward to seeing you then. 

SNAP Coalition meeting Tuesday, 2/22 from 10-11:30 

Our agenda will include:

• Federal updates on SNAP, child nutrition and status of federal public health emergency declaration

• State legislative updates including success on the SNAP Gap! (see below) and the FY23 budget process underway

• DTA updates on SNAP

• Discussion on the “SNAP Math” and best practices to screen households to maximize deductions before the Emergency Allotments end 

• SNAP and college students - reminder that EDUC-1 and CCE-1 forms are NOT currently required

• Online EBT purchasing - are SNAP households facing hidden membership or delivery fees?  

• Reminder about FindYourFunds.org + who is newly eligible for tax dollars (including older adults 65+ and some college students who worked in 2021!)

• Announcements

Zoom link here (and calendar invite link here)

SNAP Gap VICTORY and Next Steps on Common Apps Campaign

We are excited to share the BIG NEWS. During the Joint Committee on Ways and Means hearing on the FY23 budget on Tuesday, February 15th, DTA Commissioner Amy Kershaw publicly stated the Administration's plans to robustly implement a SNAP application policy for all MassHealth and Medicare Savings Program (MSP) applicants and recipients - effective hopefully by July 2022. This means that persons applying for healthcare or renewing their MassHealth coverage through the MassHealth Connector system will be able to use that same application to apply for SNAP - and their information and proof documents will be sent directly to DTA for processing. Common App Coalition members had been advised in December that EOHHS and DTA were moving in this direction, but we had not anticipated a public announcement so soon - This is HUGE! 

The Baker Administration is implementing this change as required by the Massachusetts Legislature as part of the FY22 state budget, EOHHS line item which requires a common application for SNAP and MassHealth in the current fiscal year. A huge hats off to our fearless leaders Senator Sal DiDomenico and Rep. Jay Livingstone for leading the charge both on H.1290/S.761 and the FY22 budget language! Check out:

• Channel 7/SHNS coverage on 2/15/22: “Application change would link MassHealth enrollees to food aid” 

• MLRI’s tweet thanking both the Administration and our Legislative champions, amplified by the MA AGO!

• Today’s MLRI/NASW-MA media statement. 

Additionally, we want to share with you data MLRI received from EOHHS about the number of SNAP applications that DTA has received from the paper MassHealth and MSP applications: 3,207 SNAP applications were shipped to DTA from MassHealth or MSP applications between July and February 4th!  (See the entire public records request here). That’s HUGE and comparable to the roughly 5,500 to 6,500 SNAP applications filed annually by MA SNAP Outreach Providers.