It shouldn't be this hard for seniors to get food assistance - The Dallas Morning News

A knock on the door from a client in need of a little help is an everyday occurrence at my internship. It could mean anything from a confusing cellphone problem to a referral for counseling services. Often, that knock means a resident needs assistance navigating a government agency’s complicated procedures in order to access benefits to which they are entitled.

Recently, a client needed to submit a recertification application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to a state agency. She had to request the six-page paper form be mailed to her because she does not have internet access. She filled out the required paperwork and needed to fax her application, along with multiple pages of proof that her finances had not changed in the past 12 months.

According to Feeding Texas, a statewide network of food banks, only 42% of eligible seniors are receiving SNAP benefits. For these lower-income older adults, lack of participation may result from difficulties navigating complicated systems, limited mobility, lack of access to technology or lack of awareness of the program’s existence. My client was one of the 42% who managed to secure the benefits to which she is entitled, yet she still needed a way to submit her form. The system simply has too many barriers to access.

I currently serve as a social work intern working with low-income older adults in a residential setting. In this role I have worked with numerous residents who receive SNAP benefits. Many go through the rigorous recertification process every 12 months like clockwork; others cannot quite find the wherewithal to finish the paperwork on time and, thus, they have gaps in receiving food assistance.

Texas comes in fourth in the nation for older adults who are food insecure, with a massive 8.9% of our senior population at risk. At face value, it may seem this statistic simply indicates that an older adult may miss a meal; there are, however, grave concerns that must be addressed. According to public policy researchers Pooler, Hartline‐Grafton, DeBor, Sudore and Seligman, there are numerous negative health consequences for older adults who experience food insecurity, including general poor health along with “diabetes, depression, hypertension, heart disease and gingivitis.”

Fortunately, there is a path to reduce the elder population at risk of hunger. The Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) waives the required interview for recertification and lengthens the period before renewal from 12 months to 36 months. Additionally, ESAPs often make use of a two-page initial application.

Advocates reached out to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission about changing the policy requiring the longer form, but after receiving no clear response decided to seek direction from the Texas Legislature. In the 2019 legislative session, Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock sponsored Senate Bill 1445, which aims to follow the lead of ESAPs, streamlining both the initial enrollment and recertification process for SNAP benefits for older adults and people with disabilities.

The measure had bipartisan support, since the change, which would cost Texas nothing, would apply to one of Texas’ most vulnerable populations. But SB 1445 stalled in the House Calendars Committee, the body responsible for scheduling a floor vote. Rather than wait until next session, the agency could adopt the new form on its own right now.

What can you do to help? Contact your state representatives and senators and let them know you are concerned about the issue of older adults facing food insecurity. Ask them to support changing access to food assistance for Texas seniors. Let them know that you want this change and that you want it to happen now.

Don Collier is a graduate student studying social work at the University of Texas at Austin. He wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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