{"id":8821,"date":"2022-11-10T09:07:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T15:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/?p=8821"},"modified":"2022-11-11T09:13:58","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T15:13:58","slug":"providing-adequate-nutrition-for-our-seniors-should-be-simple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/es\/providing-adequate-nutrition-for-our-seniors-should-be-simple\/","title":{"rendered":"Providing Adequate Nutrition for Our Seniors Should Be Simple"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation\u2019s largest anti-hunger program and helps millions of people who are at risk for food insecurity every month. Specifically, SNAP is vitally important to low income seniors across our nation.  In 2020, more than 5 million adults ages 60 and older were food-insecure, meaning they had limited or uncertain access to adequate Food.   According to a report written by AARP, participation in the SNAP Program may improve health and lower health care costs. It is also associated with fewer hospital and emergency room visits and long-term care admissions.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite all of the positive benefits of taking part in the SNAP program, many eligible older adults do not participate. In 2018, more than 70 percent of adults ages 60 and older who were estimated to be eligible for SNAP did not participate in the program. A report conducted on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA) <\/a>stated that when asked of a focus group of SNAP eligible seniors about why many seniors do not take part in the program, answers ranged from perceptions that the benefit levels were not worth the hassle of the application, to the application and recertification process were confusing and cumbersome, to unease about the technology needed to access and use SNAP benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, there has been lots of work done to address these challenges and increase participation of SNAP with this population. One opportunity that Missouri has not taken, but Empower Missouri has included in its policy priorities for this coming year, is the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESAP is a set of waivers that the Missouri Department of Social Services would request to use from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These waivers would allow DSS to administer the SNAP Program for households with seniors and\/or people with disabilities that have no earned income more easily. According to the Food Research and Action Center\u2019s ESAP Best Practices Fact Sheet,<\/a> \u201cstates typically ask for the following waivers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n