Resources and Toolkits

Summary of cost to states based on SNAP 2025 error rates

Overview of SNAP participation losses, possible drivers, and implications

States face an unrealistic timeline to implement Medicaid work requirements by January 2027 due to the compliance demands of data integration, system upgrades, and application portal modifications. These challenges are compounded by limited federal guidance, technical system constraints, and insufficient state capacity, making it difficult for states to adapt and administer the changes effectively. Consequently,…

Tracker displaying most recent federal and state agency data on SNAP participation, along with unemployment trends.

Guidance on state policy chocies that tend to increase SNAP payment error rates include requiring change reporting or monthly reporting, imposing asset tests, and limiting discretionary exemptions. In contrast, states can reduce errors by simplifying reporting requirements, using BBCE, applying exemptions, and using one-month lookbacks to minimize reassessments and ensure coverage for eligible populations.

CMS is offering states an open source, consent-based verification tool to streamline implementation of the Medicaid work requirement. This supports income verification for non-traditional workers, allows applicant review, and enables flexible system integration. Emmy API will also provide a single point of access for relevant data sources.

Resource explaining how SNAP’s BBCE helps working families qualify for food assistance by easing income and asset limits. It also outlines the potential negative impacts, such as increased food insecurity, if BBCE were eliminated.

Describes approaches states will take toward implementation, highlights considerations for evaluating vendors, and provides detailed descriptions of vendor products across categories (based on product demos and conversations with vendors)

Guide on how state agencies can develop legible and flexible metrics to assess implementation of new work requirements, outlining how to build, capture, and effectively utilize metrics to monitor impact for operational awareness and decisionmaking.

Implementation-oriented framework to support states with adapting to community engagement/work requirements. Features overview of “look back” period and four-step compliance flow including: checking for automatic hardship, screening for exemptions, checking for participation, and allowing for requestable hardship.

Outlines cases in which generative AI can be appropriately deployed by grounding use in human-centered problem statements. Highlights practical application such as data extraction, summarization, and entity resolution to reduce caseworker burden while maintaining responsible oversight.

Outlines strategies to reduce coverage losses including minimizing administrative and applicant burden, streamlining verification processes, creating accessible and user-friendly forms and portals, and strengthening communication and outreach efforts.

Repository of resources for state administrators to support the implementation of work requirement policies through overview of implications and recommendations of smart system designs and processes.

Key strategies to improve accuracy and efficiency of SNAP program delivery, including evaluating intervention impacts independently, developing strong proxy metrics, watching for unintended consequences, strategically reviewing most error-prone case elements and actions, leveraging new technology for caseworkers, and improving client communication and outreach.

Outlines four proactive strategies to design resilient and adaptable technical systems including feature flags, modularity, configurability, and phased approaches.