MILLIONS OF AMERICANS AVOID SNAP

Of the nearly 51 million Americans  who qualified for SNAP in 2010, only 38 million received benefits; about one-quarter of eligible people did not apply.  “Some people don’t know [they’re eligible], for others it’s difficult to navigate the process, for others it’s the stigma,” said Ellen Vollinger, legal director for the Food Research and Action Center. Fewer than 40% of eligible seniors in 2010 applied for benefits. Seniors may be reluctant to sign up because their monthly Social Security benefits are counted as income, thereby reducing their potential SNAP benefit. According to FRAC, people are less likely to apply for the program if their benefits are low.

Source: Huffington Post, 8/14/13, SNAP Avoidance