BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
COMMITTEE ANALYSIS
Senator Martha M. Escutia, Chair
BILL NO: SB 2013
S
AUTHOR: Committee on Health & Human Services
B
AMENDED: March 30, 2000
HEARING DATE: April 5, 2000
2
FISCAL: Appropriations
0
1
CONSULTANT:
3
Margolis / cg
SUBJECT
Food Stamp Program: application form
SUMMARY
This bill would require the Department of Social Services
to develop and implement simplified and shortened
application forms for the Food Stamp Program.
ABSTRACT
California's Food Stamps Program application is currently
nine pages long.
The Food Stamp Program has:
1.An individual application for persons applying only for
the Food Stamp Program; and
2.A combined application, with the Medi-Cal and CalWORKS
applications, for individuals applying for all of these
programs.
This bill would require the Department of Social Services
to simplify and shorten both application forms for the Food
Stamp Program (the stand-alone form and the Food Stamp
Continued---
STAFF ANALYSIS OF SENATE BILL 2013 (Committee on Health and
Human Services) Page 2
Program portion of the combined form).
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department of Social Services would incur some costs
associated with redesigning the forms and distributing them
for use. Furthermore, a simpler, shorter form might result
in more eligible people participating in the program and,
therefore, increase costs associated with increased
participation in the program. However, the food stamp
coupons (i.e., the actual food purchased) are primarily
federally funded.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The California Food Policy Advocates states that in 1998,
there were 1.3 million residents in California who actually
experienced hunger. Additionally, California's Food Stamp
Program has a very low participation rate. In fact, the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in
1994 that California had the lowest participation rate of
any state in the continental U.S., 44% of the eligible
population according to the California Food Policy
Advocates, the sponsor of this bill. Moreover, California
has experienced a 36% drop in the number of people
receiving food stamps in recent years, according to the
bill's sponsor. The sponsor explains that although the
eligible population has decreased in this time period, the
percentage of eligible individuals actually receiving food
stamps has also decreased. Hunger and nutrition experts
are very concerned about this decreasing participation rate
in the Food Stamp Program, explaining that food stamps
could alleviate hunger in many "working poor" families.
According to the USDA, it takes five hours and at least two
trips to the welfare office to commence getting food
stamps. The sponsor of the bill believes that there are
several barriers to eligible people participating in the
Food Stamp Program and that the state should seek to
eliminate all of them. One of the barriers is the lengthy,
cumbersome application forms; California's is nine pages.
This bill seeks to address this particular barrier, by
requiring the department to develop and implement shorter,
STAFF ANALYSIS OF SENATE BILL 2013 (Committee on Health and
Human Services) Page 3
simpler forms. The state of Texas shortened its form to a
joint food stamp, Medicaid, and TANF application that is
four pages and bilingual. According to federal law, "State
agencies may request assistance from [USDA's Food and
Nutrition Service] in the development of a brief,
simply-written and readable application, including
application forms which cover the Food Stamp Program and
the Aid to Families with Depending Children Program or the
Medicaid Program." California has not yet sought this
federal assistance.
COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
Comment: The author and sponsor of the bill intend to
amend the bill to include a deadline for completion of the
shortened form.
POSITIONS
Support: California Food Policy Advocates (sponsor)
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Western Center on Law & Poverty
Oppose: None.
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