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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
‘A terrible position': Illinois sprints to lower new SNAP costs without booting people who need it
As an outreach coordinator for one of the Chicago area's largest food banks, Joann Montes is already seeing an impact from President Donald Trump's reductions to public assistance programs even before those cuts take effect. Anxious older adults who for years received what were once called food stamps are approaching Montes at senior centers to ask if those benefits will continue and whether they'll have to return to jobs 'to be able to feed themselves.' 'Our folks who are 60 and older are asking questions about whether they're going to be able to receive SNAP,' Montes, who works at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 'Will they have to go back to work?' A little more than a month after Trump signed into law a sweeping Republican domestic package that expanded work requirements for SNAP benefits to previously exempt groups such as adults ages 55 to 64, the state and people receiving benefits are getting ready for a recalibration. Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker's administration is sprinting to figure out how to avoid a potential $700 million price tag by changing operations to achieve a level of payment accuracy that the vast majority of states currently do not meet. At the same time, Illinois also must handle the federally mandated work requirements on new groups that experts say could lead to people losing benefits. 'It would be almost easier if the federal government just did what they set out to do, which is say, 'You are no longer going to be eligible for this program.' But instead, they are putting states on the front line to create bureaucratic barriers to turn individuals and families away,' Grace Hou, the deputy governor covering health and human services, said at a panel discussion in Joliet on Friday. 'These cost savings in the Trump spending bill will result in families getting kicked off their benefits because they can't manage the red tape.' In all, about 1.9 million Illinoisans receive aid through SNAP, which provides assistance for low-income families to buy food. The program's benefits have been fully funded by the federal government for six decades, while the administrative costs have been split between the federal government and states. Monthly benefits in Illinois among people receiving assistance averaged $192 for each member of a household in fiscal 2024, or $6.33 per day, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank. But state officials say the changes written into the new federal law could place hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans at risk of losing those benefits. That jibes with a recent Congressional Budget Office report that estimated about 2.4 million fewer Americans will receive food assistance as a result of the new work requirements. 'Here the state is with less money and more challenge, going to have to take lemons and turn it into lemonade,' said Danielle Perry, vice president of policy and advocacy at the Food Depository, which, on top of its work as a food bank, helps people apply for and keep SNAP benefits. The GOP-led megabill that Trump signed into law July Fourth extends tax breaks that were set to expire and expands spending for the military and border security, funded in part by cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. 'Illinois' goal is to mitigate to the greatest extent possible the impact of the Trump spending bill on the SNAP program, and try to mitigate the harm it's going to wreak on poor families across the state,' Hou said in a separate interview with the Tribune. 'Our administration is going to do everything in our power to quickly put our structures in place to protect Illinois families.' Among the biggest reasons Illinoisans might get cut from SNAP is because of the key provisions in the megabill that initiate new work requirements for recipients who were previously excluded. The GOP bill expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults ages 55 to 64 — the cohort Montes was referring to — and those with dependents age 14 and older, among other groups. About one-third of SNAP recipients in Illinois are in a household with someone older than 60 or who has a disability, according to the progressive CBPP. What's more, many Illinois SNAP recipients have been exempt from work requirements altogether for years because of a waiver tied to unemployment in the state. But that exemption is expected to end this year, as the new bill hikes the state unemployment threshold. States are awaiting guidance from the federal government on the new work requirements, including the timeline for implementation. 'This will create a constant churn of applications as people fall on and off eligibility,' Illinois Department of Human Services spokesperson Rachel Otwell said in an emailed has already included funding in its budget for about 100 new caseworkers and operations staff with IDHS to begin addressing the added paperwork that is expected to be created from the new requirements, as well as changes to Medicaid. Officials with the Pritzker administration said they anticipated earlier this year that they would need additional staff even without knowing the specifics of the Republican-led tax bill. Now, the department is looking into the number of additional staff it might need to deal with SNAP changes, according to the governor's office. Beyond that workload, Illinois faces potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in added costs. The Republican-led bill raises the administrative levy for states, which in Illinois would mean spending an additional $80 million, according to the governor's office. Those costs are expected to kick in October 2026, according to the Center for American Progress think tank. Plus, any further improvements to computer or communications systems will likely cost even more, at a time when the state will likely be looking to keep costs down, said Jeremy Rosen, director of economic justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. But most crucially, Illinois could be on the hook for an additional annual $700 million bill to pay for some of the benefits, according to the governor's office, though that contribution could be eliminated if the state manages to bring down a measure known as the payment error rate. The combination of costs and new requirements puts the state in 'a terrible position,' said Alicia Huguelet, a senior fellow at the CBPP who previously worked as a program administrator at IDHS. As one of several factors that experts use to gauge the success of a state's SNAP program, the payment error rate isn't a measure of fraud, but rather overpayments or underpayments commonly resulting from mistakes by applicants, staff or computer systems. Illinois' error rate is among the 15 worst in the nation, though Pritzker has defended it as comparable to other large states. 'We are working very hard to make sure that we've got a process for determining the eligibility of people, making sure we hit the error rate that we need to as best we can, and we're working very hard every single day to effectuate that, but it's going to take money to do that,' Pritzker said Wednesday, noting to reporters at an unrelated news conference in Springfield that the new requirements do not come with funds for implementation. Efforts to lower the payment error rate can result in people being removed from the food assistance program, Rosen and other experts said — an outcome the state says it's trying to avoid. Still, starting in October, the state said it will be in a yearlong sprint to bring down the error rate measure ahead of cost-sharing measures that go into place after the year is up. If the rate comes down below 6% — from more than 11% currently — by fall 2026, then Illinois could avoid the more than $700 million burden, which would take effect starting in fall 2027. The state has said it can't cover that expected contribution, which is close to the looming transit fiscal cliff or the entire amount by which Illinois increased its operating revenue for the current fiscal year. To bring down the rate, IDHS is using an existing contract with Deloitte to diagnose exactly where those mistakes happen and what changes could be made to the program, according to the governor's office, which did not provide an estimated timeline on those efforts. IDHS is also reviewing its own policies to see how it could reduce the error rate, according to the state. Close to half of the payment errors in Illinois come from inaccurate wage and benefits data, including errors in what people report as their income, the state said. As a result, the governor's office said Illinois is exploring whether it could implement more stringent verifications in some areas, rather than relying on self-reporting, which is typically faster. But trying to bring down the error rate while also needing to implement new work requirements poses a major challenge, experts and the state said. 'If the application process is more stringent … it will be definitely a challenge,' said the Rev. Gary Gaston, CEO at Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, a social services organization that Pritzker visited earlier this summer to highlight the challenges to SNAP. 'People have gotten acclimated to the current process. Any new processes that will be put in place could be challenging.' In the East St. Louis area where Gaston works, people might have difficulty finding work to meet the new requirements, and in some cases also face a lack of transportation options to make appointments, he said. On top of that, the area is already considered a food desert, with no major grocery store in the city — 'a double whammy,' he said. Demanding more information and verification up front can make it harder for people to access benefits, which is likely to result in some people losing benefits, Rosen at the Shriver Center said. The Pritzker administration, for its part, argues that the loss of benefits that could come from efforts to reduce the error rate is an intentional move by the Trump administration to reduce benefits and, in turn, lower the cost of the program to the federal government. Still, the state said it's working to reduce the rate in a way that keeps as many people as possible from losing benefits, as lowering the measure is the only way to avoid the massive potential $700 million bill. 'We want to make sure that we're actually delivering to the maximum number of people that need SNAP,' Pritzker told reporters Wednesday at the state fair, emphasizing that both underpayments and overpayments are considered errors. 'Republicans don't care that we're under-providing. They just want to cut everybody off of SNAP, and that is why they've set this SNAP error rate so low.' Haywood Talcove, CEO for government at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, said he wants to see Illinois and other states simplify their application process for benefits — in an effort to both reduce fraud and improve the experience for people who need benefits — from lengthy paperwork with many self-reported boxes to basic identification information and verification. Republicans have cited fraud and waste as reasons to crack down on parts of the benefits program, and Talcove, who is based in Washington, testified at a Republican-led congressional hearing this year about benefits fraud. If states are pouring millions into benefits and changes to the program, Talcove said, 'I'd like you to fix it, please.' The governor's office has noted that SNAP fraud is not the same as the error rate and that any fraud comes out of $4.7 billion in SNAP benefits that the state issues each year. Statewide, Illinois found about 0.07% of SNAP cases had an intentional program violation, which would have resulted in an IDHS penalty and potentially a court penalty, according to the governor's office. Additionally, there were more than 23,000 claims that benefits were stolen from recipients last year and an estimated $12.5 million in that type of fraud, according to a report from IDHS to the General Assembly. Rosen of the Shriver Center said the state should aim to get the information it needs, 'without being in a world where we make people bring so much stuff so often that they fall off the program.' 'Because inevitably somebody's kid gets sick, so they miss the appointment, and they can't take the three-hour bus ride to get to the office, the website doesn't work and they can't upload something. Those are not good reasons for people to be cut off who are eligible,' he said. In six years at the food bank and more than two decades working in social services, Montes said SNAP has felt 'stable, as far as the rules are concerned.' Now, even the work requirements by themselves are 'going to isolate many people from food, from accessing food, just that alone,' she said. 'Personally, it scares me.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago area food pantries brace for SNAP funding cuts
CHICAGO (WGN) — With the passing of President Donald Trump's major budget bill, which includes an estimated $300 million cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as 'SNAP,' local food pantries told WGN News that they are bracing for the impact. The U.S. House of Representatives' passing of the bill dubbed 'big' and 'beautiful' means the need for resources will rise, said John Dumas, administrative director with the Share Food, Share Love food pantry in Brookfield. 'We are facing a situation where we believe there is going to be a significant rise in demand, but there isn't going to be food made available to us,' Dumas said. House Republicans pass Trump's big bill of tax breaks and program cuts after all-night session For the last 10 years, the Brookfield-area food pantry has helped people in the neighborhood and its 14 surrounding communities. 'Right now we're helping about 600 families a month,' Dumas said. 'Some are individuals but primarily, it's families—75% of those 600 work. I know there's a lot of perception that these are folks that are just sitting around, are lazy, and don't want to work, so they come and get free food, and that is not all of what we experience. These are folks that work but don't make enough money to cover the expenses that they incur.' It's a call for help that Dumas predicts will rise if the bill passes the Senate following its House of Representatives passage. The bill would extend tax cuts and cut other social programs, like SNAP. As of February, data obtained by WGN News shows 42 million Americans received SNAP benefits. 'We have folks that are facing challenges with sobriety and things. Are they going to lose benefits for their counseling?' Dumas asked. 'We know that some folks are in the midst of recovery, and now, are they going to lose those benefits? We just don't know the answers to that yet.' The bill cuts roughly $300 billion from the program over the next ten years, directly impacting funding for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which helps fill the shelves of local food banks. US is ending penny production: How will you be impacted? 'About 80% of what you see on these shelves comes from them,' Dumas said. In a statement, the Greater Chicago Food Depository said: This bill is a giant step backwards in efforts to create healthy, hunger-free communities. We implore the Senate to reject these devastating recommendations and vote NO on any bill that contains cuts to SNAP.' Statement provided by the Greater Chicago Food Depository 'This shouldn't be a political or partisan issue,' Dumas added. The Share Food, Share Love food pantry says it will continue its mission to the best of its ability. Food donations and monetary donations are accepted and encouraged. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
24-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Kate Maehr and Julie Yurko: We need to strengthen — not cut — SNAP benefits
Veronica Cox had a plan, and receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to help feed her three kids wasn't part of it. She got a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and worked in security for 10 years before debilitating pain in her hips — caused by a health issue she's likely had since birth — forced her to stop working. While the 37-year-old mom prays her disability application is finally accepted, she searches for a job that doesn't require sitting or standing for long periods. In the meantime, Cox relies on child support and SNAP benefits to keep food on the table for her children ages 15, 9 and 7. 'Honestly, I don't know what I'd do,' Cox said of a potential cut in benefits. 'SNAP plays a huge role in me being able to feed my children. (A reduction) would be a true struggle. It would cause damage.' We hear stories like this often from guests at the hundreds of food pantries and other programs in our partner networks throughout Cook County and northern Illinois. For neighbors such as Cox dealing with a health issue, older adults with fixed incomes and ever-increasing expenses, working individuals struggling to make ends meet and countless others, SNAP is a vital resource. All of us at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank are deeply concerned about the impact of potential cuts to SNAP that will likely result from the budget resolution being discussed in Congress, which includes a potential $1.1 trillion in reduction to SNAP and Medicaid. A vote to determine the specifics of these cuts is expected this month. Guests who visit our partner pantries share our concerns, expressing anxiety about what they will do if their SNAP benefit is reduced. With elevated food prices and a high cost of living, many are already struggling to keep food on the table throughout the month. As our nation's front-line defense against hunger, SNAP currently supports nearly 2 million families in Illinois. The program is essential for the 1 in 4 families with children in the Chicago metro area experiencing food insecurity. By assisting neighbors in affording groceries, SNAP helps lift families out of poverty, improves long-term educational and economic outcomes, and reduces risks of diet-related diseases. In addition to harming our neighbors, cuts to SNAP would be detrimental to the emergency food system, including food pantries and food banks such as ours. To put it in perspective, for every meal we provide through a partner pantry, SNAP provides nine. Without this large-scale support, food insecurity would skyrocket. Neighbors have told us that if SNAP is cut, they will visit our pantries more often. While we are grateful they see our network as a trusted resource, we know we wouldn't be equipped to handle the spike in demand. Our partner network has already experienced an exponential rise in demand in recent years. The Greater Chicago Food Depository served a record 2.4 million household visits from neighbors in 2024, surpassing demand at the height of the pandemic. Last year, the Northern Illinois Food Bank served an average of 570,000 neighbors every month, an increase of 16% over 2023 service and double the pre-pandemic level. It is sobering to think about the potential increase if SNAP benefits are reduced. Recipients aren't the only ones who benefit from SNAP. Every $1 spent on SNAP creates $1.50 in economic opportunity for local retailers, food producers and farmers. In 2024 alone, SNAP brought more than $4 billion to Illinois. A reduction in benefits would negatively impact local businesses right as our country is facing a potential recession. During the pandemic, expanded SNAP benefits lifted millions of families out of poverty. Given its proven efficacy and the rise in food needs, if anything we should expand the program, not reduce it. Make no mistake, our neighbors and our community will experience great financial hardship if SNAP is reduced. We implore Congress to protect this essential program, for the health and well-being of our neighbors and the good of us all.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
IL Senator increasing SNAP benefits for college students
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — One State Senator is pushing an initiative to reduce hunger for college students in Illinois. Senator Graciela Guzmán is expanding the eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Illinois. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, almost two thirds of students that are eligible for SNAP are not receiving benefits. UPDATE: Illinois homeschool bill passes; hundreds gather at State Capitol in protest Many students are steered away from applying because they assume, or are advised incorrectly, that they are not eligible. On the other hand, others that do apply are rejected in error because the rules for students are complex. 'It is hard to succeed in school when you're hungry,' Guzman said. 'Helping students, especially low-income scholars, who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, succeed academically and economically is not only smart, but also the right thing to do for the next generation.' Students are not eligible for SNAP unless they meet certain conditions without this initiative, including working at least 20 hours a week at a paid job in addition to going to school. Senate Bill 1298 would expand and streamline eligibility for SNAP benefits, allowing all students at public universities in Illinois to benefit from the program if they meet income and other eligibility requirements. 'With nearly one in four undergraduate students (approximately 3.8 million) experiencing food insecurity in the United States, student hunger is a growing crisis,' Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said. 'It is essential that we modernize and expand the eligibility criteria for SNAP, as the nation's largest nutrition assistance program, to meet the needs of today's college students as they pursue their academic and career dreams.' Senate Bill 1298 passed the Senate Health & Services Committee on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
