Guidance on State Option Food Stamp Programs
To: All Regional Administrators / Food and Consumer Service
Date: August 8, 1997
On June 12, 1997, the President signed into law the Supplemental Appropriations
Act for fiscal year 1997 (P.L. 105-18). This law includes new authority
for States to purchase food stamps from the Federal government for use
in a State-funded food assistance program for legal immigrants and childless,
able-bodied adults ineligible for food stamps due to the 3-month food
stamp time limit.
Several States have expressed interest in providing State-funded assistance
to some or all the legal immigrants who will lose eligibility for food
stamps at the end of August. Several States have already passed legislation
that anticipates using food stamps for State-funded food assistance. Other
States have similar legislation under consideration.
Attached is guidance for your staff and State agencies on submitting
a request to purchase food stamps for use in State-funded nutrition programs.
The guidance includes information on the terms for reimbursing the Federal
government for the value of food stamps distributed and the Federal administrative
costs incurred under such State programs. Please share this document with
your State commissioners. Please note that the guidance does not address
issuing benefits through an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system.
EBT-related issues will be addressed in an addendum to the guidance.
With this memorandum, we are delegating to the regional offices the authority
to approve State requests to purchase food stamps for use in a State-funded
food assistance programs. We ask that you keep us and our Financial Management
staff informed of States that express interest in running such a program
and that you forward to us copies of all approved State plans. Please
let us know who in your office will have the lead on this issue.
If you have general questions concerning the attached guidance, please
contact Gini Gerbasi at (703) 305-2519. For financial management-related
concerns, contact Rich Platt at (703) 305-2346.
Yvette S. Jackson
Deputy Administrator
Food Stamp Program
Back to the Top
|