FY2017 Senate Budget Priority: Close the SNAP Gap! How big is the SNAP Gap? Create a “common application option” for MassHealth applicants to get SNAP & support sufficient DTA case worker funding to support increased SNAP caseload. Increase access to 100% federally-funded nutrition dollars for low income families & get 50% federal reimbursement (or more) for IT and case worker costs. The 570K person SNAP Gap is the difference between 1.356 M persons receiving MassHealth who are likely SNAP eligible, and the 785 K persons receiving SNAP. 1 Providing SNAP to all eligible Massachusetts households will: o Help low-income households purchase more food and reduce health care costs o Bring $841 M2 in potential federal SNAP funds to the State annually o Generate $1.5 billion3 in likely economic benefits to the State Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, www.mlri.org More info: Pat Baker, [email protected] 617-357-0700 x 328 Updated: May 2016 1 Data: October 2015: EOHHS reported 1.8 million Masshealth enrollees, DTA reported 785K SNAP enrollees. Of the 1.8M Masshealth enrollees, 200,000 were “temporarily enrolled.” MLRI evaluated Masshealth and SNAP participation data for October 2015. MLRI determined the “likely SNAP eligible” by counting Masshealth enrollees under 200% FPL in Masshealth Standard, CarePlus, and Commonhealth, and excluding temporarily enrolled, long term care and immigrant ineligibles. 2 570K MassHealth (SNAP-less) individuals x $123/mo SNAP benefits x 12 months = $841M annually. Based on USDA Annual State Level Data for Sept and Oct 2015, approximately $123/month average benefit per person for MA. 3 USDA Economic Research Service, Input-Output Multiplier Model and Stimulus Effect of SNAP (October 2010) at of $1.79 per $1 of SNAP benefit in 2010: http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/134117/err103_1_.pdf MASSACHUSETTS SENATE DISTRICTS Data as of October 2015 Senate District Current Senator Persons on Persons on SNAP Masshealth Third Middlesex Michael Barrett 5,282 21,703 Second Plymouth & Bristol Michael Brady 26,039 62,242 Second Suffolk & Middlesex William Brownsberger 12,989 34,926 First Worcester Harriette Chandler 18,661 43,577 Second Suffolk Sonia Chang-Diaz 36,259 63,898 First Middlesex & Norfolk Cynthia Creem 4,758 17,958 Plymouth & Barnstable Viriato DeMacedo 10,492 32,595 Middlesex & Suffolk Sal DiDomenico 24,728 68,419 Fourth Middlesex Kenneth Donnelly 6,623 24,701 First Middlesex Eileen Donoghue 27,246 66,346 First Suffolk Linda Dorcena Forry 41,918 81,687 Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin & Hampden Benjamin Downing 17,872 46,352 Middlesex & Worcester James Eldridge 7,541 30,243 Worcester & Norfolk Ryan Fattman 17,420 38,347 Worcester & Middlesex Jennifer Flanagan 21,403 46,705 Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire & Middlesex Anne Gobi 15,962 36,090 Second Hampden & Hampshire Donald Humason 31,050 59,037 Second Middlesex Pat Jehlen 9,545 31,466 Norfolk, Bristol & Plymouth Brian Joyce 11,051 33,785 Norfolk & Plymouth John Keenan 14,164 43,534 Second Essex & Middlesex Barbara L’Italien 30,229 70,621 First Hampden & Hampshire Eric Lesser 17,609 34,626 Fifth Middlesex Jason Lewis 11,164 35,010 Second Essex Joan Lovely 16,881 40,306 Third Essex Thomas McGee 28,176 68,714 Second Bristol & Plymouth Mark Montigny 30,704 65,684 Second Worcester Michael Moore 25,428 58,485 First Essex O’Connor Ives 18,277 49,102 First Plymouth & Bristol Marc Pacheco 19,013 44,571 First Suffolk & Middlesex Anthony Petruccelli 20,553 61,213 First Bristol & Plymouth Michael Rodrigues 29,089 61,251 Hampshire, Franklin & Worcester Stanley Rosenberg 13,739 33,427 Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex Richard Ross 9,055 26,490 Norfolk & Suffolk Michael Rush 16,459 43,915 Second Middlesex & Norfolk Karen Spilka 10,990 35,677 First Essex & Middlesex Bruce Tarr 8,164 28,389 Bristol & Norfolk James Timilty 4,233 14,154 Plymouth & Norfolk Vacant 8,864 29,787 Hampden James Welch 60,160 98,663 Cape & Islands Daniel Wolf 11,107 44,831 Massachusetts 750,897 1,828,527 Table above based on MassHealth and SNAP data by zip code, as reported by EOHHS and DTA in October 2015. Chart on reverse shows 785K SNAP recipients (30,000 more) than table above, based on more recent DTA SNAP data reported to USDA in Jan 2016. .