CENTRAL COAST HUNGER
COALITION
October 6, 2005
Eric M. Bost
Under Secretary, Food and
Nutrition Services
USDA Food and Nutrition
Service
Room 240- E, 1400
Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Under Secretary Bost,
Thank you for the opportunity
to give input at a community forum in Oakland today on the 2007 Farm Bill. I am here on behalf of the Central Coast
Hunger Coalition, which does advocacy on nutrition, hunger and food security
issues, but which also serves as a policy committee for the Nutrition and
Fitness Collaborative of the Central Coast, and an affiliate of Go For Health,
a community based group planning strategies to address obesity in Santa Cruz
County. Please consider the following:
Summary
of Barriers to Food Stamp Participation and Means of Knocking Them Down
Ø
Length of time and
complexity of paperwork
Ø
Immigrant fears of
participating in government programs and public charge issue.
Ø
Immigrant fears around
paying back food stamps, sponsor deeming,
Ø
Customer service issues
around getting information, confusion around process
Ø
Low minimum benefits
Ø
SSI recipients
ineligible (in California)
Ø
Complexity of different
government programs- WIC different eligibility from Food Stamps which is
different from EFAP, etc.
Ø
Finger imaging (in some
states)
Ø
Amount of documentation
required to prove income, assets, etc.
Ø
Confusion on reporting
requirements, paperwork
Ø
Lack of consistent and
coherent nutrition messaging by food stamp offices and food stamp distribution
program
Ø
Lack of innovative
programs to encourage healthy eating (fruits and veggie bonus programs, more
ways to use food stamps for farmers markets, CSA’s)
Based on 3 years in our
region of food stamp outreach and application assistance under USDA and CNN
grants, several of the recommendations for improving the food stamp program
include:
A. Simplify application process (consider EZ application
for seniors, expedited cases, have EZ application sent out with all IRS checks
to EITC recipients creating presumed eligibility, simplify formula to
gross-only based on income and assets only, no net calculations).
B. Make all legal immigrants eligible for food stamps and
eliminate sponsor deeming or pay back for food stamps.
C. Increase minimum benefits to $25.
D. Revise rules to allow some groups of SSI recipients to
receive food stamps in California
E. Eliminate the distinction between outreach and
promotion for food stamp outreach projects.
F. Require a portion of any food stamp outreach grant be
earmarked for costs of the local or state food stamp office expenses in
participating in grant work.
G. Fund county level food stamp outreach (by food stamp
office or CBO’s) with 100% federal (rather than federal, state, county formula)
funds.
H. Require nutrition education materials under FSNE be
placed and made available in all local food stamp offices.
I.
Attempt to align federal
nutrition programs, either matching eligibility levels or creating stronger
ties between programs (require WIC information be distributed at FS offices, FS
information at WIC, etc, with funding for these efforts).
J. Require FSNE nutrition grant project scopes of work
include active promotion of food stamp participation.
K. Improve the timeliness and availability of USDA food
stamp outreach materials.
L. Pilot food stamp bonus programs for healthy food
purchase- discounts on produce for EBT participants, etc.
Thanks for your longtime
dedication to serving those who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
Yours,
Lee Mercer
Co-Chair
Central Coast Hunger
Coalition
831-722-7110 ext 220