Questions on "Why We Should Rethink the SNAP Interview Requirement: A Former Caseworker’s Perspective"
Context Student and supporting organizations wrote a letter to the USDA recommending that the SNAP application interview requirement be removed, with the accompanying press release here. A news article that summarizes the entire P.R. push for this is accessible here through Fortune magazine. Why We Should Rethink the SNAP Interview Requirement: A Former Caseworker’s Perspective is an op-ed from The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) which argues SNAP interviews should be made optional. Based on the author’s experience as a caseworker, the mandatory interviews are largely a pretense for detecting fraud, and the time could be better spent providing holistic assistance to SNAP participants. These “unnecessary interviews that are ineffective at finding what infinitesimal fraud exists” only serve to increase the stigma associated with accessing food stamps by treating applicants as if they “are thieves that must be watched”.1 Unfortunately, the lack of any evidence for or against the effectiveness of SNAP interviews (whatever their purpose may be), the confusing use of statistics, and the wider focus on stigmas associated with SNAP participation resulted in an unconvincing argument. While I agree with the author’s wider points that we should take steps to minimize stigmas of government benefits and that a primary purpose of mandatory SNAP interviews is to verify information, further study of the consequences is warranted before SNAP interviews are made optional. ...