Kentucky has proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at the state level following federal alterations made earlier this year.
SNAP benefits help low-income families with purchasing eligible food products. Officials said the proposed alterations would establish technical requirements to receive the benefits, an adjustment that’s necessary for Kentucky to remain consistent with federal eligibility requirements put forth by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
Cabinet Secretary Eric Friedlander is with the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services. He said the new changes should make it easier for Kentuckians to receive SNAP benefits if they need them.
“For seniors, for folks who are homeless, for some of our kids in foster care, we’re doing a slight expansion for eligibility in veterans,” he said. “Normally we have to have folks recertify every year, we’re moving that out to once every three years to keep people eligible for SNAP.”
Friedlander said SNAP benefits don’t only support individuals; their communities are supported as well.
“Those grocers are eventually the folks that benefit from having folks have the funding to be able to purchase food from them,” he says. “For instance, in October, $104 million worth of SNAP benefits were provided across the Commonwealth.”
All proposed changes must be approved by lawmakers in the upcoming session before being implemented.
People can check their eligibility for SNAP benefits through the KYNECT marketplace.