Posted: September 7th, 2022

Social Work and Policy

Social Work and Policy
Overview: The Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP)
The Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) is a social coverage applied to cope with starvation amongst Individuals. In 2018, SNAP helped round 40 million Individuals from low-income households entry enough nutritious diets (Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities, 2019). SNAP gives vital dietary Help for low-wage households, low-income seniors, and individuals affected by disabilities, and different households with low-income. In line with the Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities (2019), greater than 75% of the SNAP customers are households with youngsters, and round 30% are households with disabled individuals and seniors. Aside from the unemployment insurance coverage, SNAP is likely one of the most helpful and responsive federal insurance policies that supply help to households throughout financial difficult instances.
Not like different advantages packages, SNAP is broadly accessible by households with low incomes. The eligibility standards for SNAP are set by the federal authorities making them common throughout the nation. Nonetheless, the states can fluctuate the packages to make sure correct implementation of this system. The federal authorities units three foremost standards for qualifying for the SNAP program, together with that the gross month-to-month earnings should be $2,252 per 30 days or much less in a family with three individuals (Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities, 2019). Nonetheless, households with seniors and disabled individuals aren’t required to satisfy these standards. The household’s web month-to-month earnings, much less the prices of housing and baby care, should be decrease than $1,732 per 30 days. The ultimate standards are that belongings should scale back beneath $2,250 for a family. Each state has its utility course of. On common, SNAP beneficiary will get round $127 per 30 days. In 2018, the federal authorities allotted $68 billion on the SNAP program and related help packages.
The 2 contrasting coverage positions on SNAP present perspective on the general public notion of the social coverage. Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities (2019) argues that SNAP is a useful social program that has helped to enhance the requirements of residing and give enough food plan to low-income and weak households in the US. The coverage argument for SNAP highlights a few of the advantages of this system, together with the power to guard the households from financial hardship and lack of meals. A contrasting coverage by Aussenberg (2018) argued that the SNP program was filled with errors and fraud making it inefficient within the utilization of the sources. A few of the errors included trafficking of the SNAP advantages, retailer utility fraud, fraud by candidates, and errors and fraud by state companies. The errors and fraudulent actions counter the argument that the SNAP program is helpful to the U.S. financial system.
Comparability of the Policy Positions
The coverage transient by the Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities (2019) helps the implementation of SNAP to Help enhance diet and giving youngsters from low-income households entry to high quality meals. This system responds instantly in offering Help to low-income households throughout instances of financial downturn. When the financial system weakens, the enrollment in this system will increase. SNAP program Helps the households to beat short-term unemployment and household issues. For instance, when mother and father wouldn’t have a job, they’ll depend on SNAP to feed their youngsters (Berkowitz et al., 2017). This system additionally Helps with out enough sources to purchase sufficient meals for his or her youngsters.
The Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities (2019) famous that SNAP advantages had lowered considerations of meals insecurity amongst most American households. Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities (2019) additionally famous that SNAP additionally protects your complete U.S financial system. SNAP advantages are acknowledged as essentially the most environment friendly and efficient manner for financial stimulus as a result of they improve cash provide into the financial system. Low-income beneficiaries spent the cash on day by day wants, growing cash provide into the financial system throughout a recession. SNAP additionally reduces the diploma and severity of financial hardships and poverty (Leung et al., 2017). This system is applied as an anti-poverty financial device that focuses on serving to households meet their fundamental wants and scale back insecurities. SNAP can also be efficient in supporting a tradition of wholesome consuming. The initiative provides low-income households entry to wholesome meals. SNAP additionally Helps in responding to the inherent disasters shortly by offering important meals help to the affected households.
Not like the Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities (2019), Aussenberg (2018) argued that the implementation of the SNAP program allowed for errors and fraud that impacted its advantages to weak individuals and low-income households. The counter coverage proposal defined 4 varieties of inaccuracies and misconduct within the implementation of SNAP. One of many varieties is the trafficking of SNAP advantages, which includes the unlawful promoting of the advantages to recipients and retailers (Bleich et al., 2020). Such unlawful preparations are acceptable and usually result in the misuse of federal authorities sources. One other main kind of inaccuracies is retailer utility fraud that includes unlawful efforts by homeowners of shops to participate in SNAP whereas they’re ineligible. Errors and fraud carried out by the households will even make improper purposes for SNAP advantages and thus, resulting in unacceptable funds. Errors are unintentional errors. Nonetheless, fraud includes intentional efforts by the households to violate the rules of this system for egocentric positive factors. Errors and fraud related to the state companies trigger enormous losses of funds as a result of company errors will result in important improper funds. The standard management misconduct and the shortage of fiscal supervision usually result in important company fraud. Nonetheless, the congressional analysis service report agreed that fraud is uncommon.
Policy Options and Help of Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities
The SNAP coverage options incorporate the implementation of assorted methods to enhance the effectiveness and the advantages of SNAP among the many contributors. One of many coverage options is the safety of the present degree of funding for SNAP. A few of the congress members have argued in opposition to this system calling for the discount of the funds of this system. There’s a want to take care of and improve the SNAP spending to enhance the well being and the welfare of Individuals. The budgetary cuts would damage the kids from low-income households and affect the financial restoration course of. The second coverage suggestion is the gathering of information on SNAP purchases (Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities, 2019). The division of agriculture ought to collect enough knowledge and improve consciousness of the info on the SNAP purchases to help in enhancing the dietary high quality of the contributors and the transparency and effectiveness of this system. The identification of the built-in methods could be useful within the alignment of the purchases of this system with the suitable dietary pointers for the Individuals. The identification and testing of transformative enhancements on this system will enhance nutritious diets and help within the prevention of weight problems among the many low-income contributors.
The Group, the Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities, helps the coverage options by repairing the harm of the discount of the funding and restrictions of contributors. There’s a want for the federal authorities to reverse the restrictions made by the Trump administration to permit younger youngsters from immigrants to get entry to the SNAP advantages. Such a program could be useful in combating recession and enhancing the expansion of the financial system successfully (Berkowitz et al., 2017). Different efficient coverage suggestions really useful by the Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities will embody specializing in the well being of youngsters with this system, use of incentives in making wholesome meals straightforward alternative, and creating improved meals stocking requirements for the retailers (Leung et al., 2017). The development of innovation of this system, creation of partnerships with SNAP, and the formulation of the nationwide technique will likely be vital in selling the success of the meals help program.
Social Policy Options Aligns with Social Work Values
A few of the vital social work values are service, social justice, dignity, integrity, and competence. The implementation of SNAP is a service to the weak individuals within the society. The SNAP program seeks to serve the wants of the individuals by offering funding for the advantages of getting nutritious meals at reasonably priced charges. The coverage options will carry out analysis to gather knowledge to enhance integrity and competence by guaranteeing solely eligible contributors benefit from the SNAP advantages. Errors and fraud would make the implementation of SNAP a violation of the NASW code of ethics. Nonetheless, the innovation of the SNAP utility course of and rectifying potential errors and fraud will enhance the equity and the integrity of this system (Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities, 2019). The social justice worth aligns with the SNAP coverage answer to take care of the funding and guarantee consistency within the registering of the candidates. Due to this fact, the SNAP initiative will likely be helpful to low-income households to get nutritious and reasonably priced meals and Help them in restoration throughout financial recession instances.

References
Aussenberg, R. A. (2018, September 28). Errors and Fraud within the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP). Congressional Analysis Service. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R45147.pdf.
Berkowitz, S. A., Seligman, H. Okay., Rigdon, J., Meigs, J. B., & Basu, S. (2017). Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) participation and well being care expenditures amongst low-income adults. JAMA Inner Drugs, 177(11), 1642-1649.
Bleich, S. N., Moran, A. J., Vercammen, Okay. A., Frelier, J. M., Dunn, C. G., Zhong, A., & Fleischhacker, S. E. (2020). Strengthening the general public well being impacts of the Supplemental Diet Help Program by coverage. Annual Overview of Public Well being, 41, 453-480.
Heart on Price range and Policy Priorities. (2019, June 25). Policy fundamentals: The supplemental diet help program (SNAP). https://www.cbpp.org/analysis/food-Helpance/policy-basics-the-supplemental-nutrition-Helpance-program-snap#:~:textual content=SNAP%20allows%20lowpercent2Dincome%20households,people%20not%20collaborating%20in%20SNAP.
Leung, C. W., Musicus, A. A., Willett, W. C., & Rimm, E. B. (2017). Enhancing the dietary affect of the supplemental diet help program: views from the contributors. American Journal of Preventive Drugs, 52(2), S193-S198.

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Tags: Social Work and Policy