Pennsylvania to “Rethink” SNAP Asset Limit

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that the state’s new Secretary of Public Welfare, Beverly Mackereth, has indicated she is “rethinking” Pennsylvania’s controversial asset limit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps). Pennsylvania is one of only two states to have eliminated their SNAP asset limit and then brought it back.

When Pennsylvania first reinstated its asset limit, we explained why this was a regressive policy move that runs counter to national trends, which would both hurt families and create unnecessary work for eligibility workers. As the article describes, the test has indeed added burdensome red tape while disqualifying very few applicants:

During the first year of the asset test, 4,000 households lost or were denied benefits because they had too many financial resources, according to DPW figures.

But during that same time, 111,000 households were denied benefits because they failed to provide proper documentation for the test.

Advocates said that by weeding out a relatively small number of people with too many assets, DPW made getting SNAP benefits so complicated that deserving low-income people became inundated by paperwork and lost their benefits.

Mackereth apparently brings a fresh new perspective to the Department; on Tuesday, she said: "My focus is not waste, fraud, and abuse. My primary focus is getting services to people who are entitled to them." The whole article is worth a read – check it out here. To learn more about why asset limits are detrimental to the savings of low-income people, check out our website on this issue.