SNAP EXPANSIONS AND PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT SAFETY NET PROGRAMS

Abstract

This paper investigates the interactions between health and nutritional assistance programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, and school lunch programs. Exploiting variation in SNAP eligibility across states and over time, I find strong evidence of program interactions: when a state moves from the federal rule to the most extensive SNAP eligibility rule, enrollment in free school lunch and WIC increases by 4.1 and 7.9 percentage points, respectively. I estimate that the federal government spends an additional 74 cents on the school lunch program and WIC for each dollar spent on SNAP due to the expansion. (JEL H53, I38, J22)