Evaluation of Child Support Cooperation Requirements in SNAP

Over the past decade, there has been increased interest among some policymakers at both the State and Federal levels to mandate cooperation with the child support program as a condition of SNAP full benefit receipt. In the 2018 Farm Bill (Public Law, 115-334), Congress directed  the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct an evaluation of child support cooperation requirements in SNAP. FNS contracted with Mathematica and its partner MEF to conduct this evaluation.

To assess the implementation, effects, and costs and benefits of the cooperation requirement policy in SNAP, the evaluation employs a mixed-method design that included over 150 interviews with state- and local-level SNAP and child support staff, intensive in-depth interviews with 200 SNAP participants, and an outcomes and cost-benefit analysis of child support and SNAP administrative records in the study states.  Of the nine States that currently require cooperation with child support in SNAP, five States participated in this study: Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, and Mississippi. The study also included three States—Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia—where there had been recently proposed legislation or administrative actions to mandate a cooperation requirement in SNAP.

This congressionally mandated study offers the most comprehensive picture to date about the implementation and effects of the cooperation requirements in SNAP, and how this policy requirement is experienced and perceived by  families with low-incomes. As such, the study is a valuable resource for Federal and State policymakers and practitioners who are considering implementing this type of requirement for households receiving SNAP benefits. The findings will be released in a two-volume final report, expected in mid-2024.