Half Of Eligible NJ Seniors Not Enrolled For SNAP, Study Says

More than half of New Jersey senior citizens who face hunger are missing out on critical assistance that can help put food on the table, according to data tools recently released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) with support from the AARP Foundation.

The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help low-income seniors and others afford the food they need to maintain their health and well-being, yet just 48 percent of eligible New Jersey seniors aged 60 or older are using SNAP on average each month, FRAC stated Tuesday.

In federal fiscal year 2015, the most recent data available, nearly 265,000 New Jersey senior citizens had incomes low enough to qualify for SNAP, but just 128,000 participated. This means that nearly 137,000 eligible seniors were not receiving this critical assistance, according to FRAC's data.

• Learn more about the federal SNAP program here
• Learn if you’re eligible for the SNAP program here

"Having enough food to eat is important for everyone, but it is particularly important as people age and become more susceptible to illness or when their life circumstances - such as limited mobility or a fixed income - make maintaining a healthy diet more difficult,” said Adele LaTourette, director of Hunger Free New Jersey.

"Food-insecure seniors often must choose between paying for food or medication," said AARP NJ State Director Stephanie Hunsinger. "SNAP helps ensure that seniors do not have to cut back on or skip meals altogether to pay for health care or other basic needs."

According to Hunger Free New Jersey, in addition to staving off hunger, studies show that SNAP helps decrease the risk of hunger-related health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and depression.

With 48 percent of eligible seniors participating, New Jersey is slightly ahead of the national average of 42 percent. By comparison, the state's total SNAP participation rate among all eligible residents is 74 percent, lower than the national rate of 83 percent.

The average SNAP benefit for households with seniors was $123 in 2017, compared to $279 for households without seniors, according to FRAC's tables.

Why the lack of enrollment in SNAP in New Jersey? Many SNAP-eligible seniors are not aware of the program or don’t know they may qualify. Others may feel stigma about receiving food assistance or have difficulty navigating the application process, LaTourette said.

"Simplifying the application process for older adults, providing more outreach and education about SNAP and making changes, such as allowing for the use of SNAP benefits at restaurants or for prepared foods, would enhance the participation of older New Jersey residents in the SNAP program,” said Melissa Chalker, executive director of New Jersey Foundation for Aging.

Overall SNAP participation in New Jersey - and across the nation - has been on a steady decline. In January 2019, 712,478 New Jersey residents, including children, seniors, the working poor and disabled, received benefits from this federal program -- a 6 percent drop from January 2018, Hunger Free New Jersey stated.

"We are working with the New Jersey Department of Human Services to identify barriers to SNAP participation among older New Jersey residents and to formulate outreach strategies and other solutions that can boost participation,'' LaTourette said.

This will likely include partnering with healthcare providers, senior centers, faith-based organizations and others to raise awareness of the availability of SNAP and help seniors apply, while also examining ways to make it easier for eligible elderly people to enroll in SNAP, she added.

"We're optimistic that we will be able to advance effective solutions in the months to come,'' LaTourette said. "The health and well-being of our oldest residents depend on it.''

• View FRAC's interactive tables here
• View FRAC's Seniors & SNAP Primer here

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